Chapter 1 A Whisper from the Shadows

To save her gravely ill twin brother, Lee Seo-yeon disguises herself as a man and enters royal service. But on her first day in the palace she stumbles upon the secret of the cold-hearted crown prince, and he seems to know exactly who she is.

On the old wooden table lay a sheet of paper. The handwriting on it was strangely familiar, as though they had seen it once in a dream.

“If this keeps up, we’ll need a new plan.” The voice was soft but firm enough to make everyone there turn and look.

“Are you really sure you want to do that?” the other person asked, raising an eyebrow. Lee Seo-yeon nodded slowly, with no hesitation left in their eyes.

Morning sunlight slipped through the thin curtains into the room. Birdsong from far away made the air feel too peaceful to believe that yesterday had been such a mess.

Everything seemed to end well, but deep down Lee Seo-yeon knew this was only the beginning of a much bigger story.

Lee Seo-yeon took a deep breath, trying to sort the tangled thoughts fighting in their head. Everything had happened too fast, so fast there had been no time to brace for it.

A cool wind passed by carrying the faint scent of rain, as if nature itself knew something was about to change forever.

That night Lee Seo-yeon couldn’t sleep. They stared at the ceiling thinking about everything that had happened, before deciding on something that would change everything afterward.

Footsteps drew closer, one step at a time, until at last they stopped before the same door. The silence that followed lasted so long they could almost hear their own heartbeat.

Time passed slowly, as if stretched out, every second filled with suspense, until the sound of a bell finally broke the silence.

“Don’t worry. I won’t make a mistake this time.” Lee Seo-yeon murmured to themselves before stepping out to face whatever lay ahead.