Chapter 176: Cornered by you?
"She’s in danger," Zhao Yan ground out, his voice colder than steel, sharper than a blade.
Xie Lin rushed forward, pressing a now slightly crumpled letter into his hand. The very same letter Hua Jing had received earlier in the day—one that had filled her with quiet suspicion. "This... this was the letter she got this morning. It was not from you, was it?"
Zhao Yan barely looked at the parchment before his eyes darkened. "No," he muttered, crushing the letter in his fist.
Deng Mi was already moving toward the horse, adjusting the reins as Zhao Yan leapt up in one swift movement. The prince’s face was pale with rage, his jaw clenched so tightly it looked as though he might break his teeth. Wei Ling followed immediately, mounting his own steed with practiced ease. Deng Mi took the rear, and within seconds, the three of them had taken off.
Their horses tore through the palace gates and into the stone-paved streets beyond, hooves thundering like distant storms as they galloped into the night. Guards and passersby turned, startled, but none dared to stop the trio. Not when the Crown Prince’s fury hung over them like a gathering tempest.
Zhao Yan’s mind raced just as fast as his horse.
He could still hear Xie Lin’s voice trembling with fear. "Please go and save my lady."
Hua Jing. He had thought her safe. She was strong, brilliant, a shadow behind the silk, always poised—but even the strongest could falter under an ambush, especially if she’d gone unarmed. That letter had lured her somewhere, and Zhao Yan cursed himself for not stopping her when he’d had the chance.
Lightning flashed in the sky above, forking like shattered glass, illuminating the road ahead in bright, fleeting silver. The wind screamed past his ears, yet all he could hear was the pounding of his own heart, louder and louder with every passing moment.