So, was it the Crown Prince who saved her?
The faint flicker of candlelight behind the bed curtains outlined the man’s sharp, angular features—his high nose, thin lips, and cold, chiseled jawline. Like a sword gleaming ominously in the dark, even lying still, his presence exuded an oppressive aura that made one instinctively hold their breath.
Yun Kui recalled the Crown Prince in her dream, pierced by countless arrows. Even amid the chaos of flying blades and splattering blood, she had remained a mere spectator. She knew this was someone else’s dream, but whose? Who would dream of the Crown Prince dying so brutally on the battlefield?
Could it be the Crown Prince’s own dream?
Truthfully, she shared no bond with him. If anything, she feared him, terrified that one misstep in her service might cost her life. Yet, when faced with such a vivid, gruesome death before her eyes, who could remain indifferent?
She didn’t know how long she had been staring, but when she snapped out of it, the man had already opened his eyes without a sound.
From her thoughts, he sensed that dream.
But it wasn’t his.
It only proved how many in this world wished for his death—some even in their dreams.
Under the girl’s wide-eyed gaze, the Crown Prince fixed his dark eyes on her and spoke in a low, heavy voice, “This is the third night you’ve shared my bed. You’ve had more chances than anyone to take my life. Why haven’t you acted?”
Another life-or-death question.
Yun Kui instinctively bit her lip. “This servant wouldn’t dare.”
Had he discovered the medicine and silver hidden in her room?
Then why did he save her?
Or had he never trusted anyone from the start, assuming all harbored ill intentions?
She didn’t know how to defend herself. After all, she couldn’t refuse the Empress’s secret medicine, and the evidence—both the drugs and the silver notes—were undeniably in her quarters.
If she had been resolute, she should have reported the traitor immediately, not let those bribes fall into her hands.
Unsure whether to kneel and beg for mercy, her body felt frozen under his icy stare, trembling uncontrollably, too weak to rise.
“Wouldn’t dare?” The Crown Prince scoffed. “You were bold enough when feeding me medicine.”
"Only because the Empress’s rewards were too tempting! That’s why I took the risk!"
Besides…
“This servant may have been reckless, but the medicine was meant to heal Your Highness, never to harm you!” she insisted.
The Crown Prince studied her, his piercing phoenix eyes scrutinizing. “If assassinating me were effortless, and the rewards offered were irresistible, would you choose to live in constant fear here in the Eastern Palace—or kill me and secure a life of wealth and ease?”
His cold, resonant voice sent shivers down her spine. Hesitantly, she lifted her gaze, inadvertently tracing the bandages taut over his chest, then higher—to the sharp jut of his Adam’s apple, the clean line of his jaw, his thin, faintly glistening lips… She swallowed hard.
Unbidden images flashed through her mind: the Crown Prince in her dream, the illustrations in those forbidden books, the steamy baths of the Hot Spring Palace, and her own fantasies of massaging medicinal oils over his skin…
Her cheeks flushed pink.
The Crown Prince’s voice snapped her back. “I asked you a question.”
Whether from nerves or distraction, her head felt foggy.
Wait—what had he just said? She’d been too fixated on the movement of his lips to catch a single word!
Ahhh, I’m dead!
The Crown Prince: “…”
Yun Kui nearly wept, pressing her forehead into the bedding in a full prostration. “Your Highness, this servant is just an insignificant maid, content with her humble lot. I’ve never wished harm upon anyone—please believe me!”
A low, humorless laugh escaped him. Suddenly, a dagger glinted in his hand, its cold edge tilting her chin up. “Choose: kill me, or I kill you. What’ll it be?”
Trembling like a leaf, she stammered, “Y-Your Highness, spare me…”
“If you don’t want to die, then kill me,” he said, almost kindly pressing the hilt into her palm. “Do it, and your fortune’s made.”
Her grip on the dagger shook violently.
"Have I stumbled upon a madman?!"
“This servant may have worked in the imperial kitchens, but I’ve never even slaughtered a chicken, let alone a person! Please, have mercy…”
Unrelenting, he taunted, “The blade’s in your hand. I’m gravely wounded, defenseless. You can do as you please.”
"Defenseless, my foot! Show me those muscles first, then we’ll talk!"
