The atmosphere inside the lady chen residence had been warm all evening.

Servants moved around carrying trays of tea while

Inside the palace—

A different kind of tension quietly spread.

—

The Emperor walked through the palace corridor with steady steps.

Behind him, servants and guards followed silently.

No one dared speak.

Because everyone could feel it—

His mood was strange tonight.

Quiet.

Heavy.

—

The events of the ambush still lingered in his mind.

The strange attacks.

The unnatural strength.

The feeling that something hidden was moving inside the palace walls.

And now—

Another incident had occurred.

—

Earlier that evening, palace maids had suddenly found Lady Chen unconscious near one of the inner gardens.

No injury.

No poison.

No explanation.

—

Only darkness.

—

The Emperor stopped outside Lady Chen’s courtyard.

The head maid immediately bowed.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

—

"How is she?"

—

"She has awakened, Your Majesty."

"But... she seems confused."

—

The Emperor’s gaze darkened slightly.

"Move aside."

—

The doors opened.

Inside the chamber, incense burned softly.

Lady Chen sat on the bed, wrapped in a pale cloak.

Her face looked slightly pale.

Beside her sat the Dowager Empress, while Minister Chen and his wife had also arrived after hearing the news.

Everyone looked tense.

—

The moment the Emperor entered, everyone stood.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

—

He raised his hand slightly.

"Sit."

—

Then his eyes moved toward Lady Chen.

"...What happened?"

—

Lady Chen looked at him blankly for a moment.

As if trying to gather her thoughts.

Then she spoke softly.

"I... don’t know."

—

The room fell silent.

—

The Emperor stepped closer.

"What do you remember?"

—

Lady Chen frowned slightly.

"...I was drinking tea in my chamber."

"I remember speaking with the maid."

"Then..."

Her expression tightened faintly.

"...nothing."

—

The Dowager Empress leaned forward immediately.

"What do you mean nothing?"

—

Lady Chen looked genuinely confused.

"I only remember..."

She swallowed softly.

"...darkness."

—

Minister Chen’s brows furrowed deeply.

"Darkness?"

—

Lady Chen nodded slowly.

"It felt cold."

"Very cold."

"And heavy."

—

The Emperor’s gaze sharpened.

"...Then what?"

—

Lady Chen looked down at her hands.

"...Then I woke up outside."

"The maids were calling me."

"Everyone looked frightened."

—

Silence spread through the chamber again.

—

The Dowager Empress looked unsettled.

"She was outside her chamber?"

—

The maid immediately knelt.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Lady Chen was found near the lotus garden."

—

Minister Chen’s face changed instantly.

"The lotus garden?"

"That’s far from her chamber."

—

Lady Chen looked stunned herself.

"...I went there?"

—

The Emperor exchanged a brief glance with the Dowager Empress.

Then—

With Minister Chen.

—

No one spoke.

But all of them were thinking the same thing.

—

It was too similar.

Too familiar.

—

The lake incident.

The Empress walking in her sleep.

The darkness.

The loss of memory.

—

Now—

Lady Chen.

—

The room suddenly felt colder.

—

The Dowager Empress slowly tightened her grip on the armrest.

"...What is happening in this palace..."

—

Minister Chen looked deeply disturbed.

"How could she leave her chamber without remembering?"

—

His wife moved closer to Lady Chen anxiously.

"Are you hurt?"

—

Lady Chen shook her head.

"No..."

Then she hesitated.

"...But my head hurts."

—

The Emperor remained silent.

Watching her carefully.

Studying every expression.

Every reaction.

—

If this had happened before the Empress’s incident—

Perhaps he would have dismissed it.

But now—

He could not.

—

Too many strange things were happening.

Too many similarities.

—

The Dowager Empress suddenly spoke quietly.

"...This is exactly what happened before."

—

The room stilled instantly.

—

Lady Chen looked confused.

"What do you mean?"

—

But the Dowager Empress did not answer directly.

Instead, she looked toward the Emperor.

Their eyes met briefly.

A silent understanding passing between them.

—

Do not speak openly.

Not yet.

—

At least—

Lady Chen was safe.

—

The Emperor finally spoke calmly.

"Do not think too much about it tonight."

"You need rest."

—

Lady Chen looked at him uncertainly.

"...Your Majesty..."

—

But he interrupted softly.

"You are safe."

"That is enough for now."

—

The words sounded calm.

But inside—

His thoughts were anything but calm.

—

Because now—

He was certain.

—

This was no coincidence.

Not isolated incidents.

Not accidents.

—

Something unseen was moving through the palace.

Touching people.

Controlling them.

Watching them.

— 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

And for the first time—

The danger no longer surrounded only the Empress.

—

It had spread.

—

The Dowager Empress looked at Lady Chen quietly.

For once—

There was no dislike in her eyes.

Only worry.

Real worry.

—

Because if Lady Chen could also be targeted—

Then no one inside the palace was truly safe anymore.

—

Minister Chen slowly exhaled.

"At least she is unharmed..."

—

The Dowager Empress nodded faintly.

"Yes."

"At least..."

—

No one noticed—

The slight flicker in the lantern flame near the window.

Or the strange shadow that moved unnaturally across the wall for only a brief second.

—

And outside the chamber—

Hidden in darkness—

Someone smiled quietly.

The Memory That Did Not Match

The chamber remained silent long after Lady Chen finished speaking.

The faint scent of incense drifted through the room, mixing with the uneasy tension pressing against everyone’s chest.

No one spoke immediately.

Because her words—

Did not make sense.

—

The Emperor stood still beside the window.

His expression calm.

Too calm.

But inside his mind—

Every detail was rearranging itself rapidly.

—

Darkness.

Lost memory.

Waking outside.

—

Too familiar.

Too similar.

—

And yet—

Something was wrong.

—

Very wrong.

—

Finally, the Emperor spoke quietly.

"...Rest."

His voice cut through the silence softly but firmly.

"We will discuss this later."

—

Lady Chen looked exhausted.

Confused.

She nodded slowly.

"Yes... Your Majesty."

—

The Dowager Empress sighed deeply.

Then gestured for the maids to help Lady Chen lie down properly.

Minister Chen remained standing beside his daughter, his face heavy with concern.

The Emperor watched all of them for a moment longer—

Then turned.

And walked out of the chamber.

—

Outside—

The night air was colder.

A sharp breeze passed through the corridor, making the lantern flames tremble slightly.

The guards straightened immediately when they saw him emerge.

But the Emperor ignored them.

His steps slow.

Thoughtful.

—

Behind him, footsteps approached.

The Dowager Empress.

—

She stopped beside him quietly.

For a few moments—

Neither spoke.

Then—

"She was frightened."

The Dowager’s voice was softer than usual.

—

The Emperor looked ahead.

"Yes."

—

Another silence followed.

Then the Dowager spoke again.

"...Do you believe her?"

—

The question lingered heavily between them.

—

The Emperor’s eyes darkened slightly.

"...I believe she remembers something."

"But not everything."

—

The Dowager frowned faintly.

"You think she is hiding it?"

—

The Emperor shook his head slowly.

"No."

Then—

His gaze sharpened.

"I think something is missing."

—

The Dowager looked at him carefully.

"What do you mean?"

—

The Emperor finally turned toward her.

His voice lowered.

"When I found her..."

He paused slightly.

"...She was not near the lotus garden."

—

The Dowager Empress froze.

"...What?"

—

The Emperor’s expression became colder.

"I found her outside my courtyard."

—

Silence.

—

The Dowager’s eyes widened slightly.

"Outside your courtyard?"

—

He nodded once.

"She was unconscious."

"No attendants."

"No guards nearby."

—

The Dowager slowly processed his words.

Then—

"She said she woke near the lotus garden..."

—

"Yes."

—

The corridor fell silent again.

Only the sound of distant night wind remained.

—

The Emperor’s jaw tightened faintly.

"That is why something is wrong."

—

The Dowager Empress’s expression slowly changed.

Concern.

Then unease.

Then fear.

—

"She forgot?"

—

The Emperor’s gaze grew darker.

"...Or someone removed part of her memory."

—

The words sent a chill through the corridor.

—

The Dowager Empress instinctively gripped her sleeves tighter.

"That’s impossible..."

But even as she said it—

She no longer sounded certain.

—

Because too many impossible things had already happened.

—

The Empress sleepwalking toward death.

The strange pull toward the lake.

The unnatural attacks.

The darkness.

Now—

Lady Chen.

—

The Emperor turned away again.

His voice quieter now.

"When I found her..."

"She was murmuring something."

—

The Dowager looked at him sharply.

"What did she say?"

—

The Emperor frowned slightly.

"...I couldn’t hear clearly."

"But..."

He paused.

"...She looked afraid."

—

That disturbed him most.

Because Lady Chen rarely looked afraid.

—

The Dowager Empress slowly exhaled.

"This palace..."

Her voice trembled faintly.

"...What is happening to this palace?"

—

The Emperor did not answer.

Because he did not know.

—

And that uncertainty—

Was beginning to anger him.

—

He was the ruler of the empire.

The master of the palace.

Yet something hidden was moving freely beneath his nose.

Manipulating people.

Touching minds.

Altering memories.

—

And he could not see it.

—

His fingers tightened behind his back.

—

"No one speaks about this publicly," he said suddenly.

The Dowager looked at him.

"Not even Minister Chen?"

—

"Not yet."

His voice sharpened slightly.

"If someone truly can interfere with memory..."

"Then panic will spread the moment this becomes known."

—

The Dowager nodded slowly.

He was right.

If word spread through the palace—

Fear alone could destroy order.

—

The Emperor looked out into the darkness beyond the corridor.

His eyes cold.

Calculating.

—

"...There’s another possibility."

—

The Dowager frowned.

"What?"

—

The Emperor’s voice lowered further.

"What if the missing memory..."

"...was intentional?"

—

A heavy silence followed.

—

The Dowager Empress slowly understood.

"...You think someone wanted us to hear a different story."

—

"Yes."

—

Not random memory loss.

Not confusion.

But controlled information.

—

A false trail.

—

The Emperor’s mind returned to the attack on the Empress earlier that night.

The attackers outside the palace.

The perfect timing.

The deliberate visibility.

—

Now Lady Chen.

Found outside his courtyard.

But remembering somewhere else.

—

Too convenient.

Too carefully arranged.

—

"They’re guiding our attention," he said quietly.

—

The Dowager’s expression darkened.

"...Away from something."

—

The Emperor nodded slowly.

—

For the first time in many years—

He felt it clearly.

—

An enemy.

Not open.

Not visible.

But intelligent.

Patient.

Watching every reaction carefully.

—

And perhaps worst of all—

Already inside the palace.

—

A servant approached nervously from the far corridor.

"Your Majesty..."

—

The Emperor looked at him coldly.

"What?"

—

"The guards have begun searching the palace grounds."

—

The Emperor nodded once.

"Double the patrols."

"No one moves alone at night."

"And from now on—"

His gaze hardened.

"...every incident is reported directly to me."

—

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The servant hurried away immediately.

—

The Dowager Empress looked toward Lady Chen’s chamber again.

Her expression troubled.

"At least she is alive..."

—

The Emperor’s eyes darkened faintly.

"...For now."

—

The wind blew harder.

The lantern flames flickered violently for a brief second.

And somewhere beyond the palace walls—

A shadow moved silently through the darkness.

Watching.

Waiting.

Listening.