Yuna's POV
The dungeon stones are cold against my knees. Three days without food. Water once a day. Darkness so complete I can't see my own hands.
I should be terrified. Instead, I'm thinking.
The frame against me is perfect. Too perfect. Which means I can break it—if I'm smart enough.
The cell door crashes open. Torchlight blinds me.
On your feet. Commander Chen's voice is ice. You're being questioned. Now.
Guards haul me upright. My legs shake from three days of sitting in the dark, but I force them steady. Can't show weakness. Not now.
They drag me through corridors I know by heart—I've scrubbed these floors a hundred times. Other servants press against walls as we pass, their eyes wide with fear or pity. None meet my gaze.
We enter the Hall of Justice, where palace crimes are judged. My stomach twists.
Half the court is here. Nobles packed on benches like they're watching entertainment. Lady Seol sits in the front row, dabbing her eyes with silk. Minister Han stands beside Commander Chen, looking grave and concerned. Prince Daevan watches from the shadows, arms crossed.
They're not taking chances. They want witnesses to my conviction.
Commander Chen forces me into a chair facing the assembly. Chains rattle as guards lock my wrists to the armrests.
Yuna, servant to Lady Seol Velashen, Chen begins, his scarred face emotionless. You stand accused of attempting to poison Lady Min, Imperial Consort of the Third Rank. Multiple witnesses and evidence confirm your guilt.
I didn't I start.
Silence! His hand slams the table. You will speak only when answering direct questions.
I bite my tongue. Getting angry won't help.
Lady Seol, Chen gestures to my half-sister. Please describe the accused's recent behavior.
Seol rises gracefully, tears streaming down her perfect face. I want to applaud. She's always been a talented actress.
Commander Chen, it breaks my heart, she says, voice trembling. Yuna has served me faithfully for three years. I trusted her completely. But lately... She pauses for dramatic effect. She's been different. Withdrawn. Secretive. I found her searching through my private letters twice. When I asked why, she became defensive.
Lies. All lies. But nobles around me murmur sympathetically.
I thought perhaps she was unhappy in her position, Seol continues. I never imagined she was capable of... of murder! She collapses into her seat, sobbing.
Minister Han's son steps forward, holding a scroll. Commander, I have evidence the accused purchased poison from a merchant in the lower city. Two days before Lady Min's collapse.
He unrolls the scroll. Even from here, I can see an official merchant receipt. My name. A sum of money. Description: Nightshade extract, lethal dose.
The merchant identified the accused positively, Minister Han's son says. She paid in silver coins and specifically requested a poison that works quickly.
My mind races. That receipt is a forgery—it has to be. I've never left the palace in three years. Lady Seol never grants me leave. But proving it's fake requires resources I don't have.
Additional witnesses, Chen says flatly.
Three servants are brought forward. I recognize them, all work in the Inner Palace where concubines live. All are terrified.
Did you see the accused near Lady Min's chambers? Chen asks.
Yes, Commander, the first one whispers. Two days ago. She was lurking in the corridor outside Lady Min's rooms.
I saw her too, the second servant adds quickly. She looked nervous. Like she was hiding something.
The third just nods, too scared to speak.
More lies. I was nowhere near the Inner Palace two days ago. I was scrubbing floors in the Outer Court—a dozen servants can confirm it.
But none of those servants are here.
The evidence stacks up like stones on my chest. Receipt. Witnesses. Suspicious behavior. My proximity to the poisoned wine.
The frame isn't just good. It's masterful.
Which means they've been planning this for weeks. Maybe months.
Do you deny these charges? Commander Chen's cold eyes bore into mine.
This is it. The moment that determines whether I live or die.
Begging won't work—Chen despises weakness. Crying would make me look guilty. Anger would seem like a criminal caught.
I need to be smarter than them. I need to plant doubt.
Commander Chen, I say clearly, meeting his gaze. I'm a maid. I earn five copper coins per month. I haven't left the palace in three years because Lady Seol never grants me leave.
Irrelevant— Minister Han's son starts.
Let her speak, Chen interrupts, eyes narrowing.
I continue, keeping my voice steady. That receipt shows I paid ten silver coins for poison. That's twenty-four months of wages. Where would a maid get that kind of money?
A flicker of interest crosses Chen's face. Go on.
I've never been to the lower city merchant district. I wouldn't know where to find a poison seller. I wouldn't recognize one if I saw them. I lean forward as much as the chains allow. Yet somehow, I supposedly had money I don't possess, found a merchant I couldn't locate, bought poison I've never seen, and planted it in chambers I've never entered—all without anyone noticing until after Lady Min collapsed?
Murmurs ripple through the nobles. Some look uncertain now.
The witnesses are lying, I say bluntly. Ask them what I was wearing when they supposedly saw me. Ask them what time of day. Ask them any specific detail.
The three servants exchange panicked glances.
You, first witness, Chen points. What was the accused wearing?
I... uh... servant clothes? the man stammers.
What color?
Gray? Brown? I don't remember exactly
What time did you see her?
Afternoon? Maybe evening?
Chen's expression darkens. He's a military man. He recognizes coached witnesses when he sees them.
The evidence is fabricated, I say, gambling everything on this moment. Someone with money bought that receipt. Someone with authority convinced or threatened those servants to lie. Someone with access to both Lady Min's chambers and my daily routine planned this perfectly.
Ridiculous! Lady Seol gasps. She's trying to
I'm trying to survive, I cut her off, meeting her eyes for the first time. She flinches. And whoever framed me did it for two reasons. First, to eliminate Lady Min, who clearly discovered something dangerous. Second, to remove me before I became a problem.
What could a maid possibly Minister Han starts.
I know things, I say simply. I hear things. I remember everything I hear. For three years, I've stood invisible in rooms where powerful people spoke freely. Do you think I didn't listen? Do you think I'm too stupid to understand?
The hall goes silent. Nobles shift uncomfortably. They're remembering every conversation they've had near servants.
Commander Chen leans back, studying me like I'm a puzzle.
I'm innocent, Commander, I say quietly. But someone very powerful wants you to believe otherwise. The question you should be asking is: why? What did Lady Min discover? Who benefits from both her death and mine?
Chen's eyes flick to Lady Seol, then Minister Han's son, then back to me.
This interrogation is over, he announces abruptly. Return the prisoner to her cell.
But Commander— Minister Han protests.
I said it's over! Chen's voice cracks like a whip. I need to verify certain details. No one is executed until I'm satisfied the evidence is legitimate.
Relief and terror war in my chest. I bought time. But how much?
As guards unlock my chains, Chen leans close enough that only I can hear:
You're either brilliant or a master manipulator. Either way, you've caught someone's attention.
Whose? I whisper.
His Majesty attended this interrogation. From the balcony. Chen nods toward the shadows above us. He heard everything.
My heart stops.
I look up. In the darkened balcony overlooking the hall, a figure moves. For just one second, I see him—Emperor Kael, the Winter Dragon himself, watching me with eyes that miss nothing.
Then he's gone, melting into shadows like he was never there.
Back to your cell, Chen orders. But there's something different in his voice now. Something that sounds almost like... respect?
As guards drag me away, my mind spins.
The Emperor was watching. The Emperor heard me defend myself. The Emperor knows something's wrong with this frame.
But will he care? Or will he let them execute me anyway to avoid political complications?
Three days in darkness taught me patience.
Now I need to learn hope.
Because tomorrow, I'm scheduled for trial before the Dragon Throne itself.
And everything, my revenge, my life, my mother's justice, depends on what the coldest man in the empire decides.