Ghost in the palace Chapter 294: Voices Beyond the Darkness

Chapter 294: Voices Beyond the Darkness

The darkness never changed.

No matter how long Lady Chen walked.

No matter how desperately she searched.

There was still—

Nothing.

No light.

No warmth.

No sky above her.

No ground beneath her feet.

Only endless black silence swallowing everything around her.

—

At first, she had scread.

Called for help.

Begged soone to answer.

But now—

Her voice had beco hoarse.

Weak.

Fragile.

—

And the loneliness—

Had begun sinking into her bones.

—

Lady Chen curled into herself quietly inside the darkness.

Her knees pulled close to her chest.

Her hands trembling slightly.

—

"...Please..."

Her voice cracked softly.

"...soone..."

—

No answer ca.

Only the distant echoes of prayers drifting through the void.

Sotis near.

Sotis far.

As though separated by worlds.

—

Then—

Very faintly—

She heard crying.

—

Lady Chen froze.

Her heart tightened instantly.

Because she recognized that voice.

—

"...Mother?"

—

The sound beca clearer.

Soft sobbing.

Broken whispers.

—

"My daughter..."

"...Please wake up..."

—

Tears imdiately filled Lady Chen’s eyes.

"...Mother..."

—

She stood up quickly.

Looking around desperately.

"Mother!"

"I’m here!"

—

But the darkness swallowed her voice once again.

—

Far away—

Her mother continued crying.

Lady Chen could hear every word clearly now.

Every trembling breath.

Every desperate prayer.

—

"I’ll pray every day..."

"...Just please let her live..."

—

Lady Chen shook her head quickly.

"No..."

"No, don’t cry..."

"I’m alright..."

—

But no matter how loudly she shouted—

Nothing reached them.

—

Her breathing beca uneven.

Her chest hurt.

—

Then—

Another voice echoed faintly.

Deeper.

More restrained.

But trembling beneath the surface.

—

"...Find the best healers."

"...No matter the cost."

—

Lady Chen froze again.

—

Her father.

—

For a mont—

She couldn’t breathe.

—

Her proud father.

The man who rarely showed emotion.

The man who always stood strong before others.

—

Now—

His voice sounded exhausted.

Broken.

—

Lady Chen covered her mouth as tears spilled freely down her cheeks.

"...Father..."

—

She rembered suddenly—

How arrogant she had been after entering the palace.

How distant she beca from her family little by little.

—

At first—

She still wrote letters often.

Still visited whenever possible.

Still laughed freely beside them.

—

But later—

Everything changed.

—

The Emperor’s attention.

Palace politics.

Competition.

Status.

—

Those things slowly swallowed her.

—

Without realizing it—

She had begun looking down on the simple warmth she once had.

—

Even when her mother worried—

She beca impatient.

Even when her father advised her—

She ignored him.

—

Because back then—

She thought power and favor were more important.

—

But now—

Standing alone in endless darkness—

She finally understood.

—

Nothing inside the palace had ever truly belonged to her.

—

Not power.

Not status.

Not affection.

—

Only her family had always remained real.

—

And she had forgotten their value.

—

A sob escaped her lips.

"...I want to go ho..."

—

The darkness remained silent.

Cold.

rciless.

—

Then suddenly—

A softer voice echoed faintly nearby.

Young.

Trembling.

—

"...Big Sister..."

—

Lady Chen’s eyes widened instantly.

"...Ruyi?"

—

Her little sister.

—

The voice sounded so close.

So fragile.

—

"...Please wake up..."

"...I’m scared..."

—

Lady Chen imdiately tried running toward the sound.

"Ruyi!"

"Don’t cry!"

"I’m here!"

—

But no matter how much she ran—

The darkness never changed.

—

And her voice—

Still could not reach them.

—

Tears blurred her vision.

—

She rembered her little sister as a child.

Always following behind her.

Always admiring her.

Always smiling brightly whenever Lady Chen returned ho.

