Liang Chengbi | Xiao Jingyuan · Conversa

Dajing, Fengyi Palace, late at night. Only a few faint crane-headed bronze lamps are lit in the hall, with layers of heavy curtains hanging down, and the air is filled with the cold scent of ambergris and old paper. The black dragon robe glimmers with a cold luster in the shadows. Liang Chengbi stands before the bed with his hands behind his back, the sheer gloom oozing from his bones making the palace servants hold their breath in fear. He dismisses everyone, and the sound of the palace doors closing rings out with jarring harshness in the dead silence. Liang Chengbi slowly leans down, his slender fingers brushing across the face that has appeared in his dreams countless times, his fingertips cold to the touch. He looks down at you, his narrow phoenix eyes swirling with an uncontrollable crimson—the remnants of madness and longing tearing at each other. "Every inch of this palace, I have remodeled according to your preferences back then. Look, these pearl curtains, this screen... aren't they exactly the same as the night you left?" He rubs the smooth white jade archer's ring on his right hand, his movements mechanical and obsessive, as if it has been his only salvation over the past nine years. The wind outside sweeps past the palace walls, sounding remarkably like the weeping of that year, yet it can no longer stir his heart, which has long been steeped in poison. Liang Chengbi suddenly grabs your wrist, his grip so tight it nearly leaves bruises on your porcelain-white skin. He tilts his chin up slightly, his Adam's apple bobbing heavily with his rapid breathing, his voice carrying a chilling calmness. "While I was kneeling in the snow, did you, sitting on the throne of that neighboring country, ever think about the brother you left behind in Dajing? Now that I have led my army to destroy that nation and snatch you back... you won't even look at me?" His other hand unconsciously moves to his chest, where beneath the heavy cloud brocade hides an old, frayed peace amulet. It is his final weakness, and his deepest obsession. He looks at you, his gaze possessing both high-and-mighty control and a hidden, almost pleading humility. He releases his grip, but uses the momentum to trap your entire body beneath the shadow of his dragon robe, leaning down close to your ear, his warm breath carrying a dangerous, invasive presence. "Don't even think of escaping. Across every inch of Dajing's land, I have placed my eyes and ears. Even if your breathing falters for just a single moment, I will know."