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Chapter 19: “Before the Gates Open”

Yume

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The palace woke early that day.

Before the sun touched the highest towers, servants were already scrubbing the stone steps, and noblewomen arrived in flocks of satin and silk, debating flowers, banners, and who would be seated closest to the front.

Rikuya was coming home.

And the capital wanted to look perfect for its returning war hero.

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The eastern garden was trimmed overnight.

The blue flags of the High Commander were raised beside the royal crest for the first time in decades. Every wall was polished until it gleamed like glass. Even the marble lions at the palace gate had been repainted.

Inside the palace, the ballroom was transformed.

> Velvet drapes in crimson and black—the colours of the northern campaign.

Goldleaf insignias freshly embossed on silver trays.

And a throne-like seat built on the right side of the hall, smaller than the king’s, but no less imposing.

For the first time, a man born in shadow would be received like a prince.

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Yume sat silently while the tailors measured her sleeves and adjusted her gown.

> “Lady Yume, you must wear sapphire today,” one of the dressmakers insisted.

“The Queen herself has approved it. It matches the theme.”

Yume didn’t protest.

She nodded, letting them pin up her hair, fasten the brooch near her collarbone, and brush the faint worry from under her eyes.

> They treated her like glass.

And she felt like it.

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The corridors outside her chamber buzzed with instructions:

> “The musicians will begin the welcome march two minutes before the gates open.”

“Ensure the generals are in their assigned places—yes, beside the Crown Prince.”

“Lady Serika will be arriving with the High Commander—she must be escorted immediately.”

Each word made Yume feel further away.

She watched from her window as messengers galloped to and from the gates.

Each banner raised felt like a weight dropped on her chest.

> Three years of silence.

Three years of waiting.

Now, only hours remained.

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In the Great Hall, where nobles whispered behind fans and knights stood polished like ornaments, Rikuya’s name echoed again and again.

> “He’s the man who took the North.”

“They say his eyes see through lies.”

“He was only a bastard once. Now he’s a legend.”

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Yume walked the halls in silence.

Every step she took felt like approaching a dream she once woke up from.

> And now… she would be forced to live inside it again.

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