The palace had settled into a tense quiet. Lanterns flickered in the corridors, casting long shadows across polished floors. Royal guards patrolled with measured steps, their eyes sharp, hands never far from their weapons. Behind closed doors, the King and Crown Prince convened in the private chambers, the weight of the day pressing against them.
"Do you know who did it?" the King asked, voice low, controlled. His gaze lingered on the reports spread across the table.
The Crown Prince leaned back, fingers brushing the armrest. His face betrayed nothing, yet Bella had learned long ago that a still face could hold storms. "I… don't know," he admitted softly. But the tension in his jaw, the tightening of his hands, spoke of doubts and suspicions he did not voice.
A guard burst in, bowing quickly. "Your majesty, we have found no trace of the intruder. Every entrance was secured, every corridor scoured. There is nothing."
The King's jaw clenched. "Post double the guards on duty. Position them at every gate, every courtyard, every passage. I want eyes in every shadow. This palace is no longer safe, not for anyone. Till the assassin is found."
The Crown Prince nodded, silence stretching between them, their minds both on the threat unseen, the violence that had so nearly pierced the heart of the celebration.
A summons arrived quietly.
Not loudly announced. Not urgent.
Quietly.
Bella followed the attendant through dim corridors still heavy with whispers from the attempted assassination. Servants lowered their gazes. Guards stood twice as rigid as before.
The Queen Dowager's inner chamber doors opened.
The scent of tea leaves and old cedarwood wrapped around her, warm, familiar… but tonight it felt like judgment.
She did not expect to find the Queen Dowager standing.
Not seated in perfect composure.
Standing by the open lattice window.
The arrow had struck the pillar beside her earlier that evening. The mark was still there, a splintered groove in ancient wood.
The Dowager's fingers hovered near it.
Not touching.
Just… near.
"You may come closer child," she said, voice steady.
But not soft.
Bella bowed deeply. When she rose, she saw it.
The faint tremor in the Dowager's sleeve.
The slight tension in her jaw.
For a long moment, neither spoke.
Then…
"I have lived to see my seventh birthday," the Dowager said quietly. "I have survived court purges, rebellions, famine, betrayal."
Her eyes shifted to Bella.
"But on the day my Chilsun… an arrow flew at my heart on the day meant to honor my life."
There it is.
Not rage.
Not fury.
Disbelief.
Bella swallowed. "Your Majesty…"
"Do you know what frightens me?" the Dowager continued. "Not death. I have lived long enough to greet it without shame."
Her gaze sharpened slightly.
"It is that someone within these walls believed my blood would bring them advantage."
She moves slowly back to the divan and sits.
Not weakly.
But with the heaviness of realization.
"You stood there," she says to Bella. "I saw your eyes. You felt it too, the thirst for blood in the air."
Bella nods this time. No pretending.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Queen Dowager exhales softly.
"So was I."
That sentence should be simple.
No dramatics.
Just truth.
And it shifts everything.
Silence stretched.
But the Queen Dowager gestures for Bella to sit down before saying.
"Sit, child," she said softly, voice tempered by both command and warmth. "You have danced for me today… and you have done more than perform. You revealed strength, courage, and a spirit fierce enough to stand at my grandson's side."
Bella lowered herself gracefully, bowing, her own pulse still racing. "Your Majesty…"
The Dowager's lips curved into a small smile, but it didn't hide the flicker of tension in her eyes. "You honor me with your skill. Your dance… it moved me. Truly."
Bella's lips twitched in relief. "I'm glad… you are pleased, Your Majesty."
"I am," the Queen Dowager said, her voice softening. "So pleased, in fact, that I think… you will have to teach me one of your moves one day."
Bella laughed, a light, breathless sound. "If you wish, Your Majesty , it would be my honor."
The Queen Dowager's eyes darkened slightly, shadows crossing her face. "But today is not just about beauty or performance. Tell me, child… what do you plan regarding the assassin? Do you suspect anyone?"
Bella's eyes met hers steadily. "Someone comes to mind, Your Majesty… but there is no proof yet that he acted personally. And I think it is safer if I keep the suspicion close. The walls have ears, and the palace is… full of whispers."
The Dowager nodded, eyes narrowed, voice soft but probing. "I see. You would not mind if I asked?"
"Not at all," Bella replied, "but the secret… it must remain ours, for now. Patience is necessary."
