Lantern light stabbed the storage room.
Lin Yue couldn't breathe.
The Crown Prince stood in the doorway like he owned the air.
Black ceremonial robes.
Gold thread.
A calm face that didn't need to raise its voice to be terrifying.
Behind him, guards filled the hall like a wall of steel.
And beside him—
the officer.
Smiling.
Clean.
Like the palace's favorite knife.
The Crown Prince's eyes stayed on Lin Yue.
"Lady Lin Yue," he repeated, voice smooth.
"You will come with me."
Lin Yue's body refused to move.
Shen Rui stood in front of her like a shield made of bone and rage.
His dagger was raised.
Not shaking.
Not hesitating.
His eyes locked on the Crown Prince.
Cold.
Murderously calm.
The Crown Prince's gaze slid to him.
"Brother," he said again, soft as silk.
Lin Yue's stomach dropped.
Brother.
So it was true.
Shen Rui wasn't just "a prince."
He was blood.
He was family.
He was the one the palace had erased on purpose.
Shen Rui's voice came out low.
"I have no brother."
The Crown Prince smiled faintly.
"You did," he said.
"Until you became inconvenient."
Lin Yue's fingers clenched around the talisman hidden in her sleeve.
The words on it burned against her skin.
I'm your husband already.
The officer took one step forward.
"Your Highness," he said to the Crown Prince politely, "we should proceed. The decree must be read before dawn."
Decree.
Lin Yue's heart slammed.
So it was real.
Tomorrow wasn't a threat.
It was scheduled.
It was already written.
History was already moving.
The Crown Prince nodded once.
Then his gaze returned to Lin Yue.
"Come," he said. "Now."
Lin Yue swallowed.
Her throat felt like it was full of sand.
If she went…
Shen Rui would be erased.
If she stayed…
Shen Rui would be executed.
Either way—
she would lose him.
That was the palace's game.
Not "choose love."
Choose how you suffer.
Lin Yue's chest tightened.
Shen Rui's voice cut through the silence.
"She's not going."
The Crown Prince's expression didn't change.
But the air did.
A pressure.
A warning.
"Prince Shen Rui," the Crown Prince said softly, "you are not recorded."
Shen Rui didn't blink.
The Crown Prince continued.
"Your existence is already a mistake," he said.
"So don't force me to correct it."
Correct.
Lin Yue flinched.
That word again.
The officer's smile widened slightly.
Lin Yue's nails dug into her palm.
She couldn't stand it.
She stepped forward.
Shen Rui's hand snapped out, stopping her.
His fingers gripped her wrist.
Hard.
Not to hurt her.
To keep her alive.
Lin Yue whispered, shaking:
"Let me speak."
Shen Rui's eyes flickered to her.
A warning.
Don't.
Lin Yue swallowed.
Then she pulled her wrist free anyway.
The Crown Prince watched her like a collector watching an artifact decide to speak.
Lin Yue forced her voice steady.
"Your Highness," she said.
The Crown Prince's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Yes."
Lin Yue's heart pounded.
She could feel the palace waiting.
Even the guards felt still.
Like they wanted to witness the moment her life broke.
Lin Yue took a breath.
"If you want me," she said,
"then you will take me properly."
The officer's eyes sharpened.
The Crown Prince tilted his head.
"Properly?" he echoed.
Lin Yue nodded.
Her mouth was dry.
She was buying time.
She didn't know how.
But she had to.
She forced the words out fast.
"A bride decree is not a command," she said.
"It is a ceremony."
The Crown Prince's smile grew faintly amused.
"And you want a ceremony?" he asked.
Lin Yue's stomach turned.
No.
She wanted an opening.
She wanted a crack.
She wanted one breath where Shen Rui could move.
She nodded anyway.
"Yes," she said.
"If you're going to make me yours… do it in front of everyone."
The officer stepped forward.
"Lady Lin Yue," he warned softly, "do not test the palace's patience."
Lin Yue stared at him.
Her voice sharpened.
"I'm not testing the palace," she said.
"I'm testing the Crown Prince."
Silence.
The guards stiffened.
The Crown Prince's eyes darkened slightly.
Then—
he laughed.
Not loud.
Not cruel.
Just… entertained.
"Interesting," he murmured.
He stepped closer into the storage room.
Shen Rui's dagger lifted a fraction higher.
Lin Yue felt the air crackle between them.
The Crown Prince's gaze didn't leave Lin Yue.
"You want everyone to see?" he asked.
Lin Yue's heart hammered.
"Yes."
The Crown Prince's smile sharpened.
"Fine," he said.
"Then you will come with me now."
Lin Yue's chest tightened.
The Crown Prince continued, voice smooth.
"And at sunrise… you will kneel beside me."
Lin Yue's stomach dropped.
Kneel.
Like a servant.
Like a trophy.
Like a bride without dignity.
Shen Rui's dagger twitched.
Lin Yue could feel him ready to kill.
Ready to die.
Ready to take the palace down with him.
And Lin Yue knew—
if Shen Rui attacked now, he would lose.
Because the palace wasn't scared of violence.
They were scared of memory.
They were scared of truth.
Lin Yue inhaled.
She looked at Shen Rui.
Her voice came out soft.
"Don't," she whispered.
Shen Rui's eyes snapped to her.
His jaw clenched.
Lin Yue's throat tightened.
"Please," she whispered again, shaking.
"Not here."
Shen Rui's gaze burned.
He wanted to refuse.
He wanted to take her and run.
But the guards were too many.
The exit was behind the Crown Prince.
There was no path.
Only surrender.
Only strategy.
Lin Yue turned back to the Crown Prince.
"I will come," she said.
Shen Rui's body went rigid.
His grip on the dagger tightened.
Lin Yue forced herself not to look at him.
