Ghost in the palace

Night had settled over the imperial palace.

The moon hung high above the tiled roofs, its pale light spilling across the silent courtyards.

Most of the palace had already gone to sleep.

But in one secluded courtyard, a single woman remained awake.

Mei Lan stood beneath the covered corridor, quietly waiting.

She had been waiting for a long time.

Tonight was supposed to be important.

Shin Gu had told her earlier that everything had to be prepared before midnight. The incense, the candles, the ritual objects, the special water, and the sealed talismans had all been arranged.

Mei Lan had followed every instruction.

Everything was ready.

Yet Shin Gu had not come out.

Mei Lan glanced toward the closed doors.

Why is Lady Shin Gu taking so long?

She had expected to see her mistress begin the ritual hours ago.

Instead, the courtyard had gradually become silent.

Mei Lan waited another quarter of an hour.

Nothing.

She finally approached the chamber.

She knocked softly.

"Lady Shin Gu?"

No answer.

Mei Lan waited.

Then knocked again.

"My Lady?"

Still nothing.

She hesitated before carefully pushing the door open.

The room was dark except for a single lamp.

And there—

Shin Gu was lying on the bed.

Her eyes were closed.

She appeared to be sleeping.

Mei Lan stared at her in disbelief.

She looked toward the ritual preparations.

Everything remained untouched.

The incense had never been lit.

The talismans were still sealed.

The ritual bowl was empty.

Not a single step had been performed.

Mei Lan’s heart sank.

"She really isn’t doing it..."

She quietly closed the door.

For several moments, she simply stood outside.

She knew what this meant.

The people waiting for the ritual would be expecting news.

The Dawager Empress would be expecting confirmation.

And the Emperor’s hidden investigation would continue.

But Shin Gu had made her decision.

She wasn’t going to perform the ritual tonight.

Mei Lan lowered her head.

Perhaps Shin Gu had changed her mind.

Perhaps she had become frightened.

Whatever the reason, Mei Lan understood that she couldn’t force her.

She immediately turned toward the corridor.

There was someone who needed to know.

---

The Dawager Empress’s Courtyard

At almost the same time, the Dawager Empress was sitting inside her private chamber.

She had not gone to sleep.

The recent events in the palace had left her deeply unsettled.

The Empress had survived death.

The rumors surrounding her had become increasingly strange.

And now there were whispers about dark magic.

The Dawager Empress had never imagined that such things could become part of her son’s palace.

She was staring at the tea in front of her when a maid hurried inside.

"Your Majesty."

The Dawager Empress lifted her eyes.

"What is it?"

The maid bowed.

"There is a message from Mei Lan."

"Mei Lan?"

"Yes."

"Bring it."

The maid immediately handed her the small folded paper.

The Dawager Empress opened it.

Her eyes moved across the short message.

Her expression changed.

Lady Shin Gu has retired for the night. The ritual has not begun.

The Dawager Empress stared at the words.

For several seconds, she didn’t move.

Then—

She slowly crushed the paper in her hand.

"So she stopped."

The maid lowered her head.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The Dawager Empress closed her eyes.

A strange mixture of relief and concern filled her heart.

Part of her was relieved that nothing had happened tonight.

Another part understood the danger.

If Shin Gu had stopped because she suspected something—

Then perhaps they had been noticed.

The Dawager Empress looked toward the dark window.

"We have to wait."

The maid bowed.

"Yes."

"Do not send anyone else."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The maid withdrew.

The Dawager Empress remained alone.

Her fingers slowly loosened around the crushed paper.

She had once believed the situation was simple.

The Empress was supposedly cursed.

The palace was supposedly suffering because of her.

Shin Gu had promised that the problem could be removed.

But now—

Nothing seemed simple anymore.

The Empress had survived the lake.

She had survived the mysterious illness.

She had survived the accusation of black magic.

She had even survived what everyone believed was death.

And now Shin Gu had suddenly refused to perform another ritual.

The Dawager Empress felt an uncomfortable chill.

Something was changing.

She couldn’t see it yet.

But she could feel it.

---

A Message to the Emperor

The Dawager Empress finally stood.

She walked to her writing table and took out a fresh sheet of paper.

She wrote only a few lines.

