Ghost in the palace

Her heart betrayed her with a sudden, painful beat.

”What does he say?”

”That the past cannot be changed.”

Shin Gu closed her eyes.

Those words hurt more than she expected.

Perhaps because they sounded exactly like something Prince Liang would say when he was trying to convince himself of a truth he did not want to accept.

Or perhaps because they were true.

The man continued.

He believes you are dead. He has mourned you in his own way. But he has responsibilities, and he cannot spend the rest of his life chasing a ghost.”

Shin Gu’s face remained still.

Only her fingers betrayed her.

They had curled tightly into her sleeves.

”He has moved on,” she whispered.

”He must.”

She nodded once.

It was a small movement.

Almost imperceptible.

Then she said, ”Good.”

The man studied her.

”Good?”

”Yes.”

She lifted her chin.

”If he believes I am dead, then he can live. He can marry. He can have a family. He can wake every morning without wondering whether I am suffering somewhere.”

Her voice faltered.

She swallowed.

”That is good.”

The man did not interrupt.

For once, he seemed to understand that any further words would only make things worse.

Shin Gu returned her attention to the garden.

A pair of servants carried a tray across the courtyard. Somewhere in the distance, a bell rang to announce the beginning of another training session.

Life went on.

It always did.

Even when a person’s entire world had ended.

### The Man Behind the Curtain

After a long silence, the man spoke again.

”You cannot remain like this forever.”

Shin Gu let out a quiet breath.

”Why not?”

”Because I need you.”

There it was.

The truth, stripped of every comforting disguise.

She turned slowly.

”Finally.”

His expression did not change.

”You understand the forbidden arts better than anyone I can easily reach. You know how the rituals were constructed. You know which seals were altered and which spiritual traces were deliberately planted.”

”I also know who ordered them.”

”Do you?”

”Yes.”

Her gaze was unwavering.

”You did.”

The room fell silent.

Outside, a sword struck against a wooden shield.

The sharp sound carried through the open window.

The man placed his cup on the table.

”You helped me.”

Shin Gu flinched as though he had struck her.

”I know.”

”You understood the risks.”

”I know.”

”You wanted power.”

She looked at him.

For the first time, anger rose through her exhaustion.

”Do not pretend you know everything I wanted.”

His expression remained cold.

”You wanted Prince Liang.”

The words landed like a blade.

Shin Gu stared at him.

He continued mercilessly.

”You wanted him to choose you. You wanted to stand beside him. You wanted the palace to acknowledge you. You wanted a place in a world that had already decided what you were worth.”

Her eyes burned.

”And you promised to help me.”

”I offered you an opportunity.”

”You manipulated me.”

”You made your own choices.”

Shin Gu’s lips trembled.

She hated him.

She hated that he could make her feel ashamed of her suffering while standing before her as the person who had helped cause it.

She hated that part of what he said was true.

She had made choices.

She had wanted things.

She had allowed her jealousy and desperation to turn her toward a path she should never have taken.

But he had not merely watched her fall.

He had held out his hand and guided her toward the edge.

”You knew what the rituals would do,” she whispered.

”I knew what they could do.”

”You knew people would be hurt.”

”Some were.”

”Princess Zhi nearly died.”

”She survived.”

”The Empress nearly died.”

”And survived.”

Shin Gu’s expression changed.

”That is your answer?”

”It is a fact.”

”No.” Her voice shook. ”It is an excuse.”

He watched her for a long moment.

Then he said, ”If you wish to hate me, do so. But do not pretend you were an innocent bystander.”

She looked away.

He was right about one thing.

She could not erase her own choices simply because she had finally begun to understand their consequences.

But that did not absolve him.

And it did not mean she owed him the rest of her life.

”I will not help you accuse Lian An again,” she said.

The man’s eyes narrowed.

”You misunderstand me.”

”Then explain.”

”I do not need you to accuse her.”

He moved toward the door.

”I need you to help me end the investigation before it reaches the people who matter.”

Shin Gu frowned.

”What?”

”The Emperor has begun tracing the supernatural incidents back to their source. The Empress’s companions have become involved in matters that should have remained beyond their reach. And the royal family is asking questions that cannot be answered with another convenient scapegoat.”

He paused.

”If they discover the truth, they will not stop with Lady Chen.”

Shin Gu’s blood ran cold.

”They will come for you.”

”They may try.”

”They will come for everyone connected to you.”

He looked at her.

”And that includes me.”

For the first time, Shin Gu understood the urgency beneath his calm expression.

He was not frightened of the accusations.

He was frightened of the truth.

He had spent months hiding behind rumours, supernatural disturbances, and carefully planted evidence. As long as the court argued over whether the Empress was responsible, no one had been able to see the entire pattern.

But the pieces were beginning to connect.

And when they did, the man who had remained in the shadows would no longer have anywhere to hide.

Shin Gu slowly shook her head.

”You should have thought of that before.”

He said nothing.

She looked at him with exhausted contempt.

”You wanted to control the palace without entering it. You wanted to use people as tools and leave them to bear the consequences. Now you are afraid because someone has finally started looking in the right direction.”

His face hardened.

”Enough.”

”No.”

The word surprised them both.

Shin Gu straightened.

For months, she had spoken only when necessary. She had accepted the food brought to her, the clothes laid out for her, and the quiet restrictions imposed upon her life.

She had allowed herself to become a shadow in a beautiful house.

But something inside her had begun to resist.

”I will not help you destroy another woman’s life merely because you are afraid of losing your own.”

He approached her.

”Be careful, Shin Gu.”

She did not move.

”I have been careful for too long.”

Their eyes met.

For several seconds, neither yielded.

Then he stepped back.

”Eat your breakfast.”

She stared at him.

”What?”

”You heard me.”

He opened the door.

”I will return this evening. By then, I expect you to have decided whether you wish to spend the rest of your life hiding here or whether you intend to face the consequences of what you have done.”

He left without waiting for an answer.

The door closed.

Shin Gu remained beside the window.

For a long time, she did not move.

Then she sank into the chair beside the breakfast table.

Her gaze fell upon the untouched food.

She picked up a pair of chopsticks.

Her hand trembled.

She set them down again.

”Prince Liang,” she whispered.

The name tasted like a farewell.

### The Breakfast No One Shared

The food had begun to cool.

Shin Gu sat at the table, staring at the bowls arranged before her.

She could hear the servants moving in the corridor. She could hear the distant training yard. She could hear birds calling from the garden.

But all she could think about was the capital.

She imagined the Emperor sitting in his study, reading reports about the supernatural disturbances.

She imagined Lian An standing in the imperial courtyard, surrounded by her three ghost companions.

Fen Yu, with her quick temper and endless complaints.

Wei Rong, the former general who could turn a simple disagreement into a battlefield.

Li Shen, the scholar who believed that almost every problem could be solved through careful reasoning, even though his companions frequently destroyed his peace.

Shin Gu had heard rumours about the three of them.

At first, she had dismissed those stories as ridiculous.

Ghosts wandering through the palace.

Ghosts arguing with servants.

Ghosts interfering in court matters.

Ghosts dragging other ghosts before the Empress to demand justice.

Yet the reports had continued.

And the more she heard, the more she understood that something had changed.

The palace was no longer a place where she could move unseen simply because people were afraid of what they did not understand.

Lian An had found a way to turn the very thing Shin Gu had tried to exploit into a source of protection.

Perhaps that was why the accusations had never truly succeeded.

The Empress did not need everyone to understand her.

She needed the people who knew her to trust her.

Shin Gu lowered her eyes.

For one terrible moment, she wondered whether she had ever understood the