The rain in palace had never felt colder this night I was summoned. It was unexpected—Wu Chang had never once acknowledged my existence beyond the formal title of his concubine. For years, I had been nothing more than a shadow, a pawn forced into this gilded cage to settle my father’s debts. But now, as I stood before the great hall, the guards barely meeting my eyes as they pushed open the heavy doors, I knew something was different. The air was thick with tension, the flickering candlelight casting eerie shadows over the throne where Wu Chang sat, his piercing gaze locking onto mine with an intensity I had never faced before.

"You," his voice was low, sharp as a blade. "Come forward."

I swallowed hard, stepping closer, feeling the weight of his presence suffocate the space between us. He had always been cold, untouchable, but tonight there was something else—a storm brewing beneath his usual indifference. "Do you know why you’re here?" he asked, and when I shook my head, his lips curled into a humorless smirk. "Because I am tired of ghosts haunting my palace." His words sent a shiver down my spine. He wasn’t talking about spirits—he was talking about me. The forgotten concubine, the one he had left to wither in obscurity. But as I met his gaze, defying the chill in his voice, I saw something flicker in his eyes. And in that moment, I realized—this was the first time he had truly seen me.