The walls of the mansion were beginning to whisper secrets. Hana could feel it—like something was unraveling just beyond her reach.
She sat across from Madam Seo, the woman who had once promised to protect her.
"Your mother didn't just ask me to protect you," Madam Seo said slowly, her fingers tracing the edge of a delicate tea cup. "She asked me to prepare you for war."
Hana stiffened. "War with who?"
"With everyone," Madam Seo replied. "The board members. The men who circled your father like vultures. Even the ones you think you love."
The words hit hard.
"Mi-Ho?" Hana whispered before she could stop herself.
Madam Seo smiled faintly. "Love him. But don't let him blind you."
Later that evening, Hana found herself staring at the family portrait in the hallway. She looked at her father's face.
I'm not the girl who begged for scraps anymore, Appa, she thought. I'm the one building the kingdom now.
But as she turned, a figure moved in the shadows.
Someone was watching her.