The sun was sinking low, spilling its last fire across the horizon. Crimson bled into violet, and gold brushed the edges of the mountains like ink strokes on silk.
Inside his temporary study, Li Wei sat utterly still. His elbows pressed to the polished desk, his fingers tapping a quiet, steady rhythm against the wood. The sound was calm. His mind was not.
A royal edict.
An order he could not refuse.
The northern front.
The Seventh Prince's jaw tightened until pain lanced across his teeth. He had commanded soldiers before. He had led men into slaughter and pulled them back out again, victories written in blood and steel. But this? This was different.
The northern barbarians were not simply an enemy. They were a nightmare that stalked every soldier's memory. Sending him there now was not honor. It was a death sentence.
Why?
Why would his father cast him into the wolves' jaws?
What game was the Emperor playing?
His hand slammed onto the desk. The sharp crack echoed through the chamber like a thunderclap. Li Wei rose in one fluid movement, robes flaring. His gaze snapped to his most trusted guard.
"Jun."
The man straightened instantly, spine rigid. "Yes, Your Highness."
"Find the truth. Not only the official reports—every whisper in the shadows. Every reason why this war drags on. Every hidden hand behind it."
Jun bowed, the weight of the order heavy in his expression. "At once, Your Highness."
When the doors closed behind him, silence rushed in again.
Li Wei moved to the window. The old lattice creaked as he pushed it wide, letting in the breath of evening. Cool air kissed his face. For a fleeting moment, it eased the fire burning beneath his skin.
And then he saw her.
Leena.
She walked alone in the courtyard below, her steps slow, her gaze lifted toward the bleeding sky. The fading sun turned her hair to molten bronze, brushed her cheek with gold, set her figure glowing like a vision stolen from heaven's scrolls.
A smile ghosted across his lips before he realized it was there.
What are you doing there… alone?
Without hesitation, he left the study. His steps were silent, swift. His chest, moments ago heavy with fury, felt strangely lighter.
"Leena."
His voice carried across the courtyard—smooth, warm, edged with amusement.
She turned instantly. Surprise flashed in her eyes, but it was too polished, too perfect. She was pretending.
"You knew I'd come," Li Wei said, lips curling into a knowing smile.
Her brow lifted in mock reproach. "Your Highness seems to have a talent for finding me, no matter where I hide."
"And tonight, you hide… directly beneath my chambers?"
Her gasp was exaggerated. "Oh? Truly?"
Their laughter met in the air, soft and unrestrained. The distance between them melted like frost beneath sunlight.
Li Wei tilted his head. "Come. There's a place I want to show you."
"Where?"
He only smirked. "You'll see."
With a courtly sweep of his hand, he gestured for her to lead.
The path wound through the estate's gardens, each turn a mosaic of blossoming branches and moss-draped stone. He walked just behind her, close enough to hear the swish of her skirts, close enough to catch the faintest trace of her scent. Jasmine.
The slope ahead opened suddenly into a hilltop. At its crown stood a towering tree, its roots old as memory. From one sturdy branch dangled a handmade swing, ropes thick and weathered, the wooden board smooth from use.
Beyond it—an ocean of sunset. The estate sprawled below, every tiled roof washed in molten light, every shadow painted long and soft.
Leena's lips parted. "This…" Her voice trembled, threaded with something fragile. "When I was small, I used to play on swings just like this."
Li Wei's chest tightened. To see her smile like this—to see the weight slip from her shoulders—it was worth more than crowns, more than victory.
"Would you like to try?" he asked softly.
Her answer was instant. "Of course!"
She stepped onto the board, gripping the ropes with eager hands. The sight tugged at his lips. She looked younger, freer—like the girl she might have been, if fate had not scarred her.
Li Wei moved behind her. He placed one foot, then the other, onto the swing. The warmth of her back pressed lightly against his chest.
Her breath hitched.
