The atmosphere in the throne room was very heavy. The Emperor was looking at the drawing, his eyes gleaming with tears. Mei could see the hurt behind them. She was even more confused as to why, since she couldn't remember any time their paths crossed—except for when they were young.
The Emperor's mother and her mother had been friends. After her mother's death, the Empress would summon Mei to the palace once in a while and tell her stories about her mother and their relationship. That's when the engagement was made. But shortly after, the Empress passed away too, and that was the last time she saw the Emperor—when they were six and seven, respectively.
Ling'er was squealing at the newfound gossip, and Mei could see her creating different scenarios in her head. She looked at Mei as if asking her to explain, but Mei just shrugged her shoulders. She didn't know what was going on either.
"Oh!" Ling'er said abruptly. "Let's go! We need to follow the Duke. I want to see their faces when he announces what happened with the Emperor," she said excitedly. "Especially the so-called princess—I want to see her dreams crash with my own eyes."
She swiftly floated up, dragging Mei with her.
All throughout the way, Mei was still shell-shocked at the recent revelations. It shook her. She tried piecing together her memories of their childhood, but everything was foggy. Before she could think more, Ling'er announced, "We're here!"
As a ghost, Mei didn't have any powers except the ability to be unseen, which she considered powerful in its own way. Also, the ability to float through the air made distances easy to cover—like now. Even though they left much later than the Duke, they arrived at the estate at the same time.
The Duke entered the estate, his face clouded with anger. He moved through the halls with rushed footsteps, dispatching a guard to summon his mother and the princess. Then he sat, waiting.
After a short while, both women arrived and were seated. Mei noticed their heightened awareness and knew they were curious. Then the Duke started narrating everything that had happened, from start to finish. Their faces scrunched up more by the minute.
The princess started wailing about how much she didn't want to go back, how she wanted to stay and marry the Duke.
The Madam, on the other hand, was calmer.
"What do you think he means by this?" she asked. "Is he planning to target our family now? We've been loyal to the empire since its founding!" she thundered.
"What else did he ask about?"
The Duke hesitated.
"He questioned me about the Duchess, and how I was already married," he said.
A glass shattered loudly across the hall. The Madam, who had been calm until now, was suddenly furious.
"That unlucky wench is even causing us problems after her death," she said. "I should have never accepted you marrying her. I regret it."
Mei stared. She wondered what she had ever done to earn the wrath of the Madam.
Ling'er spat, cursing under her breath.
"Unbearable old hag. She clearly wants her son for herself."
All the commotion was expected, but what surprised Mei most was the princess's behaviour. Despite her loud wailing and display of grief, Mei could see right through her—it was all an act. She was panicked, not heartbroken.
After the noise settled, they agreed to give it time and try again to seek the Emperor's permission. The meeting ended, and the group dispersed.
Ling'er, swishing through the air, grinned.
"Let's go back to the palace and check on the 'heartbroken' Emperor!" she said.
But Mei didn't answer. Instead, she silently followed the princess. Ling'er blinked, confused, but floated after her anyway.
The moment the princess reached her chambers, chaos erupted.
She swept a vase and the glasses off the table, shattering everything in sight. The maids all dropped to their knees, begging her to calm down.
"I spent all my time sucking up to that old hag and her loser of a son—for nothing! And even after I got rid of that stupid Duchess, nothing is going my way!" she screamed, her face red.
Ling'er's jaw dropped, while the look in Mei's eyes darkened.
"What is the Emperor up to?" the princess muttered. "Bring me a pen and paper. I need to write my brother a letter."
A part of Mei felt satisfied. The Duke had been completely in love with this woman, but she clearly had other motives. It was karmic justice, somehow.
Ling'er, still shocked, said,
"I knew no woman was ever satisfied with that face and his ten pumps—"
Then she went quiet, realizing who was beside her.
"Hehe… I mean, you didn't know better. It's not your fault for liking him. He deceived you," she added with a sheepish smile, scratching her head.
Soon the letter was written, and Mei and Ling'er huddled behind the princess to read over her shoulder.
"Change of plans. The Emperor is unwilling. Make an offer from your end."
The note confused them even more. But one thing was clear now:
There was a lot more happening behind the scenes than anyone knew.
Both ghosts left the estate overwhelmed, dragging their feet—different from how they had arrived earlier, full of energy. Everything now felt complicated, with more questions than answers.
"Do you want to go to the palace? There's a party today," Ling'er asked.
Mei blinked. Of course, Ling'er still had energy for gossip and drama. It was her thing.
Still, Mei agreed. After everything they'd just seen, maybe a little petty drama would be good for their mood—something light to push today's events out of their heads.
So they headed for the palace, this time floating slower through the air, weighed down by everything in their minds.
Ling'er, never able to keep things to herself for long, finally broke the silence.
"Did you feel that ominous energy around the princess?" she asked.
"I don't know why, but I feel dread just being near her—especially alone."
Mei nodded. She felt it too. Something about that letter, that woman—it had sent a chill through her bones, even as a chilly ghost.
She didn't know what it was, but one thing she was certain of now:
If the Emperor cried for her... if he cared... then she had to do something.
She had to find a way to help him and uncover the truth.