Page 46
“His Highness is astonishingly insecure. How does this make you feel?”
“Angry.” I’m sifting through the gnarled tightness in my chest. “Trapped.”
His lips curve slightly. “You have the prince’s favor. Shouldn’t you feel flattered? Isn’t this what you want?”
I utter a curse that only makes Jin’s smile widen. “Are you enjoying this?”
“More than you imagine. Didn’t you so staunchly defend His Highness’s virtues before, accusing me of jealousy?” His tone hardens, like my insults reached deep.
“He’s not who I thought he was.”
“Do you want to get out?” He sounds like he already knows my answer.
Even now, I hesitate. Outside these walls, I have nothing—no one. Once I leave the palace, I’ll have to fend for myself again. It’s not easy to relinquish the fairy tale… though I should have known better: Handsome princes don’t always have hearts of gold, and those who do probably don’t want someone like me.
“Can you get my ring back?” I ask, my thumb brushing the mark on my hand.
“As long as you find what I seek.”
“I will.” I have. But I keep this to myself. What I’ve discovered in the Shadow Wing is a dangerous secret, a valuable one. I won’t surrender it for nothing. Moreover, I don’t trust him entirely, unsure if he’s telling me the whole truth.
“You sound confident,” Jin remarks.
“I’m allowed to explore the palace as I wish.” I lift the ornament from Princess Chunlei, the one I haven’t had the chance to return. “How do I know you can do as you say?”
“Our contact has learned where your ring is kept in the treasury. We are forming a plan to extract it,” he assures me.
It’s like a weight has fallen away, though I find myself glaring at him. “You assumed I’d agree?”
“I knew you’d open your eyes. It was only a question of when.”
His confidence irks. Yet I can’t be angry with him when I’m hiding what he seeks. Remorse pricks me; the desire to share a little of what I saw—
Jin’s head jerks up abruptly. I catch it then, the muffled tread of feet. He pulls me deeper into the shadows, up against a tree, his body covering mine. Rough bark presses against my back, my head coming up to his chin. In the dark, his eyes are a deep bronze. My heart is beating too quickly, my body turning hot then cold.
A group of soldiers emerges, moving toward the hall. Their expressions are somber as they speak in hushed tones. If it wasn’t so quiet, we wouldn’t be able to hear them.
“Will we be blamed?” one asks.
“It wasn’t our fault,” his companion assures him.
“As a guest of the palace, Lord Chao’s safety is our responsibility,” another says tersely. “Yet he was attacked. What if they punish everyone on the night watch?”
Jin goes very still, his eyes ablaze. I catch his arm in warning. We can’t be discovered, I can’t be found alone with him.
“Who attacked Lord Chao?” one asks. “Have their identities been revealed?”
“I hear the assailants were masked and they escaped,” the first soldier says. “No one knows how they entered the palace. They ambushed Lord Chao when he was returning to his quarters, alone. While he fought them off, his leg is broken.”
A soldier with graying hair sighs. “This is what comes of insulting the general. Never lets an insult pass, each grudge repaid thrice over.”
“General Xilu would never have dared this without His Highness’s support,” the first one whispers, before his companions hush him.
They fall silent, walking past us. We wait awhile, then Jin releases me, stepping away. “I didn’t mean to grab you; there wasn’t time to explain.” He shakes his head, his voice low and furious. “I should have been with Lord Chao.”
Selfish of me, but I’m glad he wasn’t. Jin isn’t a fighter; he wouldn’t be able to defend Lord Chao… and then he’d be hurt too. I tell myself any concern must be because I need him now, nothing more.
“Do you think the general and Prince Zixin are capable of such a thing?” I ask.
