Night settled quietly over the Duke residence.
The laughter and movement from the day's preparations had finally faded, replaced by soft silence and the distant sound of wind brushing against bamboo leaves.
Inside the residence shrine, warm candlelight flickered beneath rows of ancestral tablets. Thin threads of incense smoke curled upward toward the dark ceiling, carrying a calming fragrance through the room.
The Empress sat cross-legged on a prayer cushion.
Her long sleeves pooled around her quietly as she adjusted another incense stick into the burner.
Tonight, she had come here alone to clear her thoughts.
Or at least—
She intended to be alone.
Unfortunately—
That was impossible.
Because the three ghosts hovering behind her had been arguing for the last fifteen minutes.
"She's definitely pretending."
Fen Yu crossed her arms dramatically as she floated near the shrine lanterns.
"There's no way someone suddenly becomes sick the moment His Majesty stays here."
