Ghost in the palace

The palace had grown quiet.

The feast in the Empress’s courtyard had long ended.

Lanterns swayed gently beneath the night sky while servants completed their final duties before retiring.

Most of the palace slept peacefully.

But not everyone.

---

Inside a secluded courtyard—

Shin Gu sat alone.

A single lantern illuminated the chamber.

Its flickering light danced across the walls, creating shifting shadows.

The room was silent.

Too silent.

---

Unlike the warmth filling the Empress’s courtyard earlier—

There was no laughter here.

No family.

No joy.

---

Only Shin Gu.

And her thoughts.

---

A maid entered quietly.

”Madam.”

---

Shin Gu didn’t look up.

”Has everyone returned?”

---

”Yes.”

”The feast ended without incident.”

---

The maid hesitated.

Then added softly,

”The Emperor stayed for most of the evening.”

---

For the first time—

Shin Gu’s fingers paused.

---

The maid lowered her head further.

”The Dowager Empress also appeared pleased.”

”Princess Zhi enjoyed herself.”

”Lady Chen remained there until the end.”

---

A faint smile appeared on Shin Gu’s lips.

But there was no warmth in it.

---

”Interesting.”

---

The maid swallowed nervously.

She knew that expression.

Whenever Shin Gu smiled like that—

Someone usually suffered.

---

After a moment, Shin Gu dismissed her.

”Leave.”

---

The maid hurried away.

---

Silence returned.

---

Shin Gu leaned back slowly.

Her gaze fixed on the lantern flame.

---

She had deliberately avoided the feast.

Not because she was sick.

Not because she was busy.

---

Because she didn’t want to be there.

---

Yesterday’s gathering had left a bitter taste in her mouth.

---

Especially Lady Chen.

---

Her fingers tightened slightly.

---

The woman had become careless.

Too comfortable.

Too bold.

---

At first Lady Chen had followed every suggestion.

Every plan.

Every whispered piece of advice.

---

Now—

She was becoming difficult.

---

Questioning.

Observing.

Thinking for herself.

---

That was dangerous.

---

Very dangerous.

---

And then there was the Dowager Empress.

---

Shin Gu closed her eyes.

---

For years she had enjoyed the older woman’s trust.

Advice was sought.

Opinions respected.

Doors opened without question.

---

But recently—

Things had changed.

---

Small things.

Subtle things.

---

A pause before answering.

A longer glance.

A slight hesitation.

---

Nothing obvious.

But Shin Gu noticed.

---

She always noticed.

---

The relationship had become strained.

Not broken.

Not yet.

---

But damaged.

---

And damage—

Had a habit of spreading.

---

Her gaze darkened.

---

The Empress should have died.

---

The lake incident.

The illness.

The strange sleep.

---

One failure after another.

---

And now—

The woman had returned stronger than before.

---

Not only alive.

But surrounded.

---

The Emperor.

Princess Zhi.

The Duke family.

The Dowager Empress.

---

Even the palace servants were beginning to favor her.

---

Shin Gu slowly stood.

---

The chamber suddenly felt smaller.

---

More suffocating.

---

She walked toward a side room.

A room rarely entered by others.

---

Hidden behind a carved wooden screen.

---

The air inside felt colder.

Heavier.

---

An altar stood in the center.

Simple at first glance.

Yet strange.

---

The candles burned with an unnatural blue tint.

---

Shin Gu stared at it quietly.

---

Her expression became unreadable.

---

Outside—

Thunder rumbled faintly in the distance.

---

Inside—

The shadows seemed to stretch.

---

Shin Gu knelt before the altar.

Not speaking.

Not moving.

---

Simply thinking.

---

The palace was changing.

The balance was shifting.

---

And for the first time in years—

Things were no longer moving according to her expectations.

---

That irritated her.

---

Deeply.

---

She closed her eyes.

Taking a slow breath.

---

Then opened them again.

Calm.

Collected.

---

The expression of a woman who had learned patience.

---

”Not yet.”

She whispered softly.

---

”There is still time.”

---

Her voice disappeared into the darkness.

---

Outside the chamber window—

The moon slipped behind the clouds.

---

And the palace grew a little darker.

The Imperial Palace was unusually peaceful that evening.

A cool breeze drifted through the courtyards as lanterns illuminated the winding pathways. Servants carried trays of food, guards patrolled their routes, and the palace seemed calmer than it had been in weeks.

Inside the Dowager Empress’s courtyard, a rare gathering was taking place.

The Emperor, Empress Lian An, Princess Zhi, Prince Liang, Lady Chen, and the Dowager Empress sat together enjoying dinner.

Princess Zhi was describing wedding preparations at the Duke residence.

”...and Lian Hua nearly tied herself into the ribbons,” she said.

Prince Liang laughed.

”I believe that.”

