Alina had quickly learned that the palace was more than a place of grandeur and ceremony—it was a labyrinth of power, where whispered words carried the weight of blades, and every corridor concealed a hidden game.
She had spent enough time among the servants to know that allegiances within the imperial court were as fragile as glass. Nobles smiled in the presence of the emperor but sharpened their knives the moment his back was turned. And though the court was bound by decorum, beneath its gilded surface, a silent war raged.
A war that, she realized, revolved around one central figure—Prince Sheen.
The night was unusually quiet, save for the occasional flicker of wind that rustled the silk banners lining the outer corridors of the palace. Alina had been assigned to retrieve embroidered linens from the western wing, a part of the palace reserved for the noble elite.
It was not a place for servants to linger, and yet, as she moved through the dimly lit halls, she felt the unmistakable weight of secrecy hanging in the air.
Then, she heard them.
Raised voices—sharp, hushed, but urgent.
Alina slowed her steps, pressing herself against the wooden lattice of a nearby partition. Through the delicate carvings, she could just make out the figures inside the chamber.
A nobleman, dressed in deep blue robes embroidered with the sigil of a dragon, stood stiffly before a woman seated on an ornate chair. Her posture was elegant, her hands adorned with jade rings, her expression unreadable in the flickering candlelight.
Lady Xu.
Alina had heard her name before—a high-ranking noblewoman with close ties to the imperial family. Some whispered she had once been favoured by the late emperor himself. Others claimed she wielded influence far beyond what was appropriate for a woman of her station. Whatever the truth, Alina could see it now—this was a woman accustomed to control.
The nobleman bowed slightly, but there was no deference in his tone when he spoke. "The council is growing impatient."
Lady Xu remained still, her gaze cool. "Impatience is a fool's game. The court is filled with men who act without foresight."
"The emperor is weak," the nobleman pressed. "And the prince—"
Lady Xu lifted a hand, silencing him. "Prince Sheen is not yet lost."
Alina's breath caught. She dared not move.
The nobleman's jaw tightened. "He is unfit to rule. Everyone knows it. His ailment, his erratic behaviour—he is a liability to the throne. If the emperor will not act, then perhaps it is time we do."
Silence stretched between them.
Then, Lady Xu leaned forward ever so slightly. "If you truly believe that, then you are a greater fool than I thought."
The nobleman stiffened. "You would defend him?"
"I would protect my interests," she corrected. "And you would do well to remember that a wounded wolf is still a wolf."
Alina could barely breathe. The way she spoke—it was neither loyalty nor betrayal, but something else. Something more dangerous.
The nobleman exhaled sharply. "Then tell me, Lady Xu—when the time comes, where will you stand?"
A slow smile curved her lips. "Where I always do. At the winning side."
Alina slipped away before she could hear more, her heart hammering. What had she just witnessed? An alliance? A power play?
More than anything, one thing was clear—
Prince Sheen was not just fighting an invisible affliction. He was fighting his own court.
And for reasons she could not yet understand, she was now tangled in the threads of a battle she had never meant to be part of.