Without thinking, I grabbed his wrist—tight.
> "You're a monster. Why don't you stop me?"
My voice cracked. I tugged hard, trying to wrench free from his grip, but he held fast, unflinching.
> "And you even gave me a love bite," I hissed, my breath catching. The heat behind my words trembled with anger… and something I didn't want to name.
His laughter broke the tension like flint against stone—sharp, mocking, maddening.
> "Why should I stop you?" he said, eyes gleaming. "This is exactly what I wanted."
The fury inside me surged. I glared up at him, trembling not from fear—but from the whirlwind of emotion clawing beneath my skin.
> "Bow down," I commanded, voice low and cold. "I want to erase this love bite on you too."
He tilted his head slightly, amused. But he obeyed.
Bai Long dipped forward, exposing his neck without hesitation, his expression unreadable. Slowly, I stepped closer, raising my hand. My fingers brushed the warm skin at the base of his throat, the mark still faintly visible—red against pale gold.
I leaned in. So close I could feel his breath, smell the faint trace of sandalwood and night air lingering on him. I touched the mark gently, my thumb brushing over it as if I could undo what had happened with sheer will.
But it didn't erase the memory. If anything, it carved it deeper.
> "Okay, it's done," I whispered.
I stepped back—only to find myself pulled forward.
His arms wrapped around my waist with sudden boldness. I gasped, my palms bracing against his chest as he held me, his gaze burning into mine.
> "Don't you remember what happened last night?" he asked, voice dipped in curiosity, laced with a strange softness.
I blinked. The words caught me off guard.
> "No… what happened?" I asked, confusion etched into my face.
He looked at me for a long second.
> "Drop the question," Bai Long said finally, his tone abruptly light—too light. "It's not important."
Something inside me cracked.
The dismissiveness. The way he always twisted control. The smirk he wore like armor. Before I could process it fully, he leaned in—eyes intent—lips brushing dangerously close to mine.
I froze.
Then something in me snapped.
I shoved him back with all the force in my arms, stumbling away as his surprised expression flickered into view.
> "Don't you dare," I whispered, my voice shaking, breath shallow.
I turned and bolted from the room, the long sleeves of my hanfu fluttering like wings behind me. Down the corridor, past the guards, past the murmurs—until I burst into the open courtyard, the cool air rushing against my cheeks like water on fire.
Only then did I stop. My heartbeat thundered in my ears.
I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to steady myself. Trying not to feel.
> "Princess!" a voice called gently.
I turned, startled. A young maid approached, her steps hurried, her expression bright.
> "Princess, Prince Xiaofeng's brother has arrived. He's looking for you."
My breath caught.
A single beat. Then a rush of warmth swelled in my chest. It had been ten years.
Ten years since I last saw my younger brother.
> "Where is he?" I asked quickly, a hint of a smile cracking through the haze. "Take me to him."
As we hurried through the stone corridors, my steps grew lighter. The past dissolved behind me like mist in sunlight.
We reached the outer pavilion where cherry blossoms drifted through the air like falling silk.
I called out before I saw him.
> "Heyyy, Xiao Xiao!"
A figure turned, robes caught in the breeze—taller than I remembered, but with the same bright smile, the same spark in his eyes.
> "Sis!" he called back, his voice full of joy.
I rushed forward. He opened his arms.
> "I missed you so much!"
I collided into his embrace, burying my face in his shoulder. For the first time in what felt like forever, my heart found something solid to cling to.
((Prince Xiao Long—called Xiao Xiao by his sister—is the spirited younger brother of Princess Xiaofeng. With a heart full of loyalty and a soul that refuses to be tamed, his return marks the beginning of new reckonings… and long-buried truths.))
> "You've grown so tall!" I laughed, stepping back to get a better look at him.
> "And you're still bossy," he teased. "You didn't even let me walk in before yelling."
I grinned.
But deep in my chest, I felt the stirrings of something else: a storm on the horizon. Because in a palace like this, joy never arrived without shadows following close behind.