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🌟 SCENE I — The Invitation
POV: Yue Lin
Three days after the Trial, Yue Lin stood at her private balcony, wind teasing her loose strands of hair, when the second scroll arrived.
Black wax. No insignia. Just a single red thread tied around it—a code among the old noble houses.
She broke the seal.
> "Midnight Masquerade. One night. One winner. Come masked. Come armed. Come ready."
At the bottom: a pressed black petal, soaked in perfume.
System Notification:
> New Quest Unlocked: Masquerade of Masks and Moans
Objective: Survive the games. Claim the victor's kiss. Discover the snake in silk.
Yue Lin smiled.
> "Let them play."
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🌺 SCENE II — Arrival at the Masquerade
POV: Crown Prince Rui Shen
The ballroom shimmered like a dream carved from crystal and lust.
Hundreds of masked nobles, scholars, warriors, and seductresses glided over silver floors. Chandeliers dripped with sapphires. Music throbbed like a lover's pulse.
Rui Shen wore black. A gold dragon mask. And a curse on his tongue.
He hadn't spoken to Yue Lin since the Trial. He hadn't dared.
> "She's here," whispered his advisor.
And she was.
Yue Lin entered in a black phoenix mask, her gown midnight blue and slashed in patterns that suggested sin. Her presence silenced the music.
Every man turned. Every woman stared.
She walked like she owned them all.
And Rui Shen burned.
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🌸 SCENE III — The Games Begin
POV: Yue Lin
"The Masquerade," said the host, a tall figure veiled in silver, "is not just dance. It is trial. It is temptation. And it is truth."
Each guest received a card:
> Seduce. Betray. Kiss. Duel. Reveal. Submit. Take.
Yue Lin drew: Duel.
A circle formed in the ballroom, guests parting like silk.
Her opponent stepped forward—masked in red.
> "Do you yield?" the host asked.
Yue Lin unsheathed her fan, bladed and gleaming.
> "Never."
Their duel was dance and danger—fan against daggers, seduction against silence.
She struck first. He bled second.
When it ended, she stood over him, victorious.
> "Yield," she whispered.
He did.
System Update:
> Victory Recorded.
Clue Unlocked: The snake wears no color, but always leaves a mark.
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🌈 SCENE IV — The Kiss That Was Promised
POV: Yue Lin
As midnight struck, the host announced:
> "The victor of the night must now claim their reward. One kiss. Chosen by fate."
A wheel spun.
And landed.
On: Crown Prince Rui Shen.
A thousand breaths held.
He stepped forward. His eyes met hers through the mask.
> "Do you wish to refuse?" the host asked.
> "No," Yue Lin said. "Let him come."
He did. And when he kissed her—
There was no mercy. No apology. Only hunger. Only fire.
> "Forgive me," he whispered. "Earn it," she whispered back.
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🛍️ SCENE V — Behind the Veils
POV: Qian Feng
In the shadows, Qian Feng drank wine laced with poison, wearing a silver mask.
He watched her lips on the Prince's.
> "Soon," he said, to no one. "Soon, she'll be mine—or ruined."
The snake in silk.
The petal sender.
And the masked hunt… had only just begun.
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END OF CHAPTER 18