5.

​The lingering heat on the side of her neck woke her before the sun did.

​Sua’s eyes fluttered open, her pulse jumping as the phantom weight of Rai Yuan's teeth, and the lethal promise he had left against her skin, throbbed faintly in the morning chill. The golden light filtering through the canopy did nothing to erase the heavy, dangerous tension of the night before.

​She shifted, realizing her head was still resting against a firm thigh.

​She jolted upright, instantly putting distance between them. Rai Yuan sat against the massive roots of the tree, watching her with the terrifying stillness of a predator at rest. Stripped of the moonlight, he didn't look like a pampered, elegant noble. There was a raw, untamed edge to him, from the sharp, unforgiving angle of his jaw to the dark, consuming depth of his eyes that seemed to swallow the morning light.

​He didn't mock her sudden retreat. Instead, a faint, dangerous smirk played on his lips.

​"You trust too easily," Rai murmured, his deep voice slicing through the quiet forest. "Sleeping so soundly beside a starving beast. That is a dangerous habit, little killer."

​Sua smoothed out her ruined dress, her expression hardening. "I slept because my body demanded it, Your Highness. Not because I forgot what was sitting next to me."

​Rai chuckled, a low, vibrating sound that felt more like a threat than a sign of amusement. He stood, retrieving his heavy, dark silk robe from a nearby branch, and draped it effortlessly over her frail shoulders, hiding her torn clothes and poisoned skin.

​The journey to the edge of the capital was swift and silent. When the imposing gates of the Prime Minister's Residence finally loomed in the distance, Rai stopped. He didn't step into the open.

​He looked down at her, his gaze lingering on the oversized collar of his robe that swallowed her small frame. "The assassins in the woods are nothing compared to the wolves waiting inside your own home," he warned softly. He reached out, a single, calloused finger brushing against the mark on her neck. "Survive, Sua. Our game is far from over."

​Before she could form a reply, he melted back into the shadows.

​Sua pulled the heavy silk tighter around herself and stepped through the wrought-iron gates of the Prime Minister’s estate. Instantly, the atmosphere shifted. Servants sweeping the courtyard froze. Brooms dropped. Eyes widened.

​"Sister Sua!"

​A trembling, tearful voice shattered the silence. Cai Ji rushed down the stone pavilion steps, her face the perfect picture of agonized relief. Behind her, descending at a more deliberate pace, was Liu Chang. The man who had ordered her murder.

​"Oh heavens, you're alive!" Cai Ji cried out, throwing her arms around Sua in a desperate hug.

​Sua stood rigid, her eyes dead and calculating. So this is the play, she thought. Cai Ji wasn't just a murderer; she was a brilliant actress.

​Slowly, Cai Ji pulled back, her tear-filled eyes dropping to the massive, dark robe draped over Sua’s shoulders. The relief on her face melted into profound, perfectly orchestrated confusion.

​"Sister... what happened to you?" Cai Ji's voice trembled, just loud enough for the gathering crowd of servants and guards to hear perfectly. "You were missing for three days in the wild... and now you return wearing... wearing a man's garments?"

​Whispers erupted across the courtyard like wildfire. Sua’s mind raced. They hadn't just tried to kill her; they had prepared a backup plan to completely annihilate her honor in case she somehow survived. In this ruthless era, a ruined reputation was worse than a blade. An unchaste woman would be forced to swallow poison or drown herself to spare the clan’s name.

​Before Sua could open her mouth to counter the trap, Liu Chang stepped forward. His handsome face was a mask of solemn disappointment, but Sua could see the venomous triumph dancing in his eyes.

​He reached out, his fan lightly brushing the dark fabric of the robe Sua wore. "Cai Ji, step back," Liu Chang said, his voice carrying a lethal, authoritative edge. "This is no ordinary garment." He narrowed his eyes at Sua. "Look at the intricate silver threading. Strange... only members of the imperial clan are permitted to wear this weave."

​The courtyard went deathly silent.

​"Heavens..." Cai Ji gasped, her hands flying to cover her mouth in sheer horror. "Sister, did you... to survive the wilderness, did you sell your virtue to a passing noble?"

​The whispers turned into an uproar of disgust.

​"Death by the pig cage!" a servant hissed.

"She has brought utter ruin to the Prime Minister's name!"

​Sua clenched her fists inside the long sleeves. She met Liu Chang’s smug gaze with ice in her own. She was just about to verbally dismantle his pathetic accusation when the heavy wooden doors of the main hall slammed open.

​The Prime Minister (her father) stormed out onto the veranda, flanked by three of the family's highest elders.

​"What is this disgraceful commotion?!" the Prime Minister roared.

​But his fury was instantly cut short. The oldest elder beside him staggered forward, his face suddenly draining of all color. His trembling, liver-spotted hand pointed directly at the silver embroidery glinting on the shoulder of Sua's borrowed robe.

​"That crest..." the elder choked out, his knees buckling as sheer terror seized him. "Gods have mercy... That is the personal insignia of the bloodthirsty Second Prince, Rai Yuan!"