Private Room – Palace Hall, Late Night
The velvet hush of the hallway was a brief comfort after the dizzying feast. I had just stepped away when—
A hand seized mine, yanking me into a side chamber.
The door shut behind me with a quiet click.
> "What the—? Let me go!" I spun, my voice sharp.
It was him.
Bai Long leaned lazily against the wooden frame, eyes gleaming like a cat in the dark.
> "Relax. I just want to play a game," he said, his voice low, teasing.
> "A game?" I narrowed my eyes. "What kind of game involves dragging someone into a room like a criminal?"
> "Truth and wine," he said, holding up two elegant porcelain bottles. "Simple rules. You ask a question. I ask a question. If you don't want to answer, you drink. Whoever finishes their wine first… obeys one command from the winner."
> "This is ridiculous," I muttered. But part of me—maybe the part that wanted answers—nodded.
We sat, the flickering candlelight painting his features in shadows and gold. The game began lighthearted—harmless questions, snide replies—but tension lingered between us like smoke.
And then, it was my turn.
I leaned forward, my voice cutting through the silence.
> "When we met for the first time… what exactly were you doing? You knew who I was. Our engagement wasn't a secret to you, was it? So if someone else had been in that place… would you have done the same thing?"
His expression shifted. No longer playful. Just quiet.
He swirled the wine in his cup, eyes fixed on mine.
> "You want the truth?" he asked. I nodded.
He took a sip—slow, deliberate.
> "I knew," he admitted, voice dropping an octave. "I knew exactly who you were. But that moment… I wasn't thinking like a prince. I was a man running for his life, high on a drugged drink, desperate to disappear. And then you appeared, like a vision… no, more like fate."
I clenched my jaw.
> "You still haven't answered why you—" I started, but he cut in, gaze suddenly sharp.
> "Let me finish," he said. "They were chasing me. I couldn't fight—not in front of them. I needed cover. You were my only way out. But what happened after… that wasn't the drug. That was me."
I blinked, stunned.
> "So what's your excuse for trying to—" My words faltered.
> "I said I was drugged," he answered quietly. "Not blind. And I wasn't in control. I didn't want to hurt you. But even then… even in that haze, something about you pulled me in."
The room fell silent, heavy with unspoken thoughts. I hated how sincere he sounded. Hated even more how part of me wanted to believe him.
Then he smiled again—mischievous, as if the tension hadn't happened at all.
> "By the way, princess… your bottle's empty."
I blinked, looking down at the drained vessel in my hand.
> "So?" I asked, wary.
> "That means it's time for your dare."
He leaned closer, his voice a velvet whisper that curled around my spine like smoke.
> "Kiss me. Just once."
My breath caught. The air seemed to still. I could hear my heartbeat, pounding against my ribs like a drum.
> "You said I could choose any dare," he added, lips barely inches from mine. "That was the deal."
I stared at him, torn between fury… and something else I didn't dare name.