Snow fell in the southern provinces, blanketing the roads in quiet. A slow, bone-deep silence wrapped the land, as if the empire held its breath.
Princess Lianhua didn't have that luxury.
She and Wuchen had traveled south for three weeks—dodging patrols, gathering intelligence, spreading whispers. They were headed toward the stronghold of General Shen Yue, once a loyal defender of the throne, now a neutral force… or so it was said.
But something else haunted their path.
A trail of corpses.
Each village they passed had seen the same fate: one clean kill, a red rose placed over the heart, and the body left without looting.
The signature of one person.
Lianhua stood over the most recent body, eyes narrowed.
"The Red Thorn," Wuchen confirmed grimly. "Jiafei's prized assassin."
"She's toying with us," Lianhua muttered.
"She's tracking us."
❖ ❖ ❖
That night, as they camped by the edge of a frozen river, Lianhua did not sleep. The fire crackled softly. Wuchen had drifted off sitting upright, sword across his lap.
But Lianhua sensed it before she heard it.
A whisper of breath. A shift in wind.
She spun, blade raised—only to find a dagger already at her throat.
The assassin was beautiful—terrifyingly so. She wore red robes like molten silk, and her eyes gleamed like obsidian.
"I wanted to see you up close," the woman said. "The girl they say will burn empires."
"You'll have to live to tell the tale," Lianhua hissed.
The assassin smiled. "I'm not here to kill you. I'm here to offer a choice."
That made her hesitate.
"Join us," the woman purred. "Minister Jiafei does not fear you. But he would find it amusing to have you beside him—on your knees or in his bed, your choice."
Lianhua's blade sliced upward.
The assassin vanished in a blur—backflipping into the dark, red rose petals spilling behind her like blood.
She left only a whisper in the cold air:
"Sooner or later, the phoenix falls."
❖ ❖ ❖
In the silence that followed, Wuchen stirred.
"She could have killed you."
"I know."
"But she didn't."
"I know."
He studied her. "And that scares you."
Lianhua nodded slowly. "Because I don't think she failed. I think she planted a seed."