The corridors of the palace stretched endlessly before Alina, yet she barely noticed the path she took. Her mind was ablaze, her thoughts spiralling in the wake of her confrontation with Prince Sheen. She had seen the ministers plotting against him, heard their plans spoken in hushed, treasonous tones. But when she had faced him—when she had tried to demand answers—he had walked away as though her words held no weight at all.
It infuriated her.
And yet, his words refused to leave her mind. You already have.
What was he trying to tell her? That everything she feared was true? That there was no question left to ask?
Or that she had already judged him long before she had ever truly seen him?
She needed to confront him again.
This time, she wouldn't let him walk away.
Night had settled over the palace when she found him. The torches lining the Imperial Bridge cast flickering light upon the stone walkway, their glow reflecting in the still waters below. And there, standing at its centre, gazing out toward the dark horizon, was Prince Sheen.
Alina didn't hesitate.
"You don't even deny it," she said, her voice firm as she stepped forward.
He did not turn. "Deny what?"
"That you are exactly what they say you are."
At that, he finally turned, his dark eyes meeting hers with unsettling calm. "And what is that?"
Alina's hands clenched into fists at her sides. "A ruthless tyrant."
A long pause. Then—
A low, almost amused breath left his lips, though there was no humour in his expression. "If that is what you believe, why are you still here?"
Her heart pounded. "Because I need to hear you say it."
The flickering torches cast shifting shadows across his face, making it impossible to read his thoughts. He took a slow step toward her, his gaze unwavering.
"You want me to tell you that I am a monster?"
Alina swallowed hard. "Are you?"
His silence stretched, thick with meaning. Then, he spoke, his voice measured, quiet.
"I do what must be done."
The weight of his words pressed against her. She had expected anger, cruelty, indifference—anything but this calm, steady acceptance.
"So, you don't deny it," she said, though it came out softer than before.
"No," he said simply. "Because you will decide what I am."
Alina's breath hitched. "What does that mean?"
Prince Sheen regarded her for a long moment before finally looking away. "It means that truth is not absolute," he murmured. "A man may be a tyrant or a saviour, depending on who tells his story."
The words sent a shiver down her spine. She had come here searching for certainty, for something to either confirm or shatter the doubts warring inside her.
Instead, he had left her with even more questions.
"You're playing games with me," she accused, but there was no real conviction behind it.
He exhaled softly. "Believe what you will, Lin Mei."
The sound of her false name on his lips only unsettled her further.
And then, without another word, he turned and walked away, leaving her standing there beneath the torches, the weight of his truth settling heavily upon her.
Was he truly a ruthless ruler? Or was she the one who had failed to see the full story?
Alina no longer knew.