Yuna's POV
Six assassins. One exit. And my half-sister smiling like she's already won.
Kael moves before I can think, pushing me behind a massive shelf of records while his dagger flashes in the torchlight.
Seol, he says, voice deadly calm. Attacking the Emperor is treason. The penalty is death for you and your entire family.
Only if anyone discovers what happened here. Lady Seol steps into the Archives, beautiful and cold as winter. A tragic accident. The Emperor and his pet maid, caught in a fire while searching restricted records. Both burned beyond recognition. So very sad.
One assassin produces a torch. Another splashes oil across the ancient scrolls.
They're going to burn us alive. Destroy the evidence of my legitimacy and kill us both.
The guards will hear fighting, I say, trying to buy time.
The guards are mine, Seol laughs. Minister Han has been placing loyal soldiers throughout the palace for years. No one is coming to save you, little sister.
Kael's hand finds mine behind the shelf, squeezes once. A signal: Trust me.
Then he steps out, facing the assassins with zero fear.
You have one chance to surrender, he says. Drop your weapons, testify against Minister Han, and I'll show mercy.
The lead assassin laughs and lunges.
What happens next is beautiful and terrifying.
Kael moves like water, fast, graceful, lethal. He disarms the first assassin and kills him with his own sword. Spins and blocks the second's strike. The Winter Dragon isn't just a title. He's a warrior.
But six against one, even for an emperor, is suicide.
I grab a heavy scroll case and swing it at the nearest assassin's head. It connects with a satisfying crack. He drops.
Yuna, run! Kael shouts, fighting three at once.
Not without you!
Seol's smile vanishes. Kill them both. Now!
Fire catches on the oil-soaked scrolls. Flames spread fast, eating through centuries of secrets.
Kael and I fight back-to-back, him with a sword, me with anything I can grab. We're outnumbered and surrounded by growing fire.
Then Commander Chen crashes through the window—actually crashes through it from outside—landing in a shower of glass with a dozen imperial guards behind him.
Protect the Emperor! Chen roars.
The fight turns instantly. Chen's elite guards cut through the assassins like wheat. Within moments, all six are dead or surrendering.
Lady Seol tries to flee, but Chen grabs her by the hair.
Going somewhere, my lady?
You can't prove anything! she screams. I was never here! These men acted alone!
Then explain, Kael says coldly, breathing hard from the fight, why you just confessed to planning my murder in front of two dozen witnesses.
Seol's face goes white as she realizes her mistake.
Take her to the dungeons, Kael orders. High treason. Maximum security. And someone put out these fires before we lose the entire Archives!
Guards drag Seol away, screaming threats and curses.
Chen turns to us, his expression thunderous. Your Majesty, sneaking into restricted areas at midnight without proper security—
Saved us from never discovering Lady Seol's involvement, Kael interrupts. We have her confession. We have proof of the conspiracy. This was worth the risk.
You could have died!
But I didn't. Kael clasps Chen's shoulder. Because you had me followed, as always. Thank you, old friend.
Chen's anger deflates slightly. Someone has to keep you alive, you reckless fool. He looks at me. Both of you.
After the guards clear the scene and salvage what records they can, Kael insists on walking me back to my quarters personally.
We don't speak until we're alone in the corridor.
You didn't run, he says quietly.
Neither did you.
I'm the Emperor. Running isn't an option.
And I'm your agent. Same rules apply.
He stops walking, turning to face me. There's something in his eyes I haven't seen before—something raw and unguarded.
You could have died tonight because of me. Because I insisted on coming with you.
I would have died if you hadn't come. You saved my life.
You saved mine first. That scroll case to the assassin's head was impressive.
Despite everything, I almost smile. I learned from the best—twelve years of surviving nobles who treat servants like furniture.
His expression softens. Come. We both need wine after that.
Minutes later, I'm in his private study again, hands wrapped around a wine cup to stop them shaking. The adrenaline is fading, leaving exhaustion and delayed terror.
You're trembling, Kael observes, sitting across from me.
I almost died. Again. It's becoming a habit.
A habit we need to break. He refills both our cups. I'm doubling your security. Chen will assign you personal guards who answer only to him.
The court will say
I don't care what the court says! His sudden intensity startles me. Let them gossip. Let them speculate. You're valuable to me, and I won't risk losing you to assassins who slip through inadequate protection.
The way he says valuable to me makes my heart do something complicated.
Silence stretches. The fire crackles. Outside, the palace sleeps, unaware that we just stopped a murder and captured a traitor.
Tell me about your mother, Kael says suddenly.
I blink at the change in subject. What?
