The afternoon sun cast a warm glow over the palace as servants hurried through the Empress’s courtyard.
Today was special.
After returning safely from the Duke residence, and with wedding preparations progressing smoothly, the Empress had decided to personally prepare a small feast.
Not as the Empress.
But as herself.
A gathering of familiar faces.
A peaceful al.
At least—that had been the plan.
---
The courtyard was decorated simply.
Fresh flowers adorned the tables.
Warm dishes filled the air with delicious aromas.
The maids moved back and forth carrying trays.
Even the three ghosts hovered excitedly around the kitchen.
Fen Yu nearly cried.
"Food! So much food!"
General Wei Rong crossed his arms.
"If I were alive, I would eat everything."
Scholar Li Shen sighed.
"You say that every ti."
---
Soon the guests arrived.
First ca Princess Zhi.
The mont she entered, her eyes lit up.
"Sister-in-law!"
She rushed forward.
"You cooked again?"
The Empress smiled.
"So of it."
Princess Zhi imdiately looked happier.
"Then today is a good day."
---
Next ca Prince Liang.
He bowed politely.
"Greetings, Empress."
The Empress nodded.
"Please sit."
---
Then the Dowager Empress arrived.
The courtyard servants imdiately bowed.
The Dowager looked around calmly.
For a brief mont she seed surprised.
The atmosphere was warm.
Peaceful.
Unlike most palace gatherings.
---
Finally—
The Emperor arrived.
His gaze imdiately found the Empress.
As it often did lately.
The Empress noticed.
Pretended not to.
And continued directing the servants.
---
Everyone took their seats.
Only one person was missing.
Shin Gu.
---
Lady Chen sat beside the Dowager Empress.
Elegant.
Beautiful.
Perfectly composed.
At least on the surface.
---
Minutes passed.
Still no Shin Gu.
---
Lady Chen finally smiled slightly.
"How unusual."
Princess Zhi glanced over.
"What is?"
Lady Chen lifted her tea cup.
"Shin Gu."
"She is always punctual."
The Empress remained silent.
But inwardly—
She agreed.
It was strange.
---
The Emperor frowned slightly.
"She was invited."
Prince Liang nodded.
"I personally sent the invitation."
---
Another few monts passed.
Then footsteps approached.
---
A maid entered hurriedly.
Everyone turned.
But it wasn’t Shin Gu.
---
The maid bowed quickly.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
Then she lowered her head.
"This servant cos on behalf of Madam Shin Gu."
---
The courtyard beca quiet.
---
The Emperor spoke first.
"Where is she?"
---
The maid looked nervous.
"Madam Shin Gu is unwell."
"She suddenly developed a fever."
"She asked this servant to apologize."
"She cannot attend today."
---
Silence.
---
The maid bowed once more.
Then quickly left.
---
For a mont—
Nobody spoke.
---
Princess Zhi looked disappointed.
"Oh."
"I wanted to see her."
---
Prince Liang frowned.
"That is unfortunate."
---
The Dowager Empress sighed softly.
"Health cos first."
---
But Lady Chen laughed quietly.
Not loudly.
Just enough for everyone to hear.
---
"I knew it."
---
Several people looked at her.
---
Lady Chen smiled lightly.
"Shin Gu always seems absent whenever sothing joyful happens."
---
The words sounded harmless.
Playful even.
But sothing about them felt strange.
---
The Emperor glanced at her.
"What do you an?"
---
Lady Chen shrugged.
"Nothing serious."
"It just seems every celebration sohow misses her."
---
The Empress looked down at her tea.
Listening.
---
Princess Zhi tilted her head.
"Now that you ntion it..."
"She did miss several gatherings."
---
The Dowager Empress frowned slightly.
"Do not gossip."
---
"Of course not."
Lady Chen replied imdiately.
Yet the smile remained.
---
The Emperor’s gaze lingered on the empty seat that had been prepared for Shin Gu.
---
Sothing felt wrong.
He couldn’t explain why.
---
Ever since the lake incident.
Ever since the strange attack outside the city.
Every small inconsistency now stood out.
---
anwhile the three ghosts floated above.
Watching.
---
Fen Yu narrowed her eyes.
"I don’t trust her."
---
Wei Rong nodded.
"Neither do I."
---
Scholar Li Shen adjusted his sleeves.
"Interesting timing."
---
"Very interesting timing."
---
Below them, the feast finally began.
Servants started serving food.
Conversation slowly resud.
Laughter returned.
---
Yet despite the warmth.
Despite the delicious food.
Despite the gathering.
---
One empty seat remained.
---
And for so reason—
The Empress couldn’t stop looking at it.
---
Far away.
In another courtyard.
---
Shin Gu sat alone.
Completely healthy.
Completely awake.
---
A faint smile rested on her lips.
---
"Enjoy your feast."
She murmured quietly.
---
"While you still can."
---
And outside her chamber window—
The evening shadows slowly lengthened.
A Feast Filled with Warmth
The evening breeze drifted gently through the Empress’s courtyard, carrying with it the rich aroma of freshly prepared food.
The feast had finally begun.
Golden lanterns illuminated the courtyard, casting a warm glow over everyone gathered there.
For once—
There was no court politics.
No argunts.
No sches.
Only food.
Laughter.
And companionship.
---
The servants carefully placed dish after dish onto the table.
Stead fish.
Lotus soup.
Braised duck.
Honey-glazed ribs.
Fresh vegetables.
Delicate pastries.
Every dish looked exquisite.
