Dawn in the palace59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwt0pPyW4RT
—a held breath before the storm.
The candleflames tremble in the corridors,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5FRuQ3w6z
as do I.
Chen Qing’er’s warning coils in my gut:59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmALwOAOGab
"Does the Crown Prince truly trust you?"
A question that now blooms thorns59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVGfJUL8oU
in every glance he gives me,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPUE4HX5aR3
every silence between words.
The Summons
Zhang Feng arrives like a shadow,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LAKikjAbK
his voice devoid of inflection:59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ192Bqx1hBR
"His Highness requests you."
I follow, counting my heartbeats—59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyvZhex0OG6
each step a precipice.
The Audience
The Prince’s study smells of ink and iron.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR2XBDbUvBR
He doesn’t look up from his documents59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRD83DNQH1E
when he says:
"You spoke with Chen Qing’er last night."
A statement, not a question.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXU8PjS5wrB
The blade hidden in the scabbard of courtesy.
I keep my voice steady:59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW526TfvEp4
"Nothing of consequence passed between us."
His fingers pause on a parchment edge.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFFUwaEXymX
"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,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkESmRtXFqw
backlit by a dawn he cannot yet see:
"Chen Qing’er is the true threat now."59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQGIlac45u
"Are you prepared to face her?"
The unspoken words hang heavier:59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCgLw5I5Us
Are you prepared to betray me?
I give the expected answer.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNYIzMGMIc
He smiles—
—a flash of teeth in the gloom,59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmuu5ln8jmF
more warning than approval.
"Remember: we play this game together."59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgUCLeHlc1
His fingers brush his dagger’s hilt.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLP1KooHZbS
"Cross me, and you’ll wish Chen Qing’er had killed you first."
The Aftermath
Alone again, I press my palm to my chest—59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9Oi4hmOc9
feeling the thing that frightens me most:
Not the Prince’s threats.59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMp64G4py0H
Not Chen Qing’er’s schemes.
But the traitorous whisper in my own pulse:59Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJtbN8jcu0
What if I want to choose neither?
will be deducted 
and then Add to home screen.