Chapter 6: The First Kiss of Fire
For the first time since waking in this world, Mei Lian didn't feel entirely alone.
Even as danger circled her like wolves in the dark, even as old ghosts whispered through the palace corridors, there was now one person who saw through her masks.
Prince Rui.
Yet, that terrified her more than any blade ever had.
The next morning, a subtle shift occurred across the palace.
Servants bowed lower when she passed. Ladies whispered louder behind fluttering fans. Men glanced longer at her, some with curiosity, some with calculation.
Rumors moved like wildfire.
**Prince Rui favors Mei Lian.**
**The forgotten daughter of the Mei family has caught the prince's eye.**
**Perhaps she might even rise above Lady Jin.**
Powerful words. Dangerous words.
Even walking through the Eastern Garden now felt like moving through a web of invisible threads, each one ready to tighten around her neck.
Yet, despite it all, she felt something strange blooming inside her: **resolve**.
She had spent too long hiding and running.
Now, if she was being pulled into the game of politics and whispers, she would play.
That evening, a message arrived from Prince Rui.
> "Meet me at the Moon Pavilion. Tonight."
Simple. Direct.
Her heart quickened. Her instincts screamed caution.
But her fingers still traced the elegant handwriting again and again, as though his ink carried warmth.
When night fell, she made her way through the moonlit corridors alone. The Moon Pavilion sat at the far edge of the palace grounds, overlooking the tranquil lake. The lanterns cast gentle golden light across the rippling water, and petals floated like tiny boats across the surface.
Prince Rui stood waiting beneath the cherry blossom tree, his silhouette bathed in soft silver light.
The moment she stepped onto the pavilion, his gaze found her—steady, unflinching.
"You came," he said quietly.
Her breath was barely steady. "Was it a request or a command, Your Highness?"
His lips curved. "Neither."
A pause. The space between them pulsed like a quiet drumbeat.
"You're playing a dangerous game," she said softly.
He stepped closer. "I was born in this game."
"And me?" she asked, her voice tightening. "You pull me deeper into it with every glance and every word."
"You've always been in it," he replied. "Even before you realized."
The wind stirred, lifting a few stray petals between them.
"Why?" Her voice cracked slightly. "Why risk your reputation? Your future? Why not keep your distance like the others?"
Prince Rui's expression softened, but his voice grew fierce.
"Because when everyone else sees your beauty, your status, or your scandal, I see your fight."
His hand lifted, gently brushing a lock of hair from her face.
"You carry your past like armor, Mei Lian. But you don't have to wear it with me."
Her breath caught.
He was standing so close now that she could feel the heat radiating from him. She could see the faint pulse at his throat and smell the clean, crisp scent of sandalwood clinging to his robe.
She whispered, "What do you see when you look at me?"
His eyes darkened. "I see the woman who refuses to surrender, even when the world corners her."
The words slipped from her lips before she could stop them: "And what if I told you you should fear me?"
"I don't fear you," he answered, his voice low. "I admire you."
Their eyes locked, and the tension between them stretched to breaking. Her instincts screamed for distance and caution, but her heart whispered otherwise.
Then, so softly, so gently, he leaned in.
Her breath stalled. The space between their lips vanished until there was nothing but the warmth of his mouth hovering over hers.
"I will never hurt you," he whispered.
When his lips finally captured hers, it was not the fierce, hungry kiss of desperate passion. It was deliberate, controlled, **devoted**.
The kiss was quiet, but inside her, everything shattered.
Walls she had spent years building cracked under the warmth of his mouth. The assassin's mask slipped. The ache she never dared to acknowledge burned beneath her ribs.
Her hand found his chest, gripping his robe as though anchoring herself in the storm swirling inside her.
When they finally pulled apart, his breath mingled with hers.
"I shouldn't…" she whispered.
"But you did," he murmured.
She closed her eyes. "This world is not kind to people like us."
"No," he agreed. "But perhaps, together, we can carve a place that is."
The tender moment was short-lived.
Suddenly, a loud crash shattered the quiet. Two royal guards stumbled into view, kneeling before Prince Rui.
"Your Highness! Urgent news!"
He pulled away from Mei Lian instantly, his voice sharp. "Speak."
"An intruder was caught near the inner chamber of the archives."
Mei Lian's stomach dropped.
Prince Rui's eyes snapped to her. "Another assassin?"
The guard hesitated. "We're unsure. The intruder carried a strange token…"
The guard unrolled a cloth bundle, revealing a familiar emblem stitched in red silk.
Her old insignia.
Mei Lian's face paled.
The past was no longer whispering. **It was here.**
Later that night, Mei Lian sat in her chambers, staring at the emblem resting on her table.
She couldn't run. She wouldn't.
Li Zhen was testing her. Probing the palace. Sending pieces of her old life into this new one.
But she was not the same broken blade she once was. And she was no longer alone.
Her door creaked open. Prince Rui stepped inside quietly, dismissing the servants with a flick of his hand.
He crossed to her in silence, his presence steady, unflinching.
"I don't care who you were," he said softly. "You are mine now."
Her eyes burned, and her heart pulled tight.
For the first time in both her lives, Mei Lian allowed herself to fully surrender—not in weakness, but in trust.
Her whispered reply was barely audible. "I am yours."
To be continued.....
Hey 🦋....
Please share your views on this novel.....
What do you think will happen next.....