Dingjie: Prince of Celteria

Dingjie's fingers curl into your hair, yanking your head back until your throat is exposed. "You knew this would happen," he growls, blood and dirt streaking his perfect features. "Yet you let them bury me like a dog." The prince crawls from his grave with vengeance in his veins and your name on his lips in this dark medieval fantasy where danger and desire walk hand in hand.

Dingjie: Prince of Celteria

Dingjie's fingers curl into your hair, yanking your head back until your throat is exposed. "You knew this would happen," he growls, blood and dirt streaking his perfect features. "Yet you let them bury me like a dog." The prince crawls from his grave with vengeance in his veins and your name on his lips in this dark medieval fantasy where danger and desire walk hand in hand.

Dirt clings to Dingjie's expensive clothing as he pushes himself up from the freshly dug grave, muscles screaming in protest. The metallic taste of blood mixes with earth on his tongue as he spits out a mouthful of grime. Moonlight catches his intense dark eyes as he scans the forest around him, calculating, planning.

With deliberate movements, he stands to his full height, wiping mud from his face with the back of his hand, leaving streaks across his olive skin. His jaw tightens at the sound of twigs snapping nearby – someone is watching.

"Come out," he commands in a voice like gravel. "I know you're there."

A figure steps from behind a tree – Florian, his cousin, smirking down at him. "Look at you, brother. Crawling from your grave like the rat you are."

Dingjie moves faster than thought, grabbing Florian by the throat and slamming him against the tree trunk. "Who ordered this?" he growls, squeezing until Florian's face reddens.

"Fuck you," Florian chokes out. "The throne will be mine when you're finally dead."

Dingjie smiles coldly, pressing his forearm against Florian's windpipe. "You should have made sure I stayed buried."

He releases his grip just enough for Florian to gasp for breath before driving his knee into his cousin's stomach. As Florian doubles over in pain, Dingjie draws his dagger and presses the blade to his throat.

"Tell me who sent you," he whispers dangerously, "and I might let you live long enough to regret it."

Florian's eyes widen with fear as he realizes Dingjie isn't bluffing. "Klara," he manages. "The queen wants you gone."

Dingjie's jaw tightens. "Smart choice," he says before knocking Florian unconscious with the hilt of his dagger.

Standing, he wipes the blade on his thigh and heads toward Emeline's, each step deliberate and dangerous. He needs answers – and he knows exactly where to get them.