Page 53 of Never Ever After

“No, Your Highness. I am well enough.” I struggle to keep standing, intent on securing my victory. My smile morphs into a grimace, my cheek swelling from General Xilu’s blow. Part of me still hopes to salvage the situation. Only the prince and I know what he’s offered me, and what I did not accept. It’s safer to leave things unspoken, to let him imagine his own reasons for my actions, those that will make him hate me a little less. As Princess Chunlei warned me: No one, king or pauper, likes being made a fool of.

And I’ve just succeeded in spectacular fashion.

Prince Zixin nods at the chief attendant. “Announce the victor.”

Someone rushes to me, wrapping a white cloak around my shoulders. A mistake, as my blood soaks through in crimson blots. I don’t care, glad for the warmth, my body cold all the way through. Another tries to smooth my tangled hair, combing it to lie across my back.

Jin pushes a porcelain bottle into my hand. “For the pain.”

From another, I’d hesitate. But I uncork the bottle and swallow it all down, bitter with a sourish tinge—tasting like no herb I know. The discomfort fades, my breathing easing.

“Kneel,” the chief attendant hisses.

I drop down, clasping my hands and pressing my forehead to the earth. Dramatic, certain to draw attention—but I want everyone to remember this. There can be no doubt.

“You are the champion of the Iron Mountains. Will you accept the quest to rescue the Duke of the Amber Forest’s daughter?” Prince Zixin asks, his eyes bright.

I straighten, raising my head. “For the honor of the Iron Mountains, in the name of Thorn Valley—I will.”

The prince pulls me up, gripping my arm a little too tightly. He bends as he whispers into my ear, “Be careful whom you trust; don’t believe any promises others might make. Only I can give you what you truly wish—your heart’s desire.”

As his gaze drops meaningfully to my hand, a shiver runs through me. He means my ring, dangling it over me like a lure. But Jin promised to secure it; they should have already stolen it back… unless they failed. And if so, I’m still trapped, no matter how far I go.

He smiles like he reads my mind. “Never forget, you are the champion of the Iron Mountains. Remember who you serve.”

The prince’s meaning slithers into me slowly—insidiously. As the Iron Mountains champion, should we succeed, I have the right to claim the promised starfire, the right to gift it to another. A grave betrayal of Jin to yield the starfire to Prince Zixin—but only then will he return what’s mine.

I’m hesitating… I don’t dare refuse yet. And so, I smile back at the villainous prince, one full of false promises and lies. Let him think I can still be won over. While I don’t want to betray Jin—my life is worth more than any jewel, even starfire. My allegiance should lie with the one who can return my ring.

Prince Zixin leans toward me, almost intimately, as he releases my arm. “You must take care to come back to me unharmed.”

The possession in his tone stings like a scrape on my skin. Yet as I look around the crowd that surrounds us, my gaze sliding to the bamboo tower above—triumph sweeps over me, drowning my fear and unease.

I’m alive. I won. And I’m free… at least, for now.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

D espite my injuries, I’d wanted to leave for the Amber Forest right away. Jin insisted we remain a couple of days for my wounds to be treated, my recovery far swifter with the medicine he provided. He didn’t visit my courtyard himself, maybe to avoid gossip—though a different kind of doubt creeps over me now, of whether Prince Zixin was right.

Only I can give you what you truly wish.

I hope he’s wrong.

I didn’t see Prince Zixin after the tournament—maybe he’s unwell again or angry with me, a relief either way. The night before we left, Minister Luk paid me a visit, handing me a purse of money for my expenses and an oblong jade tablet with a fat red tassel, carved with the royal crest.

It’s still dark when we ride from the Palace of Nine Hills, heading east. Night lingers across the skies, merging into the shadowy mountains. I glance behind to see the iron wall coiled around the palace like a silvery serpent. Away from it, the air smells fresher, devoid of that metallic tinge, a weight falling from me. If only I could be certain I never had to return. Just in case, I’d given Shan my own silver for his sister’s medicine. He wanted to refuse, but his fingers closed tight over it. I know the feeling; it wasn’t easy to relinquish it, but with Jin’s promise I won’t need the silver—and I’m lucky to be alive, to get away from the Palace of Nine Hills only losing the pearl shoes I left in my courtyard.

I settle my debts, those that matter.

Just five soldiers from Thorn Valley accompany Jin and me, while the rest return with Lord Chao. Our party is small, in keeping with the duke’s wishes. Captain Hong leads our soldiers, a broad-faced man with two swords strapped to his back. They are mostly a quiet group, keeping to themselves, except for Deng, a thin soldier with a chipped tooth and a loud voice.

Our pace is slow at first, even gentle. I’m glad as it’s been a long time since I was in a saddle—when my uncle was still alive. I can’t help but think of him while riding with the wind in my hair, the world sweeping by. These moments of exhilaration awaken dreams long forgotten, stirring my old desire to see the world beyond our mountains.

After a few hours of travel, the landscape shifts from jagged peaks to blunted hills, more green than white cloaking their slopes. Grass grows in patches across the ground, though still sparsely, their tips tinged in brown.

As Jin calls for a break, his soldiers exchange surprised looks. “Already tired, Honored Advisor?” Soldier Deng calls out with a grin. “You need to come and practice with us on the field. Find that sword you seem to have lost.”

“If I do, you’ll end up flat on your back,” Jin retorts, his eyes crinkling. “I won’t need a weapon to do that.”