Even the Dowager Empress smiled faintly.

The Empress shook her head.

”She’s been excited since the engagement was announced.”

Lady Chen quietly ate her meal while listening.

The Emperor found himself watching the Empress more than participating in the conversation.

She looked relaxed.

Happy.

Far different from the pale woman who had nearly died days ago.

For the first time in a long while, the atmosphere felt normal.

Then—

A scream echoed through the palace.

”Aaaaah!”

The sound was distant.

But loud enough to freeze everyone.

The Emperor immediately stood.

”What happened?”

Before anyone could answer—

Another scream followed.

Then another.

Then dozens.

The palace suddenly erupted into chaos.

Servants ran across courtyards.

Guards shouted orders.

Women cried.

The Dowager Empress rose abruptly.

”What is happening?”

Prince Liang immediately moved toward the door.

”I’ll check.”

But before he could leave, terrified servants rushed into the courtyard.

They fell to their knees.

Their faces completely white.

One maid was shaking so badly she could barely speak.

”Y-Your Majesty!”

The Emperor stepped forward.

”Speak.”

The maid burst into tears.

”We saw it!”

”We all saw it!”

Princess Zhi frowned.

”Saw what?”

The maid pointed toward the servant quarters.

”A ghost!”

The entire courtyard fell silent.

The Dowager Empress’s expression changed immediately.

Another servant nodded frantically.

”There was a woman!”

”She was crying!”

”She kept calling us!”

Lady Chen’s hand tightened around her cup.

The Emperor’s face darkened.

”What exactly did you see?”

The servant swallowed hard.

”We were carrying laundry.”

”Then we heard crying.”

”A woman’s crying.”

”Very sad.”

”Very painful.”

The servants shivered.

”We thought someone was hurt.”

”So we followed the sound.”

The Empress listened carefully.

Something about the story felt wrong.

The servant continued.

”We reached the old servant courtyard.”

”The crying became louder.”

”Then...”

His voice trembled.

”We saw her.”

The entire courtyard was silent.

The servant’s face had lost all color.

”She was standing beneath the tree.”

”Her back facing us.”

”Long black hair.”

”White clothes.”

Princess Zhi felt goosebumps.

The servant continued.

”She kept saying...”

’Come with me...’

’Come with me...’

’I’m lonely...’

The maid beside him burst into tears.

”When she turned around...”

”We couldn’t see her face.”

”Only darkness.”

Several servants began crying again.

Prince Liang immediately frowned.

”Are you sure it wasn’t someone playing tricks?”

”No!”

The servants shouted together.

”We all saw it!”

”Everyone saw it!”

The Dowager Empress suddenly sat down heavily.

Her face was pale.

The Emperor noticed immediately.

”Mother?”

The Dowager Empress looked disturbed.

Very disturbed.

”We solved this.”

Everyone looked at her.

She spoke quietly.

”The monk purified the palace.”

”The disturbances stopped.”

”The shadows disappeared.”

”The nightmares ended.”

Princess Zhi nodded.

”Everything was normal.”

The Dowager Empress clenched her hands.

”Then why...”

”Why is it happening again?”

The atmosphere became heavy.

Very heavy.

Meanwhile—

Far away.

In a hidden courtyard.

Shin Gu sat before her altar.

Black candles burned around her.

Strange symbols were drawn across the floor.

A bowl of dark liquid rested in front of her.

She slowly opened her eyes.

A faint smile appeared.

”It worked.”

The shadows around the room twisted unnaturally.

The candles flickered.

The temperature dropped.

A servant’s scream echoed faintly through the distance.

Shin Gu smiled wider.

”Fear spreads quickly.”

She closed her eyes again.

Dark energy flowed around the altar.

”Now...”

”Let the palace panic.”

Back at the Dowager Empress’s courtyard—

More servants arrived.

Each one telling the same story.

A crying woman.

A shadow.

A voice calling them.

The Emperor’s expression became colder with every report.

This was too organized.

Too deliberate.

The Empress remained silent.

But beside her—

The three ghosts had appeared.

Invisible to everyone else.

Fen Yu looked frightened.

”That isn’t a ghost.”

General Wei Rong nodded grimly.

”Someone is creating illusions.”

Scholar Li Shen adjusted his sleeves.

”Dark spiritual arts.”

The Empress felt a chill.

The same conclusion she had feared.

Someone was moving again.

And this time—

They were becoming bolder.

The Emperor looked around at the terrified servants.

Then spoke firmly.

”No one walks alone tonight.”

”Double the guards.”

”Seal the servant quarters.”

”Search every courtyard.”

The guards immediately obeyed.

The Dowager Empress looked toward the dark night outside.

For the first time in days—

Fear returned to her heart.

Because she had a terrible feeling.

The nightmare that everyone thought had ended...

Had only just begun.

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