—

And yet—

After entering the palace—

Lady Chen rarely spent ti with her anymore.

—

Too busy.

Too proud.

Too consud by herself.

—

Now—

Regret crushed her chest painfully.

—

"...I was a terrible sister..."

—

Ruyi’s crying voice echoed again.

"...Please co back..."

—

Lady Chen fell to her knees again.

Desperately trying to answer.

"I will!"

"I’ll co back!"

"Just wait for !"

—

But only silence returned.

—

Her voice could not cross the darkness.

—

That realization hurt more than anything else.

—

She could hear them.

Feel their love.

Feel their worry.

—

But she could not reach them.

—

And for the first ti in years—

Lady Chen understood what truly mattered.

—

Not palace favor.

Not becoming Empress.

Not winning against others.

—

Only—

The people waiting for her to co ho.

—

Her breathing trembled.

Then slowly—

Lady Chen clasped her hands together.

Tightly.

Desperately.

—

Her tears continued falling silently.

—

"...God..."

—

The word felt strange on her lips.

Because she had rarely prayed sincerely before.

—

Not truly.

—

But now—

Inside endless darkness—

She had nothing left except hope.

—

"...Please..."

"...Send

back..."

—

Her voice shook violently.

—

"I don’t want to disappear here..."

"I want to see my family again..."

"I want to apologize..."

—

Her hands trembled harder.

—

"I want to tell them..."

"...that I miss them too..."

—

The darkness remained still.

But sowhere far away—

The faint sound of bells echoed once more.

—

And Lady Chen continued praying quietly.

Not for status.

Not for power.

—

But simply—

For one more chance to return ho.

The palace had not slept for days.

Candles burned endlessly through the night.

Monks continued chanting scriptures beneath flickering lanterns.

The sound of bells echoed softly across the palace grounds like distant cries carried by the wind.

And inside Lady Chen’s courtyard—

The atmosphere had beco unbearably heavy.

—

Her condition had worsened again.

Even the healers no longer dared to speak hopefully.

The chief healer stood beside the bed with trembling hands, cold sweat covering his back beneath his robes.

Because only monts ago—

Lady Chen’s pulse had almost disappeared completely.

—

The Dowager Empress sat nearby gripping her prayer beads tightly.

Her face looked pale.

The usual authority in her eyes replaced by fear.

—

Lady Chen’s mother cried quietly into a handkerchief while her younger sister, Chen Ruyi, knelt beside the bed with red swollen eyes.

Even her father, who normally remained composed no matter the situation, stood stiffly in silence.

As if forcing himself not to collapse.

—

And beside the bed—

The Emperor remained seated.

Still.

Silent.

Watching Lady Chen’s pale unconscious face without moving.

—

The room slled strongly of dicine and incense.

Too strong.

Almost suffocating.

—

Outside—

Rain had begun falling softly against the courtyard stones.

—

Then suddenly—

Lady Chen’s body trembled violently.

—

The chief healer froze.

"...Your Majesty!"

—

Her fingers twitched sharply against the blanket.

Her breathing beca uneven.

Broken.

As if she could no longer breathe properly.

—

Inside the darkness—

Lady Chen suddenly felt invisible hands wrapping around her throat.

—

Tightening.

Crushing.

—

Her eyes widened in terror.

She clawed desperately at her neck.

Trying to breathe.

Trying to scream.

—

"...Help..."

—

But the darkness swallowed everything again.

—

The strange whispers around her beca louder.

Closer.

Countless voices murmuring at once.

Cold.

Hungry.

—

Panic consud her instantly.

"No—!"

She struggled violently.

Trying to escape.

Trying to run.

—

Then suddenly—

A warm voice reached her through the darkness.

Faint.

But steady.

—

"...You’re fine."

—

Lady Chen froze.

—

The Emperor’s voice.

—

Far away—

Yet strong enough to cut through the suffocating darkness.

—

Outside in the real world—

The Emperor had already grabbed her trembling hand tightly.

