Dawn in the palace212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3cMxGbJkL
—a held breath before the storm.
The candleflames tremble in the corridors,212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGxxTxV5Yd
as do I.
Chen Qing’er’s warning coils in my gut:212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsD4txFnMpz
"Does the Crown Prince truly trust you?"
A question that now blooms thorns212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhBuxraMtc
in every glance he gives me,212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlKzwWrSjaO
every silence between words.
The Summons
Zhang Feng arrives like a shadow,212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrFnWGTO5gP
his voice devoid of inflection:212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2WXMHX6i5T
"His Highness requests you."
I follow, counting my heartbeats—212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjw3cK5s8fo
each step a precipice.
The Audience
The Prince’s study smells of ink and iron.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYo4Rki8lK7
He doesn’t look up from his documents212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvM7ouLaG7g
when he says:
"You spoke with Chen Qing’er last night."
A statement, not a question.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCIXtrBXC3p
The blade hidden in the scabbard of courtesy.
I keep my voice steady:212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Il1K9J7gN
"Nothing of consequence passed between us."
His fingers pause on a parchment edge.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZiN1OkbJZ
"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,212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMjJBpk0Y0
backlit by a dawn he cannot yet see:
"Chen Qing’er is the true threat now."212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtkDdTk82nY
"Are you prepared to face her?"
The unspoken words hang heavier:212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7DfmODxZyx
Are you prepared to betray me?
I give the expected answer.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV3U2HSLK5a
He smiles—
—a flash of teeth in the gloom,212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJkeenREW06
more warning than approval.
"Remember: we play this game together."212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxR2wxbo3Q
His fingers brush his dagger’s hilt.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPWliAd8ZDz
"Cross me, and you’ll wish Chen Qing’er had killed you first."
The Aftermath
Alone again, I press my palm to my chest—212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQk7ACxfxEW
feeling the thing that frightens me most:
Not the Prince’s threats.212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK24ZJPpppk
Not Chen Qing’er’s schemes.
But the traitorous whisper in my own pulse:212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX9aJfztc6y
What if I want to choose neither?
