Bloodstained Dawn
The first light of dawn seeped through the lattice windows, painting the study in a pale, merciless glow. My hands trembled slightly against the windowsill, yet my resolve stood unwavering. The chaos of the night had not subsided—instead, it had coiled tighter, a serpent ready to strike. This was fate's design, and we were merely players on its stage.
I turned to the Crown Prince, who stood like a statue carved from ice. His eyes held no warmth now, only the calculating gleam of a strategist surveying a battlefield. Every decision he made in this moment would ripple through history.
"Your Highness, we must act now." My voice carried an edge of urgency I couldn't suppress.
He nodded slowly, but remained silent, his gaze fixed on some unseen point beyond the window—weighing, judging.
"The Eastern Palace is surrounded. Chen Qing'er's forces are strong. Our response must be swift and decisive." I stepped closer, my words sharpening with each syllable. "Delay will cost us everything."
When he finally turned, his eyes were winter incarnate. "Choose wrongly," he said, voice deceptively soft, "and the consequences will be... irreversible."
This wasn't a threat—it was a test. A gauntlet thrown at the feet of my fears. In this moment, I was no longer the confused girl who had stumbled into the palace's web. I was a piece on the board, and the game demanded my allegiance.
"I choose to stand with you." The words left my lips like a vow, sealing my fate. Alive or dead, this path was now mine to walk.
A beat of silence. Then his lips curved—a smile that never reached those frozen eyes. "Good. Then prepare yourself." His whisper slithered through the air, sharp as a dagger's edge. "The crucible awaits."
Outside, the first true rays of sunlight pierced the horizon, staining the palace walls the color of fresh blood. Dawn had broken. And so had we.
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