The princess was standing on a bridge, the mirror-still water below. ‘You’re back,’ the other breathed. ‘Are you… okay?’

  ‘I am.’ Three walked over, her hands clenching as she did. A weight seemed to press on her shoulders — though she couldn’t complete the mission today, it was the emperor’s orders. She couldn’t defy that.

  But then, the thin yer of disregard started to crack over her head.

  Would the princess bme her for it?

  Bme her, like how she was bmed for killing General Jian? Would her head be smashed into the floor?

  But she wasn’t punished for killing Eunuch Meng, either —

  She fell into a kneel and said, ‘Your Highness, I have failed your order. I was unable to kill the Fifth Prince.’ A pause. Guilt rolled up her back in waves, struggling to crawl out her mouth. ‘I also ruined your pns.’

  ‘…What happened, Three?’

  She didn’t dare look up, keeping her eyes fixed on the bck, gssy gravel. ‘I was about to kill the Fifth Prince when the emperor, empress, and imperial noble consort came in. When questioned, I said that I was there on the Second Prince’s orders — that he was ordering me through you — and was given a ban from attacking the Fifth Prince for the day.’

  Quiet. The birds had vanished. The stones dug into her knees, a burning on her face and legs.

  She whispered, ‘Your Highness, I’ve failed.’

  ‘I see. Well, get up, don’t just squat there all day,’ the other snapped. ‘Whatever. Since you can mope, it seems you’re fine. It’s good that you could throw the bme on the Second Prince at the least. Very nice.’

  The breath caught in her throat as she jolted up. ‘Your Highness —’

  ‘Oi.’ The princess seized her wrist and reprimanded her, rapping hard on her forehead with a finger. ‘What did I tell you to call me? Huh?’

  She stammered, ‘Xi — Xi Yu. I — you’re not angry at me?’

  ‘No. But, we’ll have to be careful.’ Xi Qian’e narrowed her eyes, a sharpness in the lines of her thin face. ‘The Fifth Prince won’t let us go.’ She forced a ugh. ‘The Second Prince won’t be happy, either.’

  Her jaw dropped. ‘I’m not in trouble? Really?’

  ‘No, I told you already. We’ve got to prepare for —’

  ‘You’re not lying? Or are you secretly angry?’ Mouth running faster than her brain, Three shot out, ‘Are you the kind that likes to bottle it up and spike wine with xatives —’

  ‘Ask me again, and I will throw you out the window.’

  She stood up and gave a hard bow, ‘Yes, master! Understood!’ A smile glowed on her face; her heart was so light it seemed that it could just fly away. ‘Xi Yu,’ she whispered, ‘thank you so much. I haven’t had a reward like this in years.’

  ‘Reward? Don’t get ahead of yourself.’ The princess snorted and said, ‘I’m being reasonable, not praising you for a mistake. And move it. We’ll need to prepare for an attack.’

  She blinked. ‘An attack? But only Five can kill right now, and she tends to spike food —’

  ‘Three, the emperor isn’t the only one who keeps assassins.’ Pulling her into the pace hall, the princess continued, ‘The imperial noble consort has some too. Though they’re normally not as… high-quality.’

  ‘So, you’re saying —’

  ‘Yes.’ Windows and white pilrs flickered past. ‘The emperor has long made clear her intention to keep the current empress; the imperial noble consort’s only chance for power is to have his son ascend the throne. He’ll want us dead — especially with you having come so close to killing Xi Baitan.’

  Oh, right.

  ‘About the Fifth Prince,’ Three said, recalling the imperial couple’s argument, ‘I heard something quite odd. When the empress was talking to the emperor, he referred to His Highness as “our children”. He was also… very upset that the emperor was supporting the Seventh Princess.’

  The princess’s neck gave an audible snap as she turned to face her. ‘What? He called the prince as his own?’

  ‘Yes.’ She stepped over the threshold and let herself be pulled down to sit on a chair. ‘He was furious.’

  ‘It’s well-known that the empress is yet to father any children,’ said the princess, her brows furrowing. ‘The Fourth Princess was born from the noble consort, and the Fifth Prince was from the imperial noble consort. The empress is childless, unless…’

  ‘The emperor did something?’

  Xi Qian’e nodded, a fine finger tapping on the surface of the table. ‘Both the children and the empress have curly hair. It’s likely that they’re both his, but the emperor named them as children of her other concubines to prevent her husband’s family from gaining too much power. Imagine — all the emperor’s children coming from the same father is too dangerous.’ She looked up. ‘Was the imperial noble consort worried for his “son”?’

  ‘Yes. He did appear so.’

  The princess mused, ‘Then he probably doesn’t know, or if he does, he doesn’t care.’ Her face fell, darkened like the shadows under storm clouds. ‘So, it is two that are after our heads. The imperial noble consort, and the empress.’

  ‘Then we —’

  ‘We must contact the First and Second Prince.’ The princess’s expression turned bitter. ‘He’d better make good on his promise of protection.’

  But Three had a feeling he wouldn’t.