Dinner with the Shadow King

Chapter Sixteen

Ping hesitated at the entrance, her fingers gripping the fabric of her dress. Ling sat at the head of the long dining table, his presence commanding yet strangely calm. His mask was absent again, leaving his striking features fully visible.

"Are you planning to stand there all night?" His deep voice carried across the room.

Ping straightened, forcing herself to step forward. She wasn't sure why, but knowing she would be dining alone with him made her uneasy.

A maid pulled out the chair beside Ling—not across from him, but beside him. Ping hesitated before sitting.

The food smelled delicious, but her appetite was lost under the weight of Ling's silent gaze. She could feel it, studying her every move.

"You haven't eaten all day," Ling finally said, his tone neutral. "You should."

Ping picked up her chopsticks, her hands steady despite the nerves twisting inside her. "I wasn't hungry."

Ling didn't respond immediately. Instead, he poured her a cup of tea, his movements smooth and unhurried.

"I imagine adjusting to Mora is difficult for you," he said, pushing the cup toward her.

Ping looked at him. "You mean adjusting to you?"

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "That too."

Ping sighed, staring at the steam rising from her tea. "I won't lie. I was afraid of you."

Ling tilted his head slightly. "Was?"

Ping swallowed. She had walked right into that.

"…I don't know what to think anymore."

Ling was silent for a moment, then leaned back in his chair. "That is better than blind fear."

Ping glanced at him. "Is that why you removed your mask?"

His smirk faded. "Perhaps."

There was something different about him tonight—something more open, yet still guarded. It was as if he was letting her see a part of him, but only enough to make her wonder.

Ping took a sip of her tea, allowing the warmth to calm her.

For the first time since she arrived in Mora, she realized—

Maybe Ling wasn't the only one being studied.

Maybe she was, too.