Dawn in the palace188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ55KkxHN6Ag
—a held breath before the storm.
The candleflames tremble in the corridors,188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHd4arNvXT
as do I.
Chen Qing’er’s warning coils in my gut:188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBS54bhKw9P
"Does the Crown Prince truly trust you?"
A question that now blooms thorns188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVj1ftktXO
in every glance he gives me,188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tQkHeYlDu
every silence between words.
The Summons
Zhang Feng arrives like a shadow,188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNPhW6yTlQV
his voice devoid of inflection:188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgogvqJ9aB2
"His Highness requests you."
I follow, counting my heartbeats—188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaIXxd8tIeQ
each step a precipice.
The Audience
The Prince’s study smells of ink and iron.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ZHxZMUFkz
He doesn’t look up from his documents188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFxWdcaiLfQ
when he says:
"You spoke with Chen Qing’er last night."
A statement, not a question.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiR3FShFc86
The blade hidden in the scabbard of courtesy.
I keep my voice steady:188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFIZCXPWFgH
"Nothing of consequence passed between us."
His fingers pause on a parchment edge.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpR3NEKkap
"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,188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrpw4lATOVw
backlit by a dawn he cannot yet see:
"Chen Qing’er is the true threat now."188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1h3yagG3Rk
"Are you prepared to face her?"
The unspoken words hang heavier:188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAiF0MqWZVU
Are you prepared to betray me?
I give the expected answer.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡerWxeGiBwF
He smiles—
—a flash of teeth in the gloom,188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRiEDA6zwXY
more warning than approval.
"Remember: we play this game together."188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Ahzf0sE9H
His fingers brush his dagger’s hilt.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuun0DiNIT
"Cross me, and you’ll wish Chen Qing’er had killed you first."
The Aftermath
Alone again, I press my palm to my chest—188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxO8ACqdWq
feeling the thing that frightens me most:
Not the Prince’s threats.188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEyIlkAqKJ
Not Chen Qing’er’s schemes.
But the traitorous whisper in my own pulse:188Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZz1ITxBnwt
What if I want to choose neither?
will be deducted 
and then Add to home screen.