Lena woke before the bells this time. The faint blue light of early morning crept through the narrow window, turning the dormitory into a room of soft shadows. Around her, the other girls still slept, their breaths slow and even. She lay still for a moment, listening to the quiet, feeling her heart beat faster as she remembered the note under her pillow.

She slipped out of bed carefully, avoiding the creak of the floorboards. Mira stirred but didn’t wake. Lena pulled on her uniform, wrapped a shawl around her shoulders, and tucked the folded note inside her sleeve. The air was cold enough to sting her lungs when she stepped outside. Mist clung to the ground, and the sky was pale, just beginning to lighten.

The eastern garden lay beyond the servants’ quarters, down a narrow stone path hidden between two tall walls. She followed it, her footsteps soft. The palace was silent, save for the distant caw of a bird. It felt strange to walk through the halls without permission, but curiosity pulled her forward stronger than fear.

The path opened into a garden unlike any she had seen before. The air was heavy with the scent of flowers—roses, lavender, something sharper like mint. Dew shimmered on the leaves, and a small pond mirrored the sky. Marble statues stood among the trees, their faces worn smooth by time.

“You came,” a voice said from behind a hedge.

Lena turned quickly. A figure stepped out from the shadows—a woman dressed not as a maid but as someone higher in rank. Her gown was dark violet, embroidered with silver threads that caught the morning light. She wore no crown, yet her presence carried quiet authority.

“Who are you?” Lena asked, her voice low.

The woman smiled faintly. “A friend, perhaps. You may call me Lady Serah. I sent the note.”

“Why?”

“Because I saw you yesterday during the selection. You do not belong here, and yet you do. It is rare to meet someone like that.”

Lena frowned. “I don’t understand.”

Serah studied her face for a moment, as if weighing her words. “Tell me where you came from.”

Lena hesitated, then said, “I don’t know how to explain it. I was in another world. There were cars, lights, machines… and then an accident. I woke up here.”

Instead of disbelief, Serah’s expression turned thoughtful. “So it is true then,” she murmured. “The Gate still chooses.”

“The gate?”

Serah stepped closer. “Long ago, our world was sealed from others by a veil of time. But every few generations, it opens—for reasons even the scholars cannot explain—and someone passes through. A stranger born elsewhere, carrying something the world here lacks.”

Lena’s heart pounded. “Are you saying this has happened before?”

“Yes. And those who crossed have always changed the fate of the kingdom, for better or worse.” Serah’s eyes were calm but deep, like she was seeing something far beyond the garden. “Tell no one of this, Lena Carter. If others find out what you are, you will not survive long.”

Lena looked down at her hands, trembling slightly. “I don’t even know why I’m here. I didn’t ask for this.”

“No one ever does.”

The silence between them stretched. The sun broke through the mist, lighting the pond in gold.

Serah turned to leave, but paused. “There is one more thing you should know. The royal court is not what it seems. Beneath its beauty lies hunger—ambition, fear, secrets. If you wish to stay alive, learn to see without being seen.”

Lena nodded slowly. “Why are you helping me?”

A faint smile touched Serah’s lips. “Because once, someone helped me too.” She looked over her shoulder. “Return before the bells ring. Forget this meeting.”

Then she vanished among the trees, her violet gown fading into the mist.

Lena stood alone, heart still racing. The air around her felt different now, as if the world had shifted slightly. She walked toward the pond, her reflection trembling on the surface. “The Gate,” she whispered. The word felt ancient and heavy, like it belonged to a story older than memory.

Behind her, the bells began to toll in the distance.

She hurried back the way she came, careful to avoid the guards. By the time she slipped into the dormitory, the others were waking. Mira rubbed her eyes and smiled sleepily. “You’re up early.”

“I couldn’t sleep,” Lena said, forcing a calm tone.

Breakfast passed quietly. Mistress Halden entered soon after, inspecting the rows of girls with her sharp eyes. “Today you will serve in the east wing. A noble guest has arrived from the southern provinces. Do not speak unless spoken to.”

Lena’s heart jumped. The east wing—the same direction as the secret garden.

Hours later, carrying a tray of tea, she followed Mira through long corridors filled with sunlight and portraits of kings. The east wing felt older than the rest of the palace, its halls darker, the air cooler.

They entered a chamber decorated with red curtains and golden mirrors. A man sat by the window, reading a letter. His dark hair fell just above his collar, and his posture was calm but commanding. When he looked up, Lena recognized him—the same man she had seen from the balcony the day before. Prince Alden.

“Leave the tray on the table,” he said without looking at them. His voice was low, steady, almost detached.

Mira bowed and obeyed. Lena did the same, trying to avoid his gaze, but as she turned to leave, he spoke again.

“You,” he said.

She froze.

“What is your name?”

“Lena, Your Highness.”

His eyes narrowed slightly. “You speak strangely. Where are you from?”

Her throat tightened. The warning from Serah echoed in her mind. Tell no one of this.

“I’m from a distant village,” she said quickly.

He studied her for a long moment, then nodded. “Very well. Go.”

She bowed and followed Mira out, her legs weak. When the door closed behind them, Mira whispered, “What did he want?”

“Nothing,” Lena lied. But she could still feel his gaze on her back long after they left the corridor.

That night, she took out the folded note again, tracing the crescent moon seal with her thumb. Serah’s words replayed in her mind—The Gate still chooses.

She didn’t know what the Gate was or why it had chosen her, but she could feel that something had begun. The quiet world she had stumbled into was already moving around her, and she was now part of its rhythm.

Outside, the moon rose higher, casting silver light over the palace walls. Somewhere in the distance, a door closed softly, and unseen eyes watched from the shadows.