It took a moment for me to realize the minister was speaking to Liqin, not Ren. They must’ve heard everything, only appearing now to prevent the worst from happening.
Liqin stared at the minister, his expression darkening. “The law clearly states that whoever holds the royal seal will become the heir of Sian. You dare question the law?”
Another official stepped forward, speaking grimly. “If Your Highness has truly committed the heinous acts that Prince Renshu mentioned and you didn’t deny, then it would not be appropriate for you to claim the throne.”
Liqin scoffed. “So are you saying you’ll bend the law—just for the son of an inferior consort? You’d truly givehimthe right to rule?”
“If he is worthy, and wants it,” the official said, looking at Ren. “Do you want it, Your Highness?”
“I—” Ren hesitated.
“This is ridiculous,” Liqin spat. Taking advantage of Ren’s distraction, he knocked away the sword at his throat andblindly thrust his dagger forward—all rage, without a care to whom he struck.
Ren twisted to shield me, inhaling sharply as his brother buried his knife in his shoulder.
“Ren!” I gripped my staff, prepared to call back the skeleton, but Ren’s hand slipped over mine.
“No,” he gasped. “I’m all right.”
“No, you’re not!” I hissed, staring at the hilt protruding from behind him. “Anshi—”
But the governor’s assistant had already slammed Liqin onto the ground, pinning his arms behind his back. He wriggled vehemently, threatening to break free from Anshi’s hold. They were too equally matched in strength—and desperation.
The officials watched uselessly from the veranda, the guards frozen as they considered which was their enemy.
I gritted my teeth and clasped the front of Ren’s shirt. “We need to leave. And you need a physician to remove that dagger.”
“It’s all right, Siying.” He pulled away, already reaching for the knife’s hilt. With a pained grunt, he yanked it out of his shoulder. The fresh blood on his fingers mingled with mine, dripping onto the white stones below.
I clapped my hand over my mouth to keep from shrieking. “I said a physician!”
He gave me a lopsided grin. “This worked just as well.”
Then he turned to look at Anshi still kneeling over his brother.
“I want the seal,” she said, locking eyes with Ren. “The priestess promised.”
Ren nodded, unsurprised. “You’ll have it. But first, I need you to let him go.”
“Will you kill him?”
At Ren’s silence, Anshi reluctantly released her hold on Liqin, but not without slamming his face one last time against the ground. Ren approached his brother, the offending dagger still trickling blood from his hand.
Groaning, the elder prince rolled onto his back and grinned at Ren through crimson teeth. “It isn’t that often that you get a second chance. Will you waste it again?”
“I’m not running anymore,” Ren said, holding the dagger over his brother.
I could feel the tension stretched between everyone in the courtyard as we watched, breathless, waiting for glass to break. But I looked only at Ren, trying to read the intentions behind the lines of his profile.
Liqin deserved to die. Whether by Ren’s hand or mine or the law’s, it didn’t matter. But his ending was Ren’s decision. This was something for him to choose, regardless of what I wanted. For once, I couldn’t control the outcome of another’s life. I could only stand back and trust that Ren would make the right decision.
“Kill me,” Liqin sneered, staring up at Ren. “Do it, you coward.”
The officials tittered nervously.
“Your Highness—”
“Please—”
