The imperial palace was unusually restless that afternoon.

Since the strange incident involving the Empress and the growing rumors of dark forces, even the smallest unusual event attracted attention.

Today—

The disturbance had begun in the servants’ courtyard.

Dozens of maids and eunuchs stood gathered together.

Their faces were pale.

Some looked frightened.

Others looked nervous.

The atmosphere was tense.

---

Word traveled quickly.

Soon the important figures of the palace arrived.

The Emperor.

The Dowager Empress.

The Empress.

Princess Zhi.

Prince Liang.

And Lady Chen.

They stood together while guards maintained order.

The Dowager Empress looked around sternly.

"What exactly happened?"

Immediately a trembling maid stepped forward.

"Your Highness..."

"We heard crying."

The courtyard became silent.

The Dowager frowned.

"Crying?"

The maid nodded rapidly.

"Yes."

"It sounded like a woman."

"Very sad."

Another servant hurriedly agreed.

"I heard it too."

"It came from behind the old storage buildings."

Princess Zhi exchanged a glance with the Empress.

The Emperor remained expressionless.

"Then what happened?"

The second servant swallowed.

"When we went to investigate..."

"...there was nobody there."

A chill ran through the crowd.

The Dowager Empress narrowed her eyes.

"Nobody?"

The servant nodded.

"Yes."

"We searched everywhere."

The Emperor spoke calmly.

"And that is enough to cause panic?"

The servants lowered their heads.

Then another eunuch stepped forward.

"No, Your Majesty."

"We also saw something."

The Emperor’s gaze sharpened.

"What?"

The eunuch hesitated.

Then whispered,

"A shadow."

Immediately whispers erupted among the gathered servants.

"A shadow?"

"I saw it too."

"It moved across the wall."

"It wasn’t human."

The Dowager Empress struck her cane against the ground.

"Enough."

The courtyard immediately fell silent.

The Dowager looked unconvinced.

"Shadows and crying?"

"Is that all?"

Before anyone could answer—

A sudden cry echoed from outside.

"Prince Liang!"

Everyone turned.

A figure came running into the courtyard.

It was Shin Gu.

Her hair was slightly messy.

Her eyes red.

Tears streamed down her face.

She looked terrified.

The moment she saw Prince Liang—

She rushed forward and threw herself into his arms.

Prince Liang froze.

"Shin Gu?"

She clutched his robes tightly.

"I was scared!"

Her voice trembled dramatically.

"I saw it too!"

Everyone immediately focused on her.

The Dowager frowned.

"What did you see?"

Shin Gu wiped her tears.

"A shadow."

"It walked outside my courtyard."

She shivered.

"And I heard crying."

Lady Chen quietly watched her.

Something about Shin Gu’s behavior felt strange.

Very strange.

Too perfect.

Too timely.

As if she had arrived at exactly the right moment.

The Emperor observed silently.

Princess Zhi folded her arms.

The Empress simply watched.

Shin Gu continued dramatically.

"I wasn’t feeling well."

"So I was resting."

"Then I heard crying."

"When I looked outside..."

She paused.

"...I saw a dark figure."

Several servants immediately nodded.

"That’s exactly what we saw!"

"Yes!"

"Exactly!"

The crowd became agitated again.

The Dowager Empress frowned deeply.

Prince Liang gently helped Shin Gu stand properly.

"Calm down."

But Shin Gu continued trembling.

Lady Chen watched her closely.

The more she observed—

The less convincing Shin Gu appeared.

Her fear seemed exaggerated.

Almost rehearsed.

Lady Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The Empress also noticed something.

Shin Gu had described the shadow exactly as the servants had.

Not more.

Not less.

Almost as if she had listened carefully before speaking.

The Emperor spoke calmly.

"You personally saw this figure?"

Shin Gu nodded rapidly.

"Yes!"

The Emperor looked at her for several moments.

His expression remained unreadable.

Then—

"What did it look like?"

Shin Gu froze briefly.

Only for a second.

But the Empress noticed.

Princess Zhi noticed too.

Shin Gu quickly answered.

"It was dark."

"Very dark."

"I couldn’t see clearly."

The Emperor said nothing.

The answer was vague.

Too vague.

Princess Zhi suddenly asked,

"Male or female?"

