4.

Sua’s hand lingered on her neck, her heart hammering a frantic rhythm. The skin beneath her fingertips pulsed with a strange, foreign heat. She stared intently at the man sitting before her. This wasn't just any man. This was Prince Rai Yuan, the terrifying "Bloodthirsty Man" of the Shewu Empire.

​He was the shield of the East, the ruthless commander who spent his life holding back the iron-clad chariots of the Rongewu Empire to the north, and rooting out the venomous Hei Clan spies from the southeast. He had survived the Black Forest of Wengi, a cursed land where fire tigers scorched the morning fog with their breath, and shadow birds flew without ever casting a silhouette.

​And now, this apex predator had just claimed her.

​"What is the meaning of this, Your Highness?" Sua demanded, her voice trembling slightly but laced with defiance.

​Rai leaned back against a mossy tree trunk, his dark eyes locking onto hers. "It beats with my heart," he murmured, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "Every time it strikes, you will feel it. And so will I. But do not fret, little healer. If I fall on the battlefield, the mark dies with me. Stay by my side. Be my personal physician, and you will understand its true power."

​Sua gritted her teeth. "I'm sorry. I refuse."

​Rai’s eyebrows rose in mild amusement, clearly unaccustomed to the word 'no'. "Are you certain? The capital is crawling with enemies. Under my wing, you would have absolute protection and wealth beyond measure."

​"No." Sua shook her head firmly, her eyes darkening with a cold, buried fury. "I cannot hide in your palace. I must return to the Prime Minister's residence. There are debts in that house I have yet to collect... and I intend to make them pay."

​Rai’s mocking smile vanished, replaced by an icy, calculating stare. "The Prime Minister's estate? Don't tell me... you are his eldest daughter? The one the capital whispers about?" He scoffed softly, his gaze sweeping over her dirt-stained, tattered clothes and gaunt frame. "Rumor says she is an unparalleled beauty. Yet here you are, looking like a starved beggar."

​Sua didn't flinch. Instead, a chilling, confident smile touched her lips. "I am a master herbalist, Your Highness. Restoring my beauty is the easiest task in the world."

​A flicker of genuine intrigue flashed across Rai’s face. He studied her, truly seeing her for the first time—not just as a skilled healer, but as a woman with hidden fangs of her own.

​"Fascinating," Rai breathed. He exhaled slowly, the exhaustion of the venom and the battle finally catching up to him. He slid further down the tree trunk. "I am drained. We will return to the capital at sunrise." He closed his eyes, though the subtle tilt of his head suggested he was waiting to see if she would flee—or if she would submit and sit beside him.

​To his surprise, Sua didn't run. She simply lay down on the damp earth, using a thick, mossy root as a makeshift pillow.

​"You had better keep watch tonight, Your Highness," Sua muttered, turning her back to him. "Consider it payment for pulling you from the jaws of death."

​For a moment, the bloodthirsty prince was speechless. "You are the most reckless woman I have ever encountered," he chuckled darkly. "Are you not afraid I will drag you into the dark?"

​There was no response. Only the slow, steady rhythm of Sua's breathing filled the quiet night.

​Rai opened his eyes, staring at her small, defenseless back. "She truly has no fear," he whispered to himself.

​With a quiet sigh, Rai shrugged off his heavy outer robe and gently draped it over her shivering shoulders. He didn't lie down. Instead, his sharp gaze shifted toward the dense, suffocating darkness of the forest, his hand resting instinctively on the hilt of his sword.

​"If she truly belongs to the Prime Minister’s viper pit..." Rai mused, a cruel, anticipatory smile playing on his lips. "Then this game just became infinitely more interesting."