The palace had been peaceful for exactly half a day.
That was, apparently, all the peace the Empress was going to receive.
By late afternoon, her courtyard had become strangely crowded.
Not with ministers.
Not with palace ladies.
Not even with servants.
With ghosts.
Dozens of them.
Some were floating near the plum trees. Others sat on the roof tiles. A few were whispering behind the stone pavilion, while several translucent figures watched the commotion from the corridor.
The Empress stood in the middle of it all.
She stared.
Then blinked.
Then stared again.
"…Why are there so many ghosts in my courtyard?"
Nobody answered.
Because at that exact moment—
"YOU!"
A furious female ghost pointed toward another ghost.
"You shameless woman!"
The accused ghost immediately shouted back.
"Who are you calling shameless?"
"You know exactly who!"
"I don't!"
"You were following my fiancé!"
"He was not your fiancé when I met him!"
"He was my fiancé!"
"He was already dead!"
