A chilling laugh from the Third Prince broke the silence. He had never shown such a range of emotion in front of anyone before. He turned Mu Xueshi’s words over repeatedly, then finally asked as though arriving at a possibility, “You mean to place yourself under the Second Prince’s protection?”
Mu Xueshi completely failed to hear the danger in his voice and argued without pause. “Your Highness, stop assuming everyone is that calculating. I warned him because I have a conscience, that’s all. I don’t know how people here think, but where I come from, this would barely even count as a big deal. Forget someone trying to kill a little kid—even if somebody only wanted to send people to beat him up, I’d warn him without hesitation…”
The Third Prince’s hand tightened around the scroll. Mu Xueshi heard it crumple beneath his fingers. He immediately regretted speaking so forcefully. The Third Prince was proud enough already; Mu Xueshi really should have left him some face.
The Third Prince kept staring at him, then stepped forward and ripped the silver-thread mask straight off Mu Xueshi’s face. Mu Xueshi felt as though his skin had nearly come away with it and instinctively clutched his cheek, grimacing in pain.
“Then keep this face and take every punishment you have earned.”
The emotionless words plunged Mu Xueshi’s heart into ice. The Third Prince dragged him into the interrogation chamber like a dog. Vicious-looking instruments of torture filled the room, and every time Mu Xueshi imagined what one might be used for, he shuddered.
Even now, Mu Xueshi refused to give up. There were only the two of them here, and he intended to use every moment he had to talk the Third Prince into forgiving him. Before he could open his mouth, however, the Third Prince began reciting his offenses one by one.
Lying. Speaking defiantly. Secretly searching through private documents. Betraying his master. Warning outsiders…
The punishments for lying and defiance alone sounded enough to kill half of him. Trembling, Mu Xueshi watched the Third Prince toy with three or four small spheres, each about the size of an eyeball, before walking toward him.
“Put it in your mouth.” The Third Prince held out a small gray pellet.
“Your Highness, I really didn’t mean what you think I meant. I wasn’t trying to harm you. I only felt sorry for Su Ying. He’s just a child! If someone were trying to hurt you, I’d come warn you too, no matter what it took!”
The Third Prince remained unmoved until the final sentence. Then something seemed to strike softly against his heart, and his hand paused. A moment later, however, he looked at Mu Xueshi with naked mockery, contemptuous of what he assumed was desperate flattery meant to preserve his life.
For some reason, seeing that expression made Mu Xueshi’s chest ache. At first, he had only said it to placate the Third Prince. Yet after seeing his reaction, Mu Xueshi suddenly felt as though a sincere piece of kindness had been twisted into something ugly. The disappointment was surprisingly painful.
He gave a bitter smile and obediently took the pellet into his mouth. It had no taste, though it felt slightly astringent. His instincts screamed that it was poisonous, so he kept it beneath his tongue without moving it and certainly did not dare swallow. Only then did he notice that the pellet had a translucent thread attached to it. The other end was in the Third Prince’s hand, and with one sharp pull, he made the pellet pop straight out of Mu Xueshi’s mouth.
“What is that?” Mu Xueshi asked, lips trembling.
Looking at the innocent curiosity on Mu Xueshi’s exquisitely beautiful face, the Third Prince suddenly found himself wanting to explain it properly.
“An explosive pellet. It is rather interesting. I light the fuse at this end, and when the flame reaches the pellet inside your mouth, it explodes. It will not kill you. It will only teach that mouth of yours to behave.”
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