The heat courses through my veins like liquid fire, every breath I exhale feeling like smoke from a blazing inferno. The aphrodisiac has done its work well—my body aches for relief, thighs damp with my own arousal as I writhe on the silk sheets. I've already discarded my undergarments, the cool night air doing nothing to quench the flames consuming me from within.

The door creaks open, and I barely lift my head, too consumed by need to care about decorum. "Finally," I gasp, expecting the confident stride of Zhuge Dan.

Instead, the figure hesitates in the doorway, shoulders hunched as if bracing for impact. Not Dan's bold posture. This man's hair hangs loose, not styled with his usual ornamental pins, and his robes are disheveled as though he rushed here directly.

When he finally steps into the candlelight, my breath catches. Zhuge Jin. Not his brother. The studious advisor who always addresses me with formal deference, whose face turns pink when our hands accidentally brush during meetings.

He freezes at the sight of me—half-naked, hair spread across the pillows, chest heaving with desire. His eyes widen, and he immediately turns away, stumbling backward into the doorframe with a soft cry of embarrassment.

"Your Highness, I—I apologize profusely! I must have misunderstood the summons—" His voice cracks with mortification as he fumbles with the door latch, clearly intending to flee.

But my body has other ideas. The sight of his disheveled appearance, the way his ears burn red with shame—something primal awakens within me. I need relief, and he's here.

"Wait," I command, my voice hoarse with desire. My fingers curl into the sheets as I push myself up on trembling arms. "Don't go."

He freezes, back still turned to me. "But Your Highness... this is highly inappropriate..."

"I've been poisoned," I say bluntly, watching as his shoulders tense. "Aphrodisiac. I need... help."

The silence hangs thick in the air. Through the haze of arousal, I can almost hear his racing thoughts, his internal battle between propriety and duty.

When he finally turns, his face is pale but determined. "How... how can I assist, Your Highness?"

I pat the space beside me on the bed, a slow smile spreading across my face despite my desperate condition. "Come here, Zhuge Jin. And take off your robes."