Li Shen floated forward first, unusually serious.
"We were following Shin Yu all day."
The Empress’s eyes sharpened.
"And?"
Wei Rong continued, voice low.
"We didn’t find anything unusual. No spells. No oil. No direct interference."
Fen Yu hugged her arms, frowning.
"But... she can see us."
The Empress’s heart skipped.
"What?"
"When she was returning from dinner," Fen Yu said, "she looked straight at us. Not past us. At us."
Li Shen nodded.
"And the way she looked... it wasn’t fear. It was awareness."
Wei Rong crossed his arms.
"It made us uncomfortable."
Fen Yu shivered dramatically.
"I felt cold. Like my soul was being peeled."
The Empress went quiet.
"And the dinner?" she asked.
Li Shen answered,
"The Dowager invited Shin Yu to dine with Lady Chen."
That settled it.
The Empress leaned back against the pillow, eyes narrowed in thought.
"So... she can see ghosts," she murmured. "Or at least sense them."
Fen Yu pouted.
"And you call us monkeys."
The Empress glanced at her.
"You earned it."
Wei Rong let out a low sigh.
"Whatever Shin Yu is... she’s not ordinary."
Li Shen adjusted his sleeves.
"And she is hiding it very well."
The room fell silent again.
This time, the silence was heavy—not with fear, but with certainty.
The enemy wasn’t loud.
Wasn’t obvious.
And was already inside the palace.
The Empress closed her eyes slowly.
"Tomorrow," she said, "we dig deeper."
Fen Yu cracked her knuckles.
"And if she really is something scary—"
Wei Rong smirked.
"Then she’ll regret staring at monkeys."
Li Shen sighed.
"Immature. All of you."
The Empress smiled faintly despite herself.
At least... she wasn’t alone.
But somewhere in the palace—
Someone was watching back.
Morning sunlight slipped gently into the Empress’s chamber, soft and warm, but peace was nowhere to be found.