Dawn in the palace167Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXDaDSySHD8
—a held breath before the storm.
The candleflames tremble in the corridors,167Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfgRXDiZcGM
as do I.
Chen Qing’er’s warning coils in my gut:167Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhpn1irzt8
"Does the Crown Prince truly trust you?"
A question that now blooms thorns167Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡht2RlCiFzF
in every glance he gives me,167Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQX1YwHB8yJ
every silence between words.
The Summons
Zhang Feng arrives like a shadow,167Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzonEtH7r4o
his voice devoid of inflection:167Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCzA42hPG3t
"His Highness requests you."
I follow, counting my heartbeats—167Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQOWDttHln
each step a precipice.
The Audience
The Prince’s study smells of ink and iron.167Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUwD8g2PYuv
He doesn’t look up from his documents167Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcd7Y2GRULT
when he says:
"You spoke with Chen Qing’er last night."
A statement, not a question.167Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡddGahkuEpu
The blade hidden in the scabbard of courtesy.
I keep my voice steady:167Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfPwKuudbE
"Nothing of consequence passed between us."
His fingers pause on a parchment edge.167Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMmjbmiE1O
"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,167Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJbl46S9Vmj
backlit by a dawn he cannot yet see:
"Chen Qing’er is the true threat now."167Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡshq4kCgnDv
"Are you prepared to face her?"
The unspoken words hang heavier:167Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrIqhkL8BlU
Are you prepared to betray me?
I give the expected answer.167Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLRAN0auw5
He smiles—
—a flash of teeth in the gloom,167Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡms0cEicVlT
more warning than approval.
"Remember: we play this game together."167Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9NTGemIaGV
His fingers brush his dagger’s hilt.167Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyhsMJyLDRY
"Cross me, and you’ll wish Chen Qing’er had killed you first."
The Aftermath
Alone again, I press my palm to my chest—167Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJgQpCN5HEj
feeling the thing that frightens me most:
Not the Prince’s threats.167Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡARrxKIgzJz
Not Chen Qing’er’s schemes.
But the traitorous whisper in my own pulse:167Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4fpkCuCFE
What if I want to choose neither?
