Dawn in the palace120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡACBDVbIhve
—a held breath before the storm.
The candleflames tremble in the corridors,120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBMIbx36jzl
as do I.
Chen Qing’er’s warning coils in my gut:120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jakVV9LiX
"Does the Crown Prince truly trust you?"
A question that now blooms thorns120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZmEOYeNCn
in every glance he gives me,120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOzg6iJXqla
every silence between words.
The Summons
Zhang Feng arrives like a shadow,120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJuOr48eD1
his voice devoid of inflection:120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡquzgosBZiX
"His Highness requests you."
I follow, counting my heartbeats—120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsgQstYTkH
each step a precipice.
The Audience
The Prince’s study smells of ink and iron.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmTa9FGaF3
He doesn’t look up from his documents120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZNn9BFP0vO
when he says:
"You spoke with Chen Qing’er last night."
A statement, not a question.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQRMp2vMqT
The blade hidden in the scabbard of courtesy.
I keep my voice steady:120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwOdCSZhExL
"Nothing of consequence passed between us."
His fingers pause on a parchment edge.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUk5RU3wi4E
"I hear you’ve grown… close to certain officials."
Another knife, poised at my throat.
I parry: "All for the sake of reform."
The Warning
He rises, silhouetted against the window,120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPwPPJvrUaT
backlit by a dawn he cannot yet see:
"Chen Qing’er is the true threat now."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaCwu0VHYTi
"Are you prepared to face her?"
The unspoken words hang heavier:120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB28rY0bWOe
Are you prepared to betray me?
I give the expected answer.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHvCQBezIVH
He smiles—
—a flash of teeth in the gloom,120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrdqNfETOeO
more warning than approval.
"Remember: we play this game together."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Y67aNItQF
His fingers brush his dagger’s hilt.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw8KBimEkUN
"Cross me, and you’ll wish Chen Qing’er had killed you first."
The Aftermath
Alone again, I press my palm to my chest—120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0WjdojuTH5
feeling the thing that frightens me most:
Not the Prince’s threats.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjFZvHX6VhX
Not Chen Qing’er’s schemes.
But the traitorous whisper in my own pulse:120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrIuWDjugIb
What if I want to choose neither?
