Page 63 of The Scarlet Alchemist

I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry. He was so close that I could feel how our breathing was in sync. But this was the man who let monsters roam free in his kingdom. And maybe it wasn’t his fault, but he still knew about it and did absolutely nothing.

“I don’t need an escort,” I said.

The prince sighed, his hand sliding down the door and falling to his side. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“Don’t apologize tome,” I said. “Apologize to the family of the court lady who was ripped in two. Or the girl who was burned to death in a western ward because she was blamed for what your monsters are doing.”

“Zilan, they’re notmymonsters.”

But I couldn’t stand his excuses anymore. I shoved the door open and stepped into the silent hallway.

“Zilan, please,” the prince said, his warm hand reaching for my wrist.

I smacked his hand away. “Don’t touch me!” I said.

But instead of the flustered apology I’d expected, the prince’s face went white, eyes focusing behind me.

Before I could turn around, someone grabbed my shoulders and slammed me into the floor, my cheek smashing against the tiles. Then a thunderous voice above me said:“You dare to touch the Crown Prince?”

I tried to get up, but a foot on my back pinned me in place, my jaw biting into the stone. I turned my head to the side and caught a glimpse of one of the Empress’s guards, three more appearing at the end of the hallway at the sound of shouting.

“Release her,” the prince said, his voice even, as if he wasn’t troubled at all. I knew he was probably feigning impartiality the same way Wenshu did, but it stung all the same. “I can handle her myself.”

The guard lifted his foot and I hurried to sit up. “The punishment for touching the royal family is death,” he said, his voice booming down the silent corridor.

“You are speaking out of place,” the prince said sternly. “This is a private matter.”

The guard scoffed. “The Empress has made it very clear that we answer to her, not you. If you don’t like her rules, take it up with her. I will enforce her wishes.”

The prince looked at me as if I would somehow have a solution, and I realized all at once that he truly had no power compared to the Empress.That’s it?I thought.I risked everything for this spoiled prince, and now I’ll die for him?

“It’s not like she was attacking me!” the prince said, pulling at the guard’s sleeves as two of them wrenched my arms behind me and hauled me onto my feet.

I considered throwing my head back and breaking their noses, but even more guards and court ladies were appearing around the corner or peering out of windows at the commotion. It wasn’t as if I could kill them all to keep this a secret. I swallowed the lump forming in my throat, blinking away tears. I’d earned my place here, nearly died for it, and in less than an hour, it was already over.

Somehow, the prince was still rambling uselessly. “It was my fault for grabbing her in the first place,” he said, “I think she tripped backward, so it was probably an accident—”

“The only people who can touch the Crown Prince are royal healers or concubines!” the guard said, his harsh tone finally silencing the prince. “She is clearly not a healer, and—”

“She’s my concubine!”the prince said.

Everyone fell silent, turning to me. I didn’t dare move, as if my stillness could hide my dress covered in sludge, blood, and sweat. The duck hopped out of my pocket and made a shrill, impatient sound.

“Sheis your concubine?” the guard said slowly.

I clenched my jaw and glared down at the tiles. I knew the prince was only trying to help, but did he have any idea what this would mean for me? I’d already been fighting accusations that the prince bought my place here, and now he wanted to prove all the other alchemists right? I briefly considered murdering every single witness before they could tell the Empress, but the prince kept talking, his face flushed red, words spilling out unstopped.

“What I mean is, she’sgoing to bemy concubine,” he said. “You wouldn’t have heard a formal announcement yet as we’re still working out the logistics, but I promise it will be official very soon. Father has been telling me to choose a concubine for ages now. You remember three years ago when he had fifty women sent over for me to choose from and I didn’t want any of them and he said it was an ‘utterly emasculating spectacle,’ or something to that effect? I’ve taken that failure to heart and, well, here’s Fan Zilan!”

He gestured to me awkwardly and I closed my eyes, wishing the guards would slam me into the floor again so I would pass out rather than have to listen to this.

The guards exchanged glances, then promptly released me. I staggered forward, slipped on sludge, and fell to my knees.

“It would be in your best interest not to wander the halls at night with commoners,” the guard said to the prince. “To avoid this sort of confusion in the future.”

The prince clenched his jaw. “Is that another one of the Empress’s rules, or is it just your opinion?”

The guard bowed stiffly. “I beg your pardon, Your Highness,” he said, turning to leave.

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