The palace always seemed busiest after sunset. Candles flickered along the halls, and the air carried the scent of wax and jasmine. Lena moved quietly with the other maids, polishing the silver trays and folding linens for the next day’s service. Every corner echoed with footsteps and low voices, like the building itself was never allowed to rest.

Mira leaned close while stacking plates. “Did you notice? More guards are here tonight than usual. Something’s happening.”

Lena nodded slightly, keeping her eyes on her work. “I saw them in the east wing earlier.”

“They say a spy was caught,” Mira whispered. “Someone from outside the capital. Mistress Halden won’t talk about it, but the guards look nervous.”

Lena didn’t answer. The thought of spies and secret arrests made her stomach tighten. Since her meeting with Lady Serah, she felt a strange awareness everywhere she went, like the palace walls were listening. Even the shadows seemed heavier.

Later that night, after their duties ended, Lena slipped away toward the outer courtyard. She told Mira she wanted air, but truthfully she needed to think. The moon hung full above the towers, pale and distant. She sat on the edge of the fountain, her reflection trembling in the water. Everything about this world was still too perfect and too strange. The way people spoke, the way time seemed slower, like the world breathed differently.

She thought about the Gate and what Lady Serah had said—how it chose people. If that was true, then why her? She had been ordinary all her life, invisible even in her own world. Now she was somewhere that seemed to expect something of her, though she didn’t know what.

Footsteps broke her thoughts. A man in uniform appeared from the shadows. His armor reflected the moonlight as he approached.

“You shouldn’t be out here,” he said quietly.

Lena stood quickly. “I’m sorry. I needed some air.”

His eyes were dark but not unkind. “The palace isn’t safe at night. Go back before the patrols find you.”

As she nodded, she noticed a small emblem on his chest—a silver crescent moon, the same symbol from Lady Serah’s letter. Her pulse quickened. “Do you know Lady Serah?” she asked before she could stop herself.

The man froze. “Where did you hear that name?”

“I met her in the eastern garden,” Lena said, lowering her voice. “She said she wanted to help me.”

He looked around before replying. “Then you should be careful. Lady Serah is not someone you should trust so easily. She walks both paths—loyal to the court, but tied to something older.”

“Older?”

He hesitated, then said, “There are stories the royal family would rather forget. If she’s spoken to you, it means those stories aren’t finished yet.”

Before she could ask more, a bell rang in the distance. He straightened. “Return to your quarters. Pretend we never spoke.” Then he disappeared into the dark as swiftly as he came.

Lena’s heart beat fast as she walked back through the corridors. The air felt colder, heavier. When she entered the dormitory, Mira was waiting by the door with worry on her face. “Where were you? Mistress Halden came looking.”

“I was just outside,” Lena said quickly. “I couldn’t sleep.”

Mira frowned but said nothing. They both lay down, though neither could rest easily. Lena stared at the ceiling, tracing the cracks between the stones with her eyes. Somewhere outside, a storm was building. She could smell rain in the air.

Sometime before dawn, she woke to faint voices in the corridor. Two servants were speaking in hushed tones just beyond the door.

“…they found him in the lower courtyard,” one said.

“Dead?”

“Yes. No marks on his body. The captain said his eyes were open, like he saw something that wasn’t there.”

Lena sat up, her heart pounding. The silver emblem, the warning, the secrecy—it all connected too closely. She rose quietly and pressed her ear to the door, but the voices had already faded.

When morning came, the palace was restless. Guards stood at every corner, and whispers moved faster than the wind. Mistress Halden’s instructions were sharp and short. “Keep your heads down. Do not speak of last night. Anyone caught spreading rumors will be dismissed.”

Lena obeyed, though her thoughts were far from calm. While sweeping the marble steps, she caught sight of Lady Serah walking across the courtyard, her violet gown flowing behind her. For a moment their eyes met. Serah gave a small nod, almost unnoticeable, before disappearing into the royal wing.

That single glance told Lena everything she needed to know—whatever had happened last night was part of something larger, something hidden beneath the palace’s perfect surface.

As evening fell again, the sky turned gray and thunder rolled in the distance. The first drops of rain began to fall, soft but steady. Lena stood by the window, watching the lightning flicker behind the towers. Somewhere out there, secrets were moving in the dark, and she had already stepped too close to them.

When she finally lay down, the storm raged outside, but her mind was louder. The world she came from felt like a fading dream, and this one, no matter how strange, had begun to feel real. She whispered into the dark, “If the Gate chose me, then I need to know why.”

The wind howled through the cracks of the old windows, carrying her words into the night like a promise.