The ritual has not been performed tonight. Shin Gu has chosen to wait. We must delay our plans.

She folded the message.

Then she called her most trusted servant.

"Take this to His Majesty."

The servant bowed deeply.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"And make certain no one sees you."

"Yes."

The servant disappeared into the darkness.

The Dawager Empress remained by the window.

She whispered to herself,

"What are you planning, Shin Gu?"

---

The Emperor’s Study

The Emperor was still awake.

He had been reviewing reports from his spies when a shadow appeared outside his study.

A guard entered and bowed.

"Your Majesty."

"What happened?"

"A private message from the Dawager Empress."

The Emperor immediately took it.

He opened the paper.

His eyes moved across the words.

His expression became complicated.

For a moment, he simply stood there.

Then—

He raised one hand and pressed his fingers against his forehead.

He let out a long sigh.

"So she didn’t perform it."

"No, Your Majesty."

The Emperor lowered the paper.

"Then everything has been delayed."

The guard remained silent.

The Emperor walked slowly toward the window.

He looked out over the palace.

The same palace where he had once believed he understood every secret.

Now—

He wasn’t certain of anything.

The Empress had been accused of using forbidden magic.

But the more evidence they uncovered, the more suspicious the accusation became.

There were strange incidents.

Unexplained attacks.

Unusual spiritual disturbances.

And now—

Shin Gu.

A person who had been so confident before had suddenly stopped.

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed.

"She knows something."

The guard looked up.

"Your Majesty?"

"If she truly believed the ritual was necessary, she wouldn’t have stopped."

He folded the message.

"She must have sensed something."

The Emperor’s expression hardened.

"Or she knows that someone is watching her."

The room became silent.

After a moment, the Emperor spoke again.

"We need to catch her."

The guard hesitated.

"But if she doesn’t perform the ritual—"

"Then we wait."

The Emperor looked toward the moon.

"We cannot arrest her based only on suspicion."

His voice was controlled.

"But neither can we allow her to disappear."

He turned.

"Place people near her courtyard."

"Do not let her know."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"And watch everyone who enters."

The guard bowed.

"Yes."

The Emperor paused.

Then added quietly,

"If she attempts another ritual..."

"Stop her."

The guard nodded.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

---

A Dangerous Silence

The palace returned to silence.

No ritual.

No explosion of spiritual energy.

No mysterious disturbance.

Nothing.

And yet—

That silence frightened the Emperor more than an attack would have.

Because someone had deliberately chosen not to act.

And that meant—

They were waiting.

Somewhere in the palace, Shin Gu was sleeping.

Or pretending to sleep.

The Emperor didn’t know which.

At the same time, the Dawager Empress sat awake, wondering whether she had trusted the wrong person.

And beyond the palace walls, the enemy’s plans continued to shift.

No one knew what would happen next.

---

Shin Gu’s Courtyard

Mei Lan returned quietly.

She stopped outside Shin Gu’s chamber.

She looked through the slightly open door.

Shin Gu was still lying on the bed.

Her breathing was slow.

Her face appeared peaceful.

Mei Lan sighed.

She had delivered the message.

The Dawager Empress knew.

That was enough.

She quietly closed the door.

But inside—

Shin Gu’s eyes opened.

She had never been asleep.

She stared at the ceiling.

She knew something had changed.

The feeling that had warned her earlier had not disappeared.

If anything—

It had become stronger.

Shin Gu turned her head toward the window.

For the briefest moment—

She thought she saw a shadow move beyond the courtyard wall.

Her eyes narrowed.

She sat up.

The shadow was gone.

She slowly clenched her hand.

"Someone is watching me."

She didn’t know who.

But she was certain of one thing.

Tonight, stopping the ritual had been the right decision.

Yet she also knew—

Waiting would not solve the problem forever.

Eventually, she would have to move.

And when she did—

Someone else would be ready for her.

---

Far away, inside the Emperor’s study, the Emperor was looking at the same moon.

He whispered,

"Wait, then."

His expression became cold.

"If you refuse to show your hand tonight..."

"We will simply wait for the next move."

Neither side knew—

That the other had already begun preparing.

And between them stood the Empress.

Unaware that her survival had turned a hidden struggle into a battle for the entire palace.

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