A long silence passed, heavy with shared understanding. The Queen Dowager leaned back, a hand tracing the silk of her sleeve. "You know… I am old, child. My time approaches its natural end. But my grandsons…" Her gaze softened, almost breaking. "…I would like nothing more than for them to have someone to rely on, especially the Crown Prince. He needs someone who can guard him from the perils of this palace. Someone steadfast, clever, and… brave enough to face the shadows that stalk these halls."
Bella's hands tightened in her lap, a shiver running down her spine. "I… I will do my best, Your Majesty. I will watch over him, keep him safe, and guide him as I can."
The Queen Dowager smiled, a faint warmth lighting her face. "I do not doubt it. I see the way you two look at each other… the loyalty, the… something deeper. It gives me confidence."
Bella met her eyes, understanding the gravity behind them: not just admiration, but a plea, a trust, and the weight of generations resting on her shoulders.
"Then I will trust you," the Queen Dowager said softly. "And remember, the palace is as terrifying as it is beautiful. Secrets breed monsters. Ambition breeds shadows. And yet… I see in you the strength to endure. To protect. To stand in the right path when all else falters."
"I will not fail. Your Majesty." Bella said. Her head bowed, hands tightening in resolve.
The Dowager's eyes held hers a moment longer, lingering with gratitude, fear, and hope all at once. "I believe you," she whispered. "And that… is enough."
Later, as Bella made her way back to her quarters, she was intercepted halfway by the Crown Prince, walking with a small entourage, lanterns casting golden light across the stone paths.
"Do you… wish to go on a walk?" he asked, voice calm but edged with hope. "If you don't mind, I would like your company."
"I don't mind," Bella said simply, matching his pace.
They wandered through the quieter parts of the palace, where lanterns dotted the edges of reflecting on the pond, and the moon shone on a solitary white tree, its branches brushing against the stars themselves. Small boats floated, candlelight dancing across rippling water.
"Shall we?" he asked, gesturing to the largest boat.
"You first," Bella said, teasing gently.
"No. I insist," he replied with a faint smile.
She nodded and stepped aboard, steady, and he took the oars, paddling them into the center of the pool. The water reflected their images, lanterns, and moonlight mingling in soft gold and silver.
"Tell me," he said, voice barely above the whisper of water, "how did you conceive that dance for the Queen Dowager's birthday? What inspired you?"
Bella looked at him, eyes calm, voice soft yet resolute. "I wanted to honor her support. To thank her for believing in me, for helping us survive… and for the palace itself, to see that loyalty, courage, and respect still exist here."
She paused, allowing the ripples to drift between them. "That is all I can say, Your Highness."
Ji-ho's brow flickered, just barely, a frown forming as he caught the word. Then he let it go, his gaze softening. "You don't need to be so formal with me," he said, voice low, almost a murmur. "When it's just the two of us… talk to me freely."
Bella blinked, hesitation flickering across her features, then a small smile tugged at her lips. "…Okay. Ji-ho."
He nodded slowly, eyes bright with quiet amazement. "It was… unlike anything I've ever seen. I…" He swallowed hard, then his voice steadied, almost awed. "You move like no one in this world, and yet… it feels like you were born to guard, to fight, to survive. To protect. To save."
Bella's lips pressed into a soft line, a quiet smile still lingering. She nodded, letting his admiration reach her, while the inner part of her mind continued its sweep, corners, doors, windows, servants' faces, always calculating, always ready. Even as she allowed herself to exist in this moment, she was never not aware: the palace was a beautiful, gilded cage, and danger could lurk in any shadow.
She gaze shifted, scanning his expression, and then back to the palace walls, aware of the danger lingering in every shadow. "I noticed something," she said, voice steady. "The Prime Minister… his gaze during the gift ceremony. Bold, calculating, almost… challenging. Too bold for one who knows the palace as he does. Someone like him would not strike in the open… unless he intended a warning."
The Crown Prince's expression darkened.
"Then we must move swiftly. Gather evidence, watch every angle, every door, every servant. This palace has begun to shift, and I fear what will come next."
They finally got out of the pond, as they walked a moment longer in silence, the weight of duty and fear pressing around them. Yet beneath it all, something unspoken glimmered: a connection forged in shared purpose, trust, and quiet admiration.
Above the palace, the white tree swayed gently in the wind, its reflection perfect in the still pond. Shadows stretched along corridors, waiting. The war had begun.