The doors of the royal study slammed shut behind Seraphina as silence thickened the air between her and Emperor Kai.
He stood by the tall arched window, his back to her, staring at the darkened sky. The moonlight poured in pale and cold, casting jagged shadows across the chamber.
"Who was that masked man?" Seraphina demanded, stepping forward. Her voice was steady, but her fists were clenched at her sides.
Kai didn't turn. "I could ask you the same, Seraphina. Why did his presence shake you so?"
"I asked first."
A long pause.
Finally, Kai turned, his golden robes whispering against the floor. His eyes, usually unreadable, burned with a strange frustration.
"There's been… movement," he said. "Whispers from the edge of the Empire. Ruins pulsing with old magic. Disappearances. Reports of people seeing the dead walking—souls merged with remnants of power. And always near one place—the soul lands."
Seraphina's breath hitched. Her heart hammered. Mason. It had to be connected.
"Then why let him into the palace?" she asked, stepping closer. "You allowed danger past the gates."
Kai scoffed. "I needed to see if the rumors were true. That someone... or something was back. I didn't expect you to react so strongly."
He took a step forward, his gaze sharp.
"Tell me, Seraphina. Why does that man's presence still haunt your eyes?"
Silence.
Then, softly—"Because once, he saved me when I couldn't save myself."
Kai's jaw tensed.
"So it's true," he muttered. "You still hold a candle for a dead traitor."
Seraphina's eyes flared. "He wasn't a traitor—"
"I am the Emperor!" Kai barked, his voice slicing through the air. "If you are to be my Empress in two days, your loyalty must be mine alone. I cannot have a woman wearing the crown while mourning another man."
Seraphina took a breath, but before she could speak, Kai's voice dropped low.
"You have two choices. Publicly denounce all your past ties—burn his memory for all to see—or I will delay the Empress ceremony. You'll be placed under silent observation. And if I see even a flicker of divided loyalty... I will exile you to the Cold Moon Palace."
The silence was deafening.
Seraphina's face betrayed nothing. But inside, fire roared.
"…Understood," she whispered.
Kai nodded once, though suspicion lingered in his eyes.
Seraphina turned and walked out.
But in her mind, her decision was already made.
---
Scene Shift – Seraphina's Quarters
The door hadn't even fully closed behind her before Mira ran up and hugged her.
"You're back!" Mira whispered. "Thank the stars…"
Arabella sat on the edge of the bed, arms folded, watching Seraphina closely.
Arabella leaned forward. "There's more. I overheard some of her maids talking. They said Concubine Sun possesses something ancient—something dangerous. A relic from the soul lands."
Seraphina's blood chilled. "She's meddling in soul magic?"
Maelis nodded. "The concubines who stay close to her… they chant strange verses now. It's unnatural."
Seraphina's mind raced.
First the masked man. Then the relic. Then the ultimatum.
Everything was closing in.
But she wouldn't be outplayed.
---
Later That Night – A Spark of Vengeance
Seraphina stood by the window, gazing into the palace gardens glowing under moonlight. Arabella stepped beside her.
"What are you thinking?" her sister asked.
Seraphina's lips curled coldly.
"We'll host a banquet. A grand one. Invite every concubine, every noble. We'll flatter them with gifts and wine—then strip their secrets under starlight."
Mira leaned forward, eyes gleaming. "You're going to humiliate Concubine Sun?"
"I'm going to bury her," Seraphina said softly. "Politely. Publicly. And permanently."
Arabella smiled, her gaze fierce. "Now that sounds like my sister."
Seraphina's eyes gleamed with quiet fury. "If they expect me to be weak, they're not ready for the woman Mason believed I could become."
---
Elsewhere – A Shadow Watches
Behind the wall, a spy—wearing the robes of Concubine Sun's faction—slid silently away from the hidden slit in the chamber wall.
She ran through darkened corridors, heart pounding, until she reached a shadowed pavilion.
There, a cloaked figure waited.
"She's planning something," the spy whispered. "The Empress-to-be is plotting a banquet. A trap."
The figure turned slowly. And when he spoke, his voice was cruel and calm.
"Then we'll strike first."
Royal Kitchen, Midnight – A Secret Meeting Begins
The clanging of pots had long gone silent, and the kitchen now stood in eerie quietness. Arabella, Mira, and Maelis sat huddled around the stone hearth, while Seraphina stood before them with a candle-lit map of the palace spread open before her.
"We'll strike where she least expects it—her pride," Seraphina whispered. "Concubine Sun thrives on fear and power. So, I will break her façade in front of the entire court."
Arabella leaned forward, frowning. "But how? You need more than a speech to destroy someone like her. She has the Emperor's trust."
"I don't need words." Seraphina's eyes glittered. "I'll use proof. Hard, brutal proof."
Maelis blinked. "What proof?"
Seraphina tapped a specific spot on the map—a hidden chamber deep in the Lotus Pavilion.
"She hides something there. Arabella, you said she has a soul relic. It won't be left unguarded. That's where we'll go first."
Mira gasped. "That's dangerous! If the relic is protected by soul magic—"
"I've faced worse," Seraphina cut in.
She looked each of them in the eye.
"Are you with me?"
Arabella grinned. "Till the end."
Mira sighed, but nodded. "I'll bring the tea."
Maelis raised her hands. "I'll prepare the alibi. If you're caught, I'll make sure no one can trace it to you."
Seraphina closed her eyes. For the first time in weeks, warmth flickered in her heart.
She wasn't alone.
---
The Next Morning – Inner Court Turmoil
Concubine Sun walked down the hall of the lotus garden, her red robes trailing behind like spilled blood. Servants bowed at every corner, their eyes lowered, their hearts pounding in fear.
She loved this feeling.
Power.
But as she turned the corner toward her pavilion, a guard rushed to her side, sweating.
"My Lady—someone infiltrated the west chamber."
She turned slowly. "What did they take?"
"…Nothing. But the relic was disturbed."
Her eyes darkened. "So... it begins."