CHAPTER THIRTEEN
T he sky has softened to lavender, marbled with rose.
Clouds glide across the heavens, churned with gold, a fullness clinging to their curves like a storm hasn’t quite passed.
The hem of my gown is damp from the evening drizzle, my shoes speckled with mud.
Even then, I’ve never looked better: my hair swept up, my lips painted, the green gown that Mina chose flattering the hue of my skin.
This feels like a dream, the kind I don’t want to wake from.
As I step through the entrance of the palace, leaving the iron wall behind, my spirits rise. The air here is stripped of the faint metallic tinge and sandalwood incense, smelling of grass and earth. Like home, in a way, the one that used to be good.
Attendants carry lanterns to light the path through the meadow.
A lake ringed by willow trees glistens ahead, their branches of slender, red-gold leaves fluttering like strands of fire.
In the mountains, I’d harvest the leaves for tea to treat headaches or inflammation.
But now, I don’t have to forage or thrift, just savor their beauty.
Prince Zixin stands by the bank, flanked by attendants.
Wind teases his long hair, pulled into a high tail, his white robe gleaming against the dark.
A sword is fastened to his side, maybe because we aren’t within the palace grounds.
Tonight, he appears not just the privileged prince but a hero from the stories.
To look at him is to realize that fortune has its favorites.
As I walk toward him, my mind wanders, wild and unguarded.
If the palace were my home, I could live as he does, safe within these walls, wanting for nothing.
Life would be as effortless as gliding across the waters in a boat instead of clinging to a raft.
A fantasy, yet on an evening like this when it smells of rain and change, when the Prince of the Iron Mountains looks at me, eyes dark with promise… it makes me reckless, like reaching for things I shouldn’t.
I halt before the prince, greeting him as I lower myself in a bow. As he gestures for me to rise, he studies me intently. “Your face is flushed, Miss Yining,” he remarks softly like he’s speaking to me alone. “What is on your mind?”
I’d rather break an arm than share my thoughts. “It’s a warm night, Your Highness.”
“Is it?”
The lift in his tone, his nearness—they stir something in me. Right now, he doesn’t look like the future king, intimidating and powerful, but someone I could befriend, someone I could trust… someone it would be easy to fall in love with. If only I dared.
I break the spell, taking a step back. Coward, my heart hisses, but I’ve hardened myself to ignore it. It’s my mind that’s kept me alive so far, and out of trouble. “Why did you want to meet me here, Your Highness?”
“It’s a fine evening to be out on the water.”
He nods toward the lake. A large three-tiered barge is moored by the pier, lanterns dangling from the yellow-tiled roof. The gilded railings are painted with lotuses, a dragon carved upon the prow.
“This isn’t a boat; this is a floating palace,” I tell him, my eyes wide.
He laughs as though pleased, though I didn’t intend it as flattery. “Come, let us join the others.”
His words jolt me. Foolishly, I imagined the invitation for me alone.
Only now do I notice the attendants boarding the vessel, carrying trays laden with food.
More guests approach, streaming toward the pier—Lady Minji and Lord Liuming among them.
My stomach churns. They wouldn’t be rude in front of Prince Zixin, but the memory of their contempt sears.
I don’t want them watching me, whispering their vicious opinions.
I don’t want to be stared at by the nobles of the kingdom, to be picked apart and found wanting.
I pry my lips into a stiff smile. “Is this a banquet?”
“Do you not like such events?” he asks, his forehead creasing.
A lie hovers; I don’t want to appear dull. But he doesn’t seem to mind when I disagree with him, when I share these glimpses of myself… and I’ll be careful not to challenge him outright as Jin did. “I’ve only attended one banquet before, and being accused of theft did blunt my enjoyment.”
“No one will dare accuse you of anything here,” he assures me.
“Because I’m innocent,” I remind him. “May I know how the investigation is progressing, Your Highness?”
A slight pause like he’s taken aback by my question. “Soldiers were sent to your village, but no trace was found of your step-aunt. Your home was deserted, personal items strewn in haste.”
I grow cold at the thought of the soldiers in my home. The last time they’d been there was to bring my uncle’s body home. What would Prince Zixin think if he saw how I’d lived before, a world away from the perfumed and elegant cocoon of his existence?
Instinctively I feel for my ring, unused to its absence, the mark stinging. “When will my ring be returned to me, Your Highness?”
“We are still searching for the thief. Once we find her, the matter will be resolved, without whispers of favoritism.” His voice turns cool, his shoulders tensing. “Are you in a hurry to leave?”
“Why would anyone want to leave the palace?”
My answer slips out unprompted, the tautness easing from him. “Is there something else you’d rather do tonight than attend the banquet?”
“A walk,” I say on impulse, almost certain he won’t agree. Songmin never did. “The view is beautiful here.”
His eyes narrow, I can’t tell whether in curiosity or annoyance. “Many here would yield to my preference, pretending my wants are theirs.”
I restrain the impulse to do just that. “Isn’t it dull?” I ask instead. “Doesn’t Your Highness already know what you want?”
“It is dull. You are not,” he says, a corner of his mouth lifted. “I like that you’re not afraid to show me who you are.”
