Page 24

Cut off a finger or two, or maybe his whole hand, depending on how daring Rong felt. And for a hostage prince to be caught with the future empress would make Rongverydaring. If Siwang could exile Lijian for sharing sweets with me, what would he do to Yexue?

Over my shoulder, Siwang’s usual elegant and princely mask had hardened into something stoic.

“We have to stop,” I repeated. “I can get you out of this alive, but we must concede.”

“You underestimate me, Little Goddess!” Yexue shouted over his shoulder, loud enough for Siwang to hear. The distance between our horses was shrinking by the second. Soon Siwang and his men would catch us, and there would be nowhere to run. “Close your eyes.”

“Yexue, you are outnumbered! I don’t care what magic you have, you cannot fight twenty-something men by yourself!”

“Watch me.” Yexue pulled the horse to a sudden halt. The stallion reeled, front legs kicking high. Yexue grabbed my hands to keep me from falling. “It’s okay, I’ve got you.”

“Fei!” Siwang cried.

By the time the horse calmed, Siwang and his men had us surrounded.

“Close your eyes. I don’t want you to see this,” Yexue repeated before he leaped off and drew his sword from its sheath with a thunderoushiss.

“You are not going to win!” Judging from their armor, these men were not imperial guards; they were soldiers. Real, battle-hardenedsoldiers who had trained their whole lives to excel at one thing and one thing only: killing.

“You are just like your tyrant father, Lan Yexue,” Siwang snarled as he brandished his own blade. “Always taking what does not belong toyou.”

Frustration slashed through fear at these words. As if I were something that belonged to him and not myself.

“Bold words for a man who’s about to die.” Yexue retorted, his blade relaxed at his side. “Close your eyes, Fei. I don’t want you to see this,” Yexue warned one last time, then lunged at the closest soldier, quicker than what should have been possible.

Blood splattered across fresh-fallen snow, just like in my visions.

“I usually try not to make a mess, but my robes are already stained.” Yexue moved like a shadow, too fast for my eyes to follow. The only indications of his location were the marks of crimson that bloomed after him.

Blood. So much blood. And Yexue wasn’t the one bleeding, like I had thought.

He was thekiller.

They are monsters,Fangyun’s court gossip echoed.The Lan dynasty trade magic with Death himself.

I had thought this slander, distorted lies that sprouted from prejudice and long-held grudges between our two nations. But where there was smoke, there had to be fire.

Lan Yexue moved with expert precision. Blood kept spilling until the scene looked like a painting of winter roses.

What have I done?

By the time Yexue came to a stop in the middle of the field andlowered his sword, Siwang was the lone figure standing among fallen comrades—barely.He was clutching a gash in his abdomen, unsteady on his feet.

Yexue ran a blood-soaked hand through his now disheveled hair, then turned to present me with a grin that saidI told you so.

Tears burned my frozen cheeks.

“You should have closed your eyes,” Yexue mused. His voice was casual, as if we were discussing something as trivial as the weather. He offered his blade to me. “Would you like to do the honor of ending his life?”

“You…” I tried to speak, but every word collapsed in my mouth like running sand. My heart was a rampant beast rattling against my chest, its deafeningthud-thud-thuddrowning out my everything.

“I told you I would free you from the Rong Empire and your marriage, didn’t I?” Yexue flashed that wide smile again. Except it was no longer beautiful.

Behind him, Siwang fell to his knees as blood poured and poured through clenched fingers that desperately tried to apply pressure to the wound.

Crimson pooled at Siwang’s feet.

MySiwang.