Alina had been holding back for too long.
Doubt had been eating away at her, gnawing at the edges of her carefully constructed restraint. She had tried to remain impartial, to observe rather than judge, but the more she uncovered about Prince Sheen, the more tangled everything became.
She was tired of whispers. Tired of uncertainty. And most of all, tired of him slipping away before she could demand the truth.
Tonight, she wouldn't let that happen.
It was by chance—or perhaps by fate—that she found herself in the imperial garden just as a group of ministers passed through the moonlit path, their voices hushed, their expressions shadowed beneath the glow of lanterns. She had not intended to eavesdrop, but she recognized Lady Xu among them, and her instincts screamed at her to listen.
"We cannot wait much longer," one of the ministers murmured. "The prince grows more unpredictable by the day. If we allow him to continue tightening his grip on the palace—"
"We will have no kingdom left to serve," another finished.
Lady Xu, ever poised, exhaled softly. "Do not mistake his silence for blindness. He knows the court is against him."
"Then we must act before he acts first."
Alina's hands curled into fists. They speak of treason as though it were strategy.
A flicker of movement caught her eye, and she turned just in time to see Prince Sheen emerging from a corridor on the far side of the garden.
Her breath stilled.
He hadn't seen her yet. His steps were deliberate, slow, as though he already knew what had just been discussed but chose not to react. The cold edge of his expression told her that this wasn't the first time he had heard such things spoken about him.
He was used to it.
And somehow, that enraged her more.
Without thinking, she stepped forward.
He noticed immediately.
For a brief second, his expression flickered—surprise? annoyance? —before it settled into quiet calculation.
"You."
It wasn't a greeting. It wasn't even an accusation. Just a single syllable, laced with the weight of everything that had been building between them.
Alina's heart thundered, but she refused to shrink away. "Why don't you stop them?"
He didn't blink. "Who?"
"The ministers. The nobles. The ones who plot against you in your own home."
He tilted his head slightly, as if considering her words. "And what would you have me do?"
Her fists tightened. "Something."
A breath of silence passed between them. Then—
"Do you think I don't?" His voice was calm, but it held an undercurrent of warning.
Alina shook her head. "I think you let them speak of you like a tyrant because it's easier than proving them wrong."
The air between them grew taut. His dark gaze never wavered, but the space around them felt heavier, charged with something undeniable.
"Careful, Lin Mei."
She should have been intimidated. But the fire inside her burned too hot now.
"Why?" she challenged. "Afraid I'll see you for what you really are?"
For the first time, something flickered in his eyes—something raw, unreadable. Then, just as quickly, it was gone, replaced by that careful, practiced restraint.
"You already have."
And with that, he turned and walked away, leaving Alina standing in the dark, her pulse racing, her anger simmering.
But beneath it all, something else lingered.
Doubt.
Not about him.
About herself.