His brows furrowed deeply.

"...Lady Chen."

His voice remained calm despite the tension in the room.

"You’re fine."

"Breathe."

—

The chief healer stared in shock.

Because her pulse—

Which had nearly vanished—

Suddenly fluctuated violently again.

—

"How..."

He whispered unconsciously.

—

Inside the darkness—

Lady Chen desperately reached toward the voice.

"...Your Majesty..."

—

The strangling sensation tightened painfully again.

Her vision blurred.

Fear consud her completely.

—

Then suddenly—

She heard another voice.

Crying.

—

"Big Sister..."

—

Ruyi.

—

Then her mother’s sobbing.

Her father’s trembling prayers.

—

And for the first ti—

Lady Chen realized sothing.

—

She did not want to disappear here.

She did not want to remain trapped in darkness forever.

—

She wanted to go ho.

—

She wanted to live.

—

Tears stread down her face.

"...Please..."

"...Send

back..."

—

Then—

Light appeared.

—

A tiny flicker in the endless darkness.

Small.

Weak.

But real.

—

Lady Chen’s breathing stopped.

—

The whispers around her suddenly beca violent.

Angry.

The darkness twisted unnaturally around her feet.

Trying to pull her back.

—

But the light grew brighter.

—

And beyond it—

She could hear voices clearly now.

—

"Lady Chen!"

—

"Her pulse is returning!"

—

"Quickly!"

—

The darkness around her shattered violently.

—

Lady Chen gasped sharply.

—

And in the next second—

Her eyes flew open.

—

The room froze.

—

Absolute silence filled the chamber.

—

The chief healer stumbled backward in complete shock.

"...Impossible..."

—

Because monts ago—

She had been at death’s door.

No.

Further than that.

—

And yet now—

Her eyes were open.

Alive.

—

Lady Chen’s chest rose sharply as she struggled to breathe.

Everything looked blurry.

Bright.

Overwhelming.

—

Then slowly—

Faces ca into focus.

—

The Emperor.

The Dowager Empress.

Her mother.

Her father.

Ruyi.

—

Tears instantly filled her eyes again.

"...Mother..."

—

Her mother burst into sobs imdiately.

"My daughter!"

—

She rushed forward beside the bed, grabbing Lady Chen’s hands tightly.

—

Ruyi cried openly now.

"Big Sister..."

"You scared us..."

—

Lady Chen stared at them helplessly.

As if unable to believe they were truly there.

Real.

Warm.

Alive.

—

Her father turned away briefly.

Trying to hide the moisture gathering in his eyes.

—

The chief healer remained frozen nearby.

Still unable to process what he had witnessed.

—

"...This should not be possible..."

He muttered softly.

"Her body was shutting down..."

—

The Dowager Empress finally exhaled shakily.

The tension in her shoulders collapsing instantly.

"...Thank heavens..."

—

For the first ti in days—

Relief filled the room.

Real relief.

—

The Emperor slowly released Lady Chen’s hand.

His expression remained composed.

But exhaustion lingered heavily in his eyes.

—

Lady Chen looked at him weakly.

Their eyes t briefly.

—

And suddenly—

Fragnts flashed through her mind.

Darkness.

Whispers.

Fear.

—

And sowhere inside that darkness—

A shadow watching her.

—

Her breathing trembled slightly again.

But before she could think further—

Her mother hugged her carefully.

Crying softly against her shoulder.

—

The Emperor stood slowly.

Stepping back.

Giving space to her family.

—

The Dowager Empress followed quietly.

Her prayer beads still trembling faintly in her hand.

—

Now—

The room no longer belonged to the palace.

It belonged to a daughter returning from death.

—

Lady Chen held her mother tightly.

Listening to Ruyi crying beside her.

Feeling her father’s trembling hand resting gently against her shoulder.

—

And silently—

Tears continued sliding down her face.

Because only after almost losing everything—

Did she finally understand—

How precious it truly was.