Shin Gu hesitated again.

"I..."

"...I don’t know."

Princess Zhi raised an eyebrow.

The Dowager Empress was beginning to look annoyed.

The story felt weak.

Yet dozens of servants were agreeing with it.

The situation was becoming troublesome.

The Dowager looked around.

"Did anyone actually get close enough to see this shadow clearly?"

Silence.

Nobody answered.

Not a single person.

Finally one servant whispered,

"No, Your Highness."

The Dowager sighed heavily.

The Emperor looked toward the Empress.

The Empress met his gaze briefly.

Neither spoke.

But both seemed to reach the same conclusion.

There was not enough evidence.

Only fear.

Rumors.

And imagination.

Meanwhile Shin Gu remained beside Prince Liang.

Still looking frightened.

Still trembling.

Lady Chen suddenly spoke.

For the first time.

"Strange."

Everyone looked at her.

Shin Gu’s expression stiffened slightly.

Lady Chen smiled politely.

"Everyone describes the same shadow."

"But nobody actually saw anything clearly."

The courtyard fell silent.

Even Prince Liang looked thoughtful.

The Dowager Empress nodded slowly. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"It is suspicious."

Shin Gu quickly lowered her head.

"I know what I saw."

Lady Chen smiled faintly.

"Of course."

The answer sounded polite.

But it carried hidden meaning.

The Dowager Empress finally raised her hand.

"Enough."

Everyone immediately became silent.

"There is no proof."

"No injured person."

"No evidence."

"Only frightened servants."

She turned toward Prince Liang.

"Take Shin Gu back to her courtyard."

Prince Liang nodded.

"Yes, Mother."

The Dowager then looked at the servants.

"As for all of you."

"No more spreading rumors."

"If I hear ghost stories traveling through the palace again, punishment will follow."

The servants immediately bowed.

"Yes, Your Highness."

One by one, the crowd began dispersing.

Prince Liang escorted Shin Gu away.

She looked reluctant to leave.

But she obeyed.

The Empress watched her retreating figure quietly.

Beside her, Princess Zhi whispered,

"Do you believe her?"

The Empress smiled faintly.

"No."

Princess Zhi nodded.

"Neither do I."

Nearby, Lady Chen was also staring after Shin Gu.

Her expression thoughtful.

For the first time—

She was beginning to suspect her supposed ally.

And far ahead, walking beside Prince Liang—

Shin Gu lowered her head.

Hiding the brief flash of irritation in her eyes.

The performance had worked.

But not perfectly.

Too many people had started asking questions.

And that—

Was dangerous.

The servants’ courtyard slowly emptied after the Dowager Empress dismissed everyone.

The frightened servants bowed and hurried away.

Whispers still lingered in the air, but nobody dared continue speaking after the Dowager’s warning.

Soon only a few people remained.

The Dowager Empress.

The Emperor.

The Empress.

Princess Zhi.

And Lady Chen.

The atmosphere became much quieter.

Far more serious.

---

The Dowager Empress tapped her cane lightly against the stone floor.

Her brows were furrowed.

"I dislike this."

Princess Zhi nodded.

"It feels strange."

The Emperor folded his hands behind his back.

"Very strange."

---

The Dowager looked toward her head maid.

"Tomorrow invite monks into the palace."

The maid immediately bowed.

"Yes, Your Highness."

The Dowager continued,

"And summon the maids from Shin Gu’s courtyard."

Everyone became silent.

The Emperor glanced toward his mother.

She was thinking exactly what he was.

---

A short while later—

Several palace maids arrived.

Among them was the maid who worked closest to Shin Gu.

She nervously knelt before the royal family.

"This servant greets Your Majesty, Your Highnesses."

The Dowager spoke directly.

"You serve Shin Gu?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

The Dowager nodded.

"Then answer honestly."

The maid lowered her head.

"This servant would never dare lie."

---

The Dowager’s eyes sharpened.

"Did you hear the crying voice?"

The maid blinked.

Then immediately shook her head.

"No, Your Highness."

The courtyard became silent.

Even the wind seemed to stop.

---

The Dowager frowned.

"You did not?"

"No."

The maid looked confused.

"I was outside the courtyard most of the afternoon."

