Ghost in the palace Chapter 297: The Forgotten Empress at the Shrine

Night had settled quietly over the palace.

The lanterns in the imperial courtyards burned softly under the cold wind, their golden light flickering against long stone corridors.

Inside the Emperor’s courtyard, silence filled the study hall.

The servants had already withdrawn.

Only the faint sound of turning pages remained.

—

The Emperor sat behind his desk, reading reports.

But his attention was elsewhere.

Again.

And again.

His brush paused halfway across a docunt.

His thoughts drifting.

—

Toward her.

—

The Empress.

—

Ever since returning from the Duke residence, his mind had been unusually restless.

The laughter around the mahjong table.

Her smiling quietly at her family.

The way she blushed when he kissed her forehead.

Everything replayed inside his mind repeatedly.

—

A faint smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.

Then—

He suddenly froze.

—

"...Wait."

—

His expression changed instantly.

—

The Empress.

—

At the shrine.

—

He had completely forgotten.

—

The Dowager Empress had punished her previously, forcing her to stay in the ancestral shrine for reflection.

But recently—

Too many things had happened.

The ambush.

Lady Chen’s strange reaction.

The Duke residence.

The banquet preparations.

—

And sohow—

He forgot to officially bring her back.

—

The Emperor rubbed his forehead slowly.

"...Unbelievable."

—

Then he rembered sothing else.

Earlier that evening—

The Dowager Empress had already quietly lifted the punishnt.

aning—

The Empress was free to leave the shrine.

—

Yet no one had inford him properly.

Or perhaps—

He simply had not been paying attention.

—

A strange guilt settled in his chest.

—

Without hesitation—

He stood up.

—

The servants outside imdiately straightened.

"Your Majesty?"

—

"Prepare clothes."

"I’m going to the shrine."

—

The servants blinked slightly.

"At this hour?"

—

"Yes."

His tone left no room for question.

—

Within monts—

He changed into simpler dark robes.

Less imperial.

More comfortable.

—

Then—

Without escorting officials or unnecessary ceremony—

He left.

—

anwhile—

Far away in the quiet ancestral shrine—

The atmosphere was completely different.

—

Peaceful.

Calm.

Almost isolated from the chaos of the palace.

—

The Empress sat beneath the open pavilion near the shrine garden.

A warm cup of tea rested in her hands.

Moonlight spilled softly over the courtyard.

The sound of wind chis echoed gently nearby.

—

Surprisingly—

She had not hated these days.

—

In fact—

They had been strangely peaceful.

—

No palace politics.

No concubines.

No constant tension.

—

Just quiet.

Silence.

Rest.

—

And ghosts.

—

Fen Yu floated upside down nearby.

"I still think Lady Chen saw sothing."

—

The scholar ghost, Li Shen, nodded thoughtfully.

"Her reaction was too instinctive."

—

The general ghost crossed his arms.

"She looked terrified."

—

The Empress looked down at her tea quietly.

Her expression thoughtful.

"...I agree."

—

Fen Yu sat up imdiately.

"You do?"

—

The Empress nodded slowly.

"Yes."

"She wasn’t acting."

—

Her gaze darkened slightly.

"That fear..."

"...was real."

—

Li Shen adjusted his sleeves thoughtfