Night settled over the imperial palace like a heavy velvet curtain.
The celebrations at the Duke Residence were filled with warmth, laughter, and the excitement of an approaching wedding.
But in another corner of the capital...
A different kind of preparation had begun.
Not one of joy.
But of darkness.
---
Deep within an abandoned courtyard hidden behind crumbling palace walls, silence reigned.
No servants came here.
No guards patrolled these forgotten grounds.
The moonlight barely reached the cracked stone floor, where old weeds grew between the paving stones.
A cold wind swept across the courtyard.
The lantern hanging beneath the eaves suddenly flickered.
Then—
It went out.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Shin Gu stood alone in the centre of the courtyard, dressed in a long black robe embroidered with crimson thread.
Her face remained calm, but her eyes gleamed with anticipation.
She lowered her head respectfully.
"I have completed the first phase."