"I heard nothing."

---

The Emperor’s expression changed.

Princess Zhi’s eyes narrowed.

The Empress quietly observed.

Even Lady Chen became still.

---

The Dowager asked again.

"You saw no shadow?"

The maid shook her head firmly.

"No."

"I saw nothing unusual."

---

The silence that followed felt heavy.

Very heavy.

---

Because according to the servants—

The crying voice had been heard throughout the area.

The shadow had supposedly been seen everywhere.

Yet the maid who spent the most time near Shin Gu’s residence—

Had seen nothing.

Heard nothing.

---

Princess Zhi slowly crossed her arms.

"Interesting."

---

The Emperor’s gaze darkened.

The pieces no longer fit together.

---

Lady Chen suddenly spoke.

Softly.

Calmly.

But every word carried weight.

"I believe Shin Gu was acting."

---

The maid’s face paled.

The Dowager slowly turned toward Lady Chen.

"Explain."

---

Lady Chen lowered her eyes thoughtfully.

Then replied,

"It is not the first time."

Everyone looked at her.

---

She continued.

"Have you noticed?"

"When something unusual happens in the palace..."

"Shin Gu is rarely present at the beginning."

Princess Zhi’s eyes widened slightly.

---

The Empress also became thoughtful.

Then she nodded.

"Now that you mention it..."

"She often appears after the incident begins."

---

Lady Chen nodded.

"Exactly."

"She always arrives with a story."

"Always frightened."

"Always involved."

---

The Dowager’s grip tightened around her cane.

---

The Emperor’s expression grew colder.

He began recalling recent events.

The strange disturbances.

The rumors.

The unexplained incidents.

And every time—

Shin Gu somehow appeared.

---

Princess Zhi spoke slowly.

"I just realized something."

Everyone turned toward her.

---

She looked directly at the Emperor.

"How did she know?"

---

Silence.

---

Princess Zhi continued.

"Think carefully."

"The servants were gathered here."

"The investigation had only just started."

"The news couldn’t have spread that quickly."

---

The Emperor froze.

His eyes immediately sharpened.

---

The Dowager’s face changed.

---

The Empress looked up suddenly.

---

Princess Zhi continued,

"If the news hadn’t spread yet..."

"Then how did Shin Gu know something happened?"

---

Nobody spoke.

---

Because the question was devastatingly simple.

---

The servants had only recently gathered.

The palace was large.

No messenger had been sent.

No announcement had been made.

Yet Shin Gu had arrived running.

Claiming she heard the same voice.

Claiming she saw the same shadow.

---

How?

---

The Emperor’s gaze became frighteningly cold.

---

The Dowager slowly sat down.

Her expression dark.

Very dark.

---

"...You’re right."

---

The Empress quietly nodded.

"It doesn’t make sense."

---

Lady Chen added softly,

"Unless she already knew there would be an incident."

---

The words landed heavily.

---

The courtyard fell silent.

Nobody wanted to say the conclusion aloud.

---

Because if that theory was true—

Then Shin Gu wasn’t merely frightened.

She was connected.

---

Princess Zhi exhaled slowly.

"I thought she was just strange."

"Now I think she’s hiding something."

---

The Emperor remained silent for several moments.

Then finally spoke.

"Do not accuse her yet."

---

Everyone looked toward him.

---

His voice was calm.

But dangerous.

---

"We need proof."

---

The Dowager nodded slowly.

"Agreed."

---

Years of palace experience had taught her one lesson.

Suspicions were not enough.

Evidence mattered.

---

Still—

The seed had already been planted.

---

For the first time—

The Dowager Empress was looking at Shin Gu differently.

The Emperor was looking at Shin Gu differently.

Princess Zhi was looking at Shin Gu differently.

Even Lady Chen had begun doubting her.

---

And that—

Was dangerous for Shin Gu.

---

Because suspicion once awakened—

Rarely went back to sleep.

---

Far away inside her own courtyard—

Shin Gu sat beside a lantern.

Drinking tea.

Believing her performance had succeeded.

Believing everyone had accepted her story.

---

She smiled faintly.

Certain she had fooled them again.

---

But she didn’t know—

That tonight—

For the very first time—

The people she needed to deceive most...

Had started asking questions.