The Imperial Palace had returned to its usual rhythm.
Officials hurried through the corridors carrying memorials.
Servants bowed as they passed.
Guards stood motionless beneath the palace gates.
Yet beneath that orderly surface—
An invisible tension lingered.
The kingdom still had no answers.
---
After dismissing the morning court, the Emperor stood outside the entrance to Phoenix Palace.
His footsteps stopped.
For the first time in years—
He hesitated before entering his wife's courtyard.
Ever since the night she nearly died...
Everything between them had changed.
She no longer looked at him with resentment.
But neither did she look at him with complete trust.
There was now...
A careful distance.
The Emperor quietly exhaled.
I hope... she won't ask for a divorce again.
That single sentence she had spoken weeks ago still echoed in his heart.
He wasn't ready to hear it again.
Not after realizing how much she meant to him.
The palace maid noticed him and bowed.