Your mother. What was she like? You speak of her with such... love. I want to understand.
It's so unexpected, so personal, that I don't know how to respond.
She was kind, I finally say. Patient. She taught me everything—reading, writing, thinking. She'd tell me stories about strong women who changed the world despite having no power. She said intelligence was the one weapon no one could take from me.
She was right. He sips his wine. What did she dream about? For you, I mean.
That I'd be free. That I'd have choices she never had. That I'd matter.
You matter now.
The certainty in his voice wraps around something fragile inside me.
What about you? I ask, emboldened by wine and exhaustion. What do you dream about?
He laughs—bitter, not amused. Emperors don't dream. We plan, we strategize, we survive. Dreams are luxuries for people with hope.
That's the saddest thing I've ever heard.
It's the truth. He stares into his wine. I haven't hoped for anything in nine years. Not since I watched my father die from poison and my brothers kill each other for this cursed throne. Hope is dangerous. It makes you weak.
No, I say firmly. Fear makes you weak. Hope makes you strong enough to fight for something better.
He looks at me, really looks at me, like he's seeing something he'd forgotten existed.
How do you still have hope? After everything you've survived?
Because my mother taught me that giving up meant they won. And I refuse to let them win.
Kael sets down his wine and leans forward, elbows on knees, close enough that I can see gold flecks in his dark eyes.
You're extraordinary, Yuna. Do you know that?
My breath catches. I'm just
Don't. His voice is soft but intense. Don't diminish yourself. You're brilliant, brave, and more dangerous than half my generals. You challenge me, argue with me, treat me like a person instead of a throne. Do you have any idea how rare that is?
Your Majesty
Kael, he corrects. When we're alone, call me Kael.
Kael, I whisper, testing his name on my tongue.
Something shifts in the air between us. Charged. Dangerous.
He reaches out slowly, giving me time to pull away, and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. His fingers linger on my cheek.
I shouldn't, he murmurs. This is inappropriate. You're my agent. I'm the Emperor. There are rules
Since when do you care about rules?
His laugh is surprised, genuine. Since never, apparently.
We're too close. I should move back. Should remember my place.
Instead, I lean into his touch.
Yuna, he breathes, and my name has never sounded like that before, like a prayer, a question, a confession all at once.
The door crashes open.
We jerk apart as Commander Chen storms in, his face grim.
Your Majesty, we have a problem. Lady Seol is dead.
The world tilts. What?
Poisoned in her cell. Twenty minutes ago. Chen's expression is dark. Someone killed her before she could testify against Minister Han. The conspiracy runs deeper than we thought.
My blood turns to ice. They killed Seol—their own ally—to silence her.
Which means everyone involved is disposable.
Including me.
Kael stands, all softness gone, the Winter Dragon back in control. Double the guard on all prisoners. I want every cell searched for poison. And find out who had access to the dungeons tonight.
Already doing it, Your Majesty.
After Chen leaves, Kael turns to me, and I see fear in his eyes for the first time.
They're eliminating witnesses. Anyone who could expose them. He grips my shoulders. Yuna, you're in more danger than ever. You know too much. You've seen too much.
Then we work faster. Find the evidence before they can strike.
Or they kill you first.
Let them try. I'm terrified, but I keep my voice steady. I've survived twelve years of hell. I can survive this.
He pulls me into a sudden, fierce embrace. I freeze in surprise, then slowly relax into it.
I won't let them hurt you, he whispers against my hair. I swear it.
We stand like that for a heartbeat, two people clinging to each other in a palace full of killers.
Then he releases me, professional mask sliding back into place.
Get some rest. Tomorrow, we escalate our investigation.
I nod and turn to leave.
Yuna?
I look back.
Thank you, he says softly, for arguing with me tonight. For treating me like a person. No one else dares to anymore.
The loneliness in his voice breaks something inside me.
I want to go back. Want to tell him he doesn't have to be alone. Want to—
Goodnight, Your Majesty, I whisper instead, and flee before I do something foolish.
I'm halfway to my quarters when I find the note slipped under my door.
Seol was weak. She talked too much. You're next. Stop investigating or watch everyone you love die. Starting with your friend Mina. We know where she sleeps.
My hands shake so hard the note flutters to the ground.
They're threatening Mina now. Sweet, innocent Mina who's only crime is being my friend.
I run.
Through corridors, down stairs, to the servant quarters where Mina's room is—
The door is open.
Mina's room is destroyed. Furniture overturned. Her belongings scattered.
And on the wall, written in red paint that looks horribly like blood:
SHE'S OURS NOW.