Internally scoffing, she maintained a cowed expression. “This servant dares not. If Your Highness truly seeks death, find someone more capable…”
“I’m giving this chance only to you.”
Yun Kui: “…”
How thrilled his would-be assassins would be to hear that! She could even name her price…
Boldness surged. She blinked. “If this servant truly may ‘do as I please,’ will Your Highness really not resist?”
The corner of his lips curled faintly. “Try me.”
Seeing no escape, she tightened her grip. “Then… could Your Highness close your eyes?”
His gaze darkened, a flicker of danger passing through before he smirked. “Very well.”
The word was soft, the tone almost playful, as if welcoming her blade.
Her breath quickened, mind buzzing—too distracted to notice the veins bulging under his sleeve, his body coiled like a predator ready to strike at the slightest provocation.
With a sudden jerk, she dropped the dagger and bolted for the door.
Now or never!
But two steps in, a deep, velvety voice froze her in place.
“Running again?”
That night she’d served him medicine, she’d vanished after pocketing ten taels of gold.
Eyes squeezed shut, she turned tearfully. “Your Highness…”
Clang. The dagger landed at her feet.
Her soul nearly fled her body.
Above her, an amused chuckle rang out. From the corner of her eye, she saw his elegant hand pat the bed lazily, his voice a low rumble that vibrated in her ears.
“Get back in bed.”
Hope and wariness tangled in her chest. She kept her head bowed. “This servant dares not…”
His expression darkened. “I said get up here.”
A frightened shudder wracked her. “Spare me, Your Highness…”
Silence. The air turned glacial, a phantom chill creeping down her neck.
Where had that earlier courage come from? Her legs had moved faster than her brain, daring to trick the Crown Prince into closing his eyes just to slip away!
Looking back, she deserved execution ten times over.
But… the Crown Prince wanted her in his bed?
Yun Kui didn’t dwell on it any longer. She tossed the dagger on the ground far away, then quickly scrambled up and climbed into the inner side of the sandalwood bed with the swiftest speed she could muster, hastily tugging at the corner of the quilt before lying down.
Once her frantic breathing had steadied, she turned her head meekly toward the pillow beside her. "Your Highness, this servant has come up."
The Crown Prince studied her for a moment before issuing a cold command. "Turn around."
Relieved that she wouldn’t be forced to stab him with the dagger, Yun Kui let out a quiet sigh and obediently turned her back to him.
A long while later, she heard the slightly heavy sound of breathing behind her. The man slowly drew closer, his warm body pressing against her back.
Yun Kui’s heart pounded wildly. She silently thanked the heavens she was wearing sleep robes—at least she wouldn’t look too disheveled. Wait… sleep robes?
Hadn’t she fainted in the hot spring palace? Did the Crown Prince order someone to change her clothes?
Instinctively, she touched her abdomen, where a soothing warmth had replaced the sharp pain she’d felt earlier under the corridor.
Pressing her lips together, she spoke softly, "Thank you for saving my life, Your Highness. You are a good man."
The Crown Prince sneered inwardly.
In this world, she was the only one who would call him a good man.
Yun Kui ventured, "Might I ask what illness I actually have?"
Her health had always been robust—she ate well, slept soundly, and could run and jump without trouble. Even if she occasionally caught a chill from the cold, she recovered quickly. Never before had she suffered pain so severe it made her faint.
The Crown Prince nearly laughed at her inability to distinguish kindness from malice. But then it occurred to him—the Empress had spent twenty years feigning virtue, deceiving the entire world with her false benevolence. How could a foolish little palace maid like her see through such pretenses?
He suppressed the sharpness in his gaze and didn’t answer.
Yun Kui dared not press further.
The fact that the "King of Hell" had summoned a physician for her was already more than she could ever repay. If she annoyed him further, she might never receive such kindness again.
The breath against her neck grew hotter, and Yun Kui couldn’t help but reach up to scratch the spot. But after just two strokes, the itch vanished—only for the pain from the sword-cut to flare up, making her suck in a sharp breath.
She was about to touch it again when her fingers were abruptly seized. "Don’t move."
Yun Kui hunched her shoulders slightly. The warmth of his breath against her earlobe sent a tingling sensation straight to her heart.