His heart thundered, an unsteady drum. Her head tilted slightly back, brushing him. Their eyes caught for a fraction of a second, and the world stopped.
Then, with a decisive kick, he sent them flying.
The air rushed past, cool and wild. Leena's hair whipped across his jaw, silk against skin. She laughed—a sound so unguarded, so bright, that Li Wei felt it strike his chest harder than any blade.
"You should look ahead," he murmured near her ear. His breath stirred loose strands of her hair. "The view is breathtaking."
Flustered, she obeyed. Her eyes widened. The horizon blazed with fire, the rooftops below shimmered, and for one stolen moment, she believed she was flying.
And always—his warmth at her back, the strength of him steady as stone.
Li Wei forgot the war. The Emperor. The shadows. Everything. There was only this—the scent of her skin, the weight of her laugh, the feel of her body pressed against his.
Too close. Too much.
He shifted back—his foot slipped.
The swing jolted.
Leena gasped as gravity seized them. But before fear could root, his arms closed around her. In one fierce motion, he twisted, shielding her as they tumbled from the swing.
Down the grassy slope they rolled, tangled in limbs and laughter and startled cries. The world spun until they landed—soft, breathless, alive.
Leena blinked up at him, strands of hair plastered to her cheek. For a moment, they just stared.
And then they laughed. Wild. Free. Like children who had never known the weight of crowns or chains.
"I didn't know His Highness could laugh," she teased, giving him a playful shove.
"And I didn't know you had such a death wish," he shot back, though his lips twitched in a smile.
She bit her lip to hold back another laugh. It only made his chest ache more.
He rose first, dusting his robes with princely grace. He extended a hand, eyes glinting. "Follow me… if you want to live."
She took it without hesitation.
They ran. They tumbled again. They collapsed into the grass, hearts pounding, lungs burning.
By the time they stilled, night had fallen. Stars bloomed across a velvet sky, and the moon cast them both in silver.
"The sun's gone," Leena whispered, her voice soft, awed.
Li Wei turned his head. For a long moment, he simply looked. At the way moonlight caressed her face. At the curve of her lips. At the tiny beauty mark at her collarbone.
He moved before he could think.
One hand braced the grass beside her ear. He leaned down. His lips brushed that mark—soft, reverent, lingering.
Leena gasped, the sound trembling through him.
He drew back just enough for their eyes to meet. His voice was husky, threaded with heat. "They say beauty marks bring luck. And prosperity."
Her fingers touched the spot, still tingling. "Why would you need my luck, Your Highness?" Her voice shook.
His hand rose, tracing her jaw with feather-light care. "Because I've been ordered to the northern front. To face the barbarians."
Her heart lurched. Fear shone in her eyes.
"Don't be afraid." His thumb brushed her cheek, tender as a vow. "No matter what happens… I will return. To give you back your luck."
The words shattered something inside her.
Her hands flew to his collar, clutching. With desperate force, she pulled him down.
Their lips met.
Li Wei froze—stunned. He, who never lost control, faltered.
Then heat devoured him. His arms crushed her close, his mouth moving against hers in a kiss that burned and trembled all at once.
Leena's fingers curled into his robe, clinging as if he were air, as if letting go meant drowning. His hand cupped her face, deepening the kiss, savoring, consuming.
Butterflies rioted in her chest, each brush of his lips sparking down her spine. The world blurred—the grass, the stars, the silence—until only this existed: the frantic beat of her heart and the taste of him, both fire and solace.
She trembled. He steadied her. She yielded. He devoured.
And in that endless moment, they both knew—this was no accident. It was a vow.
But shadows watched.
From behind the ancient tree, a woman in rose silk stood motionless. Her gaze was ice, her lips a blade of a smile.
Her maid whispered, trembling, "Madam… what shall we do?"
The noblewoman's smile widened, slow and cruel.
"Oh… I already know."
༘⋆🌷🫧💭₊˚ෆ To be continued... ༘⋆🌷🫧💭₊˚ෆ