By morning, the palace had returned to its elegant pretense.
The servants moved briskly, the bells on their belts chiming softly as they carried scrolls, trays, and silks across the vast, lacquered halls. Eunuchs barked instructions. Noble ladies whispered behind folding fans. Drums beat low in the distance, signaling the start of the imperial court session.
And through it all, Yena walked as if she belonged....back straight, eyes lowered, heart hammering.
The note still haunted her.
"You're being watched".
The coiled serpent mark on the corner meant something. But what? A faction? A clan? Someone close to the throne?
She'd barely slept. The idea that someone had gotten close enough to replace the talisman without her noticing... It chilled her deeper than the ghost ever had.
She had to find Prince Joon.
The eastern wing felt colder than before. More silent. She waited by the open archway as the guards gave her a wary glance.
"You're expected," one said simply.
This time, the Prince was not seated. He stood at the open balcony, facing the sprawling inner court. His robe was simpler...deep navy, edged with silver clouds. His hair unbound.
He didn't turn as she entered. "Did you read it?"
Yena stepped forward. "Yes. But it's gone. Replaced with a warning."
Now he turned.
His expression was unreadable, but a shadow passed behind his eyes.
"Show me."
She handed him the note.
He held it carefully, then narrowed his eyes at the serpent seal.
"I thought as much."
"You know who it is," Yena said.
"I have a guess. But I'm not foolish enough to speak their name out loud."
He folded the paper and tossed it into the brazier by his side. The flame ate it with a hiss.
"Then what do we do?" she asked.
Joon looked at her, and for the first time, he smiled but it wasn't kind. It was the smile of a man used to lies and poison, who had learned to play the game better than anyone else.
"We feed them what they want. We pretend we're playing along."
He turned and pulled open a drawer in the cabinet behind him. Inside was a scroll sealed with a black ribbon.
"You're going to deliver this," he said.
Yena blinked. "Me?"
"Yes. You'll take it to Minister Han. Say it's from the Eastern Palace."
She hesitated. "And what's inside?"
"That's not your concern."
Yena stiffened. "Then I don't go."
A pause.
Joon's expression didn't change, but the air did. The guards behind the screen moved slightly, sensing the tension.
"You're brave," Joon said quietly. "Foolish. But brave."
"I'm not your pawn," she said.
"No. You're a piece I'm not finished shaping yet."
He held the scroll out again.
"This message is harmless. It's a test. For him. And for you."
Yena took it, reluctantly.
"If I die for this," she said, "I'll make sure to haunt you."
Joon's smirk returned. "You'd be more useful that way."
Minister Han's residence was at the northern edge of the palace, near the scholars' gardens. An entire courtyard surrounded by trimmed hedges and guards in green brocade.
Yena bowed and delivered the scroll as instructed, barely meeting the eyes of the steward who received it. He didn't even thank her.
But as she turned to leave, she felt the pressure of someone watching her again.
Not from the garden. Not from the halls.
From inside.
That night, her chamber window had something new waiting.
A second note.
Well played, little shaman. The court is a game. Move carefully.
This time, there was no seal.
Only a smear of blood at the corner of the page.