---
Princess Zhi’s eyes widened.
"Sister-in-law..."
She looked genuinely shocked.
"Did you really make these?"
The Empress smiled faintly.
"I helped."
---
Princess Zhi imdiately picked up her chopsticks.
"Then I’m eating first."
---
The Emperor raised an eyebrow.
"You haven’t even waited for everyone."
---
Princess Zhi stuffed food into her mouth.
"Too late."
---
Everyone laughed.
---
The Dowager Empress watched quietly.
For so reason—
Seeing the usually reserved Princess Zhi behaving so freely made her smile slightly.
---
Nearby, Prince Liang tasted one of the dishes.
His eyes widened.
"This is excellent."
---
The Emperor nodded after trying it himself.
"It is."
---
The Duke residence often praised the Empress’s cooking.
Now the palace mbers understood why.
---
Even the Dowager Empress had to admit—
The food was exceptional.
Not overly luxurious.
Not complicated.
But comforting.
Warm.
The kind of food that made people feel at ho.
---
Princess Zhi pointed excitedly.
"Try this one!"
---
Lady Chen obediently tasted it.
Her expression brightened.
"It really is delicious."
---
For a mont—
Everyone simply enjoyed the al.
---
Then sothing unexpected happened.
---
Lady Chen picked up a serving spoon.
She placed food into the Empress’s bowl.
---
"Your Majesty should eat more."
She smiled gently.
"You worked hard preparing everything."
---
The Empress looked slightly surprised.
Then nodded politely.
"Thank you."
---
A mont later—
Lady Chen placed more food into Princess Zhi’s bowl.
---
"You’ve been eating too quickly."
---
Princess Zhi laughed.
"That’s because it’s good."
---
The interaction was natural.
Warm.
Almost sisterly.
---
The Dowager Empress watched everything silently.
---
The sight before her was strangely harmonious.
---
Lady Chen.
Princess Zhi.
The Emperor.
The Empress.
Prince Liang.
All sitting together.
Eating.
Talking.
Laughing.
---
For a brief mont—
It looked like a real family gathering.
---
A peaceful family.
---
The Dowager Empress lowered her gaze to her tea.
---
Then suddenly—
A thought surfaced.
---
Shin Gu.
---
The empty seat.
---
Her fingers paused slightly around her cup.
---
The more she thought about it—
The stranger it felt.
---
Lady Chen had joked earlier that Shin Gu always seed to disappear during joyous occasions.
At first it sounded harmless.
---
Now—
The Dowager Empress wasn’t so sure.
---
Because it wasn’t entirely untrue.
---
The feast.
The celebrations.
The wedding preparations.
The family gatherings.
---
Shin Gu always seed absent.
---
Not because she was unwelco.
Not because she wasn’t invited.
---
But because she chose not to appear.
---
The Dowager Empress frowned slightly.
---
Why?
---
A person could miss one gathering.
Perhaps two.
---
But this many?
---
Sothing felt wrong.
---
Her gaze drifted toward the empty chair again.
---
Then she rembered sothing else.
---
The lake incident.
---
The Empress’s strange sleepwalking.
---
The attack outside the city.
---
The strange feeling in the palace.
---
The rumors.
The fear.
The unease.
---
The Dowager Empress had dismissed many things recently.
Perhaps because she didn’t want to think about them.
---
But now—
They returned one by one.
---
Like puzzle pieces.
---
Not enough to form a complete picture.
But enough to create suspicion.
---
She looked across the table.
---
The Empress was laughing softly at sothing Princess Zhi said.
The Emperor was watching her again.
---
Not with irritation.
Not with indifference.
---
But affection.
---
Real affection.
---
The Dowager Empress noticed it clearly now.
---
Then she looked at Lady Chen.
---
Lady Chen seed completely relaxed.
Smiling.
Chatting.
Serving food.
---
Nothing appeared unusual.
---
And yet—
The Dowager Empress felt uncomfortable.
---
Not because of Lady Chen.
---
Because of Shin Gu.
---
A faint chill crept down her spine.
---
For years she had trusted Shin Gu.
Relied on her.
Listened to her advice.
---
But recently—
Whenever she thought about the woman—
Sothing felt...
Off.
---
The Dowager Empress slowly set down her teacup.
---
Perhaps she was overthinking.
Perhaps not.
---
But one thing had beco clear.
---
She needed to start paying attention.
---
Very close attention.
---
Because for the first ti—
The Dowager Empress wondered if the danger threatening the palace was not outside.
---
Not in the court.
---
Not among foreign enemies.
---
But much closer.
---
Close enough to sit at the sa table.
Close enough to enter the palace freely.
Close enough that no one questioned it.
---
Across the courtyard, the three ghosts floated above the feast.
---
Fen Yu narrowed her eyes.
"She’s finally noticing."
---
Wei Rong nodded.
"Took long enough."
---
Scholar Li Shen adjusted his sleeves.
"The truth always leaves traces."
---
Below them, the feast continued.
Laughter filled the courtyard.
The Emperor looked happier than he had in months.
Princess Zhi was on her third serving.
Lady Chen continued acting warm and kind.
---
Yet beneath the warmth—
A seed of suspicion had finally been planted.
---
And once suspicion took root—
It was very difficult to remove.
---
Far away, in her own courtyard, Shin Gu sat alone beside a lantern.
A faint smile played on her lips.
---
Unaware that for the first ti—
Soone had begun questioning her.
---
And that question would soon grow into sothing far more dangerous.
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