The hinges screamed as the door inched open, letting in a thin strip of light from the hallway. The glow was weak—barely strong enough to push back the shadows clinging to the corners—but it was enough to silhouette the man stepping inside.
Ram.
His sharp features caught the light for a heartbeat before the door swung shut behind him, sealing them back into the stale gloom. The faint smell of wet earth trailed after him, clashing with the mildew-heavy air.
"Well, well, well," he drawled, his boots thudding on the warped wooden floor. "Hope you slept well."
Leena's hands balled into fists, the rope biting into her skin. "What are you doing here?! Are you insane? You just kidnapped a prince?"
Ram's smirk widened, eyes glinting. "Not my prince."
Li Wei's voice cut through the shadows, low and cold. "Don't come closer." Even sitting bound against the wall, his presence was a wall of steel.
Ram chuckled, stepping forward with deliberate slowness. "I don't think you understand who has the upper hand right now."
He stopped just short of Li Wei, letting the faint torchlight glint off the blade he now held. The steel looked even sharper in the dim, its edge catching the light like a predator's grin.
"Stay where you are," Li Wei repeated, firmer this time.
Ram's grin sharpened. "Or what? You're tied up like a lamb."
Then, with a sudden, brutal motion, he drove the knife into the prince's thigh.
The sound—a wet rip of fabric and flesh—seemed too loud in the damp air.
Li Wei's jaw clenched, but a sharp grunt still escaped him, his body jerking against the ropes. Blood spread quickly across the fabric, soaking it in a dark, uneven blotch.
Leena's scream tore through the silence. "STOP!" She lurched forward as much as the ropes allowed, falling hard onto her knees. "Why are you hurting him?!" Her voice cracked, tears stinging her eyes.
Ram crouched until his shadow fell over both of them. "Leena, listen to me. This is your last chance. Either you come back to India and marry me…" His gaze slid to Li Wei, the blade still slick with his blood. "…or I kill your dear prince. Your choice."
Li Wei's voice was steady, even through gritted teeth. "Don't… agree to anything."
Ram's eyes narrowed. "Still talking big?" He pressed the flat of the blade under the prince's jaw. "Maybe I should—"
"Ram!" Leena's voice cracked like a whip. "You think this will make me love you?"
"This isn't about love," he snapped. "It's about what's mine."
"I'm not yours," she spat back.
For a moment, only the distant drip from the cracked ceiling filled the room. Then Ram's smirk returned, though colder now.
"You have one hour," he said. "Say yes, and I take you away. Say no…" He tapped the bloodied blade against Li Wei's shoulder. "…and I make sure your prince doesn't walk out of here alive."
He turned toward the door, the floorboards creaking under his weight. "Tick-tock, Leena."
The door slammed, plunging them into the same damp gloom as before.
Leena twisted toward Li Wei, panic in her voice. "You're bleeding too much—"
"I'm fine," he muttered, though his breathing was heavier. "We'll get out of here."
She shook her head, her tone rising with desperation."You can't even stand!"
A faint smirk tugged at his lips despite the pain."Then I'll crawl."