Page 43 of Dynasty of the Wicked

All the girls eagerly bobbed their heads.

“Oh, but it’s very fancy.” She batted her lashes at them. “I want everyone to dress lavishly. I don’t want any of you to embarrass me.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll ask to borrow my mother’s clothes,” one of the girls chittered excitedly. “Or maybe I’ll have the seamstress make me some new dresses.”

Ying Yue perked up. “Oh, that’s a wonderful idea! You should all ask your mothers if you can wear their jewelry! I’ll ask mine the same, though I already have a lot of my own jewelry too, but I much prefer my mother’s more mature tastes.”

All the girls continued to giggle and plan, while Zhi Ruo felt left out. She fiddled with her hands, all too aware that she was the only one without a mother and the only one who didn’t have any fancy jewelry or dresses. All of her clothing and accessories were handled by the Empress and Ying Yue’s mother, and neither of them bought her anything flattering or overly expensive, like jewelry.

Ying Yue touched her hand and Zhi Ruo flinched at the contact, her wide eyes shifting to her sister, whose grin sharpened.

“Don’t worry, Zhi Ruo, I have some jewelry I’d love to gift you. It’s one of a kind and absolutely beautiful. I’ll allow you to attend my party so long as you wear it.”

“Oh? That’s too kind of you,” Zhi Ruo said, uncertainty washing over her. Since when did Ying Yue ever do something nice like this? But she quickly banished that thought away; she was here, with them all, and she had no friends. She couldn’t question Ying Yue’s good faith. Not when this was the perfect opportunity to make connections with other girls her age.

“Yes. Father gave them to me, and so I think it’s only right that you can have them,” she continued, her voice low so the other girls couldn’t hear. “I want you to shine at my party. I know it’s not easy for you, especially since you don’t have a mother. I hope this way you’ll be able to look more like a princess.”

“Thank you, but … but why?”

“Oh? Because, silly, you’re my sister.” Ying Yue smiled at her, and the uneasiness in Zhi Ruo’s chest grew, but it was overshadowed by the giddy excitement swirling in her stomach. She would be beautiful, she thought in awe, dressed in finery just like her sister. Maybe others would notice her and want to be friends with her. Maybe this would finally make Father notice her. She wasn’t naïve enough to think that this was enough for them to love her, but maybe … maybe it was a start.

“I can’t wait,” she said, returning her grin. “Thank you.”

“Oh no, thankyou.”

14

It was cold—unbearablyso. Zhi Ruo could feel winter’s touch leeching any hint of warmth from her body, allowing its coldness to seep down into her stiff muscles. She was also aware of an intense paineverywhere. Her back, her legs, her arms—every bit of her flesh ached like the fibers had torn straight off the bone.

She groaned, trying to curl within herself, but strong hands pressed down on her shoulders, keeping her in place. She tried to wrestle away, her body freezing and every part of her aching.

“Shh. It’s all right, it’s all right,” Feng Mian’s voice drifted toward her, but she couldn’t tell where he was. Her sense of direction was off and she couldn’t get a good bearing of herself.

She tried peeling her eyes open, but found she couldn’t. Pain pulled her left and right, and she gritted her chattering teeth together to keep from crying out loud. Then she remembered what had happened—how her magic had gone awry, how she was consumed with power, how Feng Mian’s shackles had shattered, the Kadian soldiers. She couldn’t remember anything after that.

Were they still stuck in a cell? Or forced into a tent once again? She wanted to cry in frustration—had she blown their one chance at freedom?

“Feng Mian,” she murmured, tears burning her eyes. Her voice came out slurred, the muscles of her cheeks and jaw stiff and heavy. “I’m … sorry. I couldn’t control it?—”

“Don’t apologize, Princess.”

Pain gripped her tightly, every breath causing razors to run through her lungs. She groaned again, trying to turn her heavy head. “I don’t know what happened. I was so angry, and I blew it. I should have … controlled myself better.”

His gentle fingers gently traced the strands of hair stuck to her clammy skin, and he tucked them behind her ears carefully, and slowly. “You did well, Princess. Now sleep.”

Zhi Ruo wanted to say more, but her tongue was too heavy and she spiraled back into darkness. She wasn’t sure if hours had passed, or only minutes, but the pain in her body had subsided at some point, and she finally was able to crack her eyes open. It was dark, moonlight shining against a canopy of barren trees. She turned her head, noticing that she was on the ground, covered in a thin blanket. The snow seeped through her clothes, but not enough that she was soaked through. She pushed herself into a sitting position, finally noticing that Feng Mian was seated a few feet away from her, his back against a tree and his head lolling forward as he drifted to sleep, woke up, and drifted back to sleep.

She blinked, eyes widening. They weren’t at the Kadian camp. They were in the middle of the forest. Flurries of snow lazily twirled around them and she shuddered as a wintry breeze blew against her thin, ripped dress. They should have frozen to death, but they were both very much alive.

“Feng Mian?” she asked, reaching forward and touching his shoulder.

His eyes snapped open and he leaped on top of her, shoving her shoulders onto the snow-packed earth, one hand goingstraight to her neck. His thighs tightened around her waist, his expression dark.

“F-Feng Mian, it’s me!” she gasped, her hands flying to his wrist.

He loosened his grip, his silver eyes widening as realization dawned in them. He yanked his hand back, still on top of her.

“Sorry—” he began. “I … was still half asleep.”

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