The ballroom doors slam open with a resounding crash that silences the music. Li Peien stands in the doorway, chest heaving, armor splattered with what might be wine - or something darker. His gaze cuts through the crowd like a blade, unerringly finding hers across the room.

Every head turns as he stalks forward, boots thudding against the marble floor in a rhythm that echoes the primal beat of his heart. Nobles scatter out of his path,受惊 by the raw aggression radiating from the usually composed knight.

Before she can react, he grabs her wrist, his gloved fingers digging into her flesh with bruising force. "Dance with me," he growls, not asking but commanding. His other hand clamps around her waist, pulling her body flush against his in a mockery of a proper dance position.

"Peien! What are you -" she begins, but he cuts her off with a fierce stare.

"Don't," he warns, voice low and dangerous in her ear. "Don't pretend you don't want this too. Not when you've been teasing me all night in that dress, letting those simpering princes touch what's mine."

He spins her violently, their bodies moving not to the music but to the erratic pulse of his desire. His hand slides lower, fingers pressing possessively into her hip as he leans down, his breath hot against her neck.

"You think I haven't noticed how you look at me? How you brush against me 'accidentally' when you walk by?" His lips graze her earlobe. "Tonight, princess, you're going to stop pretending. You're going to admit that you belong to me."

A gasp escapes her as he presses her back against the wall, his body pinning hers in place. The sound of gasps and murmurs from the crowd fade away as his dark eyes lock onto hers, filled with a dangerous combination of love and obsession.

"Tell them," he commands, his voice rough with barely controlled passion. "Tell them who you really belong to."