Because if she looked at him too long—
she would choose death.
The Crown Prince's gaze softened just enough to be insulting.
"Good," he murmured.
The officer smiled.
"Wise choice," he said.
Lin Yue's stomach twisted.
Wise.
No.
This wasn't wisdom.
This was survival.
This was buying seconds.
The Crown Prince lifted his hand slightly.
Guards moved forward.
Shen Rui stepped in front of Lin Yue again.
His voice was low.
"She's not going anywhere until you answer me."
The Crown Prince blinked slowly.
"Answer what?" he asked.
Shen Rui's eyes cut like glass.
"Why," he said, "are you doing this now?"
The Crown Prince's smile thinned.
Then his gaze flickered—briefly—to the officer.
And Lin Yue caught it.
That tiny look.
That tiny confirmation.
The Crown Prince wasn't fully in control.
Someone else was steering.
The officer.
The palace system.
The calendar.
The edit.
The Crown Prince looked back at Shen Rui.
His voice dropped.
"Because," he said softly,
"history needs you gone."
Lin Yue's blood ran cold.
History needs you gone.
Not "I hate you."
Not "I want you dead."
History.
The Crown Prince continued.
"And you know what happens," he murmured,
"when something refuses to disappear."
Shen Rui's jaw clenched.
Lin Yue's stomach turned.
She knew too.
The correction.
The blackout.
The pressure behind her eyes.
The Crown Prince stepped closer to Shen Rui, voice low.
"You're not supposed to exist," he whispered.
"And she's not supposed to remember you."
Lin Yue's heart slammed.
Shen Rui didn't move.
But his eyes darkened.
The Crown Prince's voice turned almost gentle.
"So I'll give you mercy," he said.
"Walk away."
Shen Rui's laugh was quiet.
Empty.
"Mercy?" he echoed.
His gaze slid to Lin Yue for one second.
Then back to the Crown Prince.
"I'd rather be erased," he said,
"than watch you touch her."
The officer sighed like he was bored.
He raised his hand.
Lin Yue's blood turned ice.
Not again.
Not her forehead.
But the officer didn't touch Lin Yue.
He touched the air.
And the air—
shifted.
A pressure slammed into Lin Yue's chest.
She staggered.
Her knees buckled.
Shen Rui caught her instantly.
Lin Yue gasped.
Her lungs refused to work.
It felt like the room itself was squeezing her heart.
The officer's voice was calm.
"Your Highness," he said to the Crown Prince, "we cannot delay. The calendar advances."
Lin Yue's vision blurred.
The calendar.
He said it like a weapon.
Like a law.
Like a god.
Shen Rui's voice snapped, furious.
"What did you do to her?"
The officer smiled.
"Nothing permanent," he said softly.
"Just reminding her body who owns her future."
Lin Yue's stomach twisted.
Her future.
Owned.
She tried to breathe.
Tried to stand.
Shen Rui's hand held her up.
His voice was low, tight.
"Lin Yue," he murmured.
"Look at me."
Lin Yue forced her eyes up.
Shen Rui's gaze locked onto hers.
The pressure behind her eyes surged again.
Forget him.
Forget him.
Forget him.
Lin Yue's lips trembled.
Shen Rui leaned close, voice shaking with control.
"Don't forget," he whispered.
"Not tonight."
Lin Yue's breath broke.
"I'm trying," she whispered.
The Crown Prince watched them like he was watching an execution.
Then he stepped forward and grabbed Lin Yue's wrist.
His fingers were cold.
Possessive.
Final.
Lin Yue flinched.
Shen Rui's dagger lifted—
Lin Yue grabbed his arm.
Hard.
Her voice came out sharp.
"Don't!"
Shen Rui froze.
His eyes snapped to her.
Lin Yue's throat tightened.
She shook her head.
Not now.
Not here.
Not like this.
Shen Rui's jaw clenched.
He lowered the dagger.
Slowly.
Like it was killing him.
The Crown Prince turned, dragging Lin Yue toward the doorway.
Guards closed in.
The storage room felt smaller.
Tighter.
Like a coffin.
Lin Yue stumbled forward.
Then she remembered the talisman.
Her fingers slipped into her sleeve.
She pulled it out.
Fast.
She shoved it into Shen Rui's hand.
Shen Rui's eyes widened.
Lin Yue whispered, barely audible:
"If they erase me again…"
Her voice broke.
"…read it."
Shen Rui's grip tightened around the paper.
His gaze burned.
Lin Yue turned away before she could break.
The Crown Prince pulled her out into the corridor.
The guards surrounded her instantly.
A moving prison.
Lin Yue walked.
Her legs felt numb.
Her chest felt hollow.
But her mind stayed sharp.
Because she had one goal now:
Survive sunrise.
Survive the decree.
Survive the ceremony.
And then—
break the palace's calendar.
Even if history couldn't change…
She would make it bleed.
Behind her, Shen Rui's voice cut through the corridor.
Low.
Furious.
A vow.
"Lin Yue," he said.
Lin Yue froze for half a second.
The Crown Prince didn't let her turn back.
But she heard Shen Rui anyway.
His voice cracked the air.
"I will find you."
Lin Yue's throat tightened.
She kept walking.
The Crown Prince leaned closer, voice soft.
"You hear him," he murmured.
"That's why you'll forget him again."
Lin Yue's blood turned ice.
The Crown Prince smiled faintly.
"Because tomorrow," he whispered,
"you will wake up… and you won't even remember why you cried tonight."
Lin Yue's breath stopped.
Her vision blurred.
No.
No, no, no—
She clenched her fists.
She forced herself to keep walking.
Because if she broke now—
the palace would win.
END CHAPTER 12
Cliffhanger Trigger: Crown Prince promises she'll wake up forgetting everything; Shen Rui has talisman.