Five-Second Kill

The last orange-red rays slipped through the gallery windows. Through the fine russet curtains, Xia Lun looked toward the center of The Death of the Queen.

There was no doubt the King had been heavily idealized. His depiction clashed with the painting's otherwise realistic style. Though he stood on a battlefield, he was spotless—an obvious attempt by the painter to flatter him.

"He wasn't idealized at all! The King really was that handsome." Abby's eyes seemed to shine as she walked toward the painting. "Why else would he be King? Saint above..."

"Because he'd have had the painter beheaded otherwise." Tina clicked her tongue and shook her head. "Our great King clearly prefers false flattery to an accurate likeness."

Xia Lun glanced around, searching for portraits of other kings, but found none.

It seemed Renee's father, King Guewen, really was pathologically vain. He would not even allow portraits of his ancestors in the gallery.

Then again, vanity was not necessarily a bad trait in a king.

Abby kept walking. She reached out, her gaze hazy, as though she wanted to touch the King in the painting. But before she could, Renee turned her wrist and gently brushed Abby's hand aside.

Smack!

Abby trembled slightly and looked up at Renee in surprise.

Renee's eyes held a smile, and her expression was gentle. She showed no sign of reproach.

For some reason, though, Abby felt as if that gaze were a wave of icy blue lake water crashing over her. It was unbearable.

Her field of vision gradually narrowed, while an increasingly shrill ringing filled her ears.

At that moment, black fear, gray anxiety, and scarlet jealousy swelled rapidly under the pressure. Distorted thoughts writhed and spread through Abby's mind like mold.

*Renee must mean me harm. Why else would she look