Except I am; I just hide it better.
A warmth pools inside me that has nothing to do with the way he looks.
His words make me feel… like I matter. As he moves closer, the wind catches his hair to graze my cheek.
Something glints by his waist: the iron seal I saw at the ball.
The starfire latched on to it glitters, almost dazzling, an impulse gripping me to reach out—
Prince Zixin’s fingers close over it. “No one is allowed to touch the royal seal. It’s for your own safety.” His tone softens the rebuke.
The chief attendant approaches from behind, bowing to the prince. “Your Highness, it is time to board the vessel. The banquet is ready, and your guests are already seated.”
Prince Zixin does not look away from me. “Send word for the barge to set off without me.” He smiles, a slow one that sets my pulse racing. “Miss Yining and I have other plans.”
My heart soars, not just because I’m relishing the chief attendant’s evident displeasure. He glances at me, then back at the prince, the skin puckered between his brows. “Your guests will be disappointed, Your Highness.”
“Gift them each a purse of silver,” Prince Zixin replies in an offhand manner, and I almost wish to be among the “disappointed” guests.
“It’s a windy night.” The chief attendant tries again to dissuade him. “It would be advisable to stay indoors, whether on the barge or—”
“I will remain outside,” Prince Zixin interjects, his tone curt.
The chief attendant sighs as he gestures to a serving girl bearing a tray with a porcelain cup. Small berries float on the surface like goji berries, but I can’t be sure in the dark.
“Your tonic, Your Highness. With the changeable weather, you must guard your health. Shall I also send for a cloak?” the chief attendant asks.
The prince shakes his head, taking the cup and draining it. “Your nagging reminds me of my mother,” he says, with a trace of affection.
“Their Majesties asked me to watch over Your Highness and your sister.” He calls out to a nearby soldier, “Send for a troop of guards to accompany His Highness.”
“There’s no need. We won’t go far,” the prince says impatiently. “The attendants can follow from a distance.”
“Your Highness, it is dangerous to set off unaccompanied,” the chief attendant protests.
“I have my sword; I still remember how to use it,” Prince Zixin replies brusquely.
He reaches for my hand, his fingers covering mine.
A current glides from his touch. Part of me wants to echo the chief attendant’s concerns; I know the dangers that lurk in these mountains, but the thought of being alone with the prince is intoxicating…
along with the realization that he wants this too.
We stroll along the lakeside, the waters gilded with the last embers of the sun.
In the distance, the barge glows, its lanterns shining like small moons.
Prince Zixin walks so close to me, our arms brush occasionally.
I’m all too aware of each time, as I am of his hand wrapped around mine—his grip firm, yet loose enough that I can still pull away.
His attendants follow a short distance behind, the tread of their feet barely perceptible.
Maybe this is as close as it gets to being alone with the prince of the realm.
“Do you have everything you need?” he asks.
“Yes, Your Highness.” Except my ring.
“Are you enjoying your stay here?”
“The palace is beautiful.”
“Is your courtyard satisfactory?” he presses. “I pass by it each time I head to court.”
The way he looks at me as he says this… my breath catches. “It’s wonderful,” I manage to say. “The flowers in my courtyard are especially lovely.”
“The trees are in bloom?” He sounds surprised, even pleased. “Flowers don’t grow easily in the palace; our gardeners claim it’s the soil. And to cultivate gardens as lush as those of the Amber Forest would be a wasteful use of funds.”
“What are the funds spent on?” A daring question, one I wish I could take back as his expression shutters.
To my surprise, he replies, “On our future: our army, defenses, and weapons.” His face is grave, that of the future king, not the prince who chose to abandon his own banquet and walk with me tonight. “Such things are more vital than gilding the palace.”
“I hope to have the chance to explore more of the palace soon.” I smile at him, wanting to recapture the lightness of his mood before. “My lessons have taken up most of my time.”
“You may explore as you wish after your classes. Madam Lau is the best teacher in the palace, which is why I asked for her to instruct you.”
Prince Zixin knew of my lessons? I’d thought it was the chief attendant’s doing. Unease coils around my chest. The night of the ball, when the prince spoke to me… was he judging me, searching for flaws?
I pull my hand from his, clamping my lips before I say something rash—but his hand catches my chin, turning my face back to his.
“I don’t mean to offend you. But the palace isn’t as free as where you have grown up.
Few dare to show their true selves here; many judge on what they see, and they treat you accordingly.
I instructed the chief attendant to ensure you were adequately prepared, to protect you from their disdain, not because I found you wanting. ”
He speaks smoothly, with a quiet sincerity that loosens the tightness within me. “Thank you for explaining this to me.”
As his hand drops to my shoulder, drawing me closer—the silence strikes me, unbroken by step or breath.
Where are his attendants? Have we walked too quickly ahead of them?
A twig snaps, the prince’s gaze darting behind me.
Spinning around, cold blots my insides. Shadows stretch from the nearby grove, seven figures detaching from the dark of the trees to stalk forward—clad in black from head to toe but for a sliver of their eyes and the curved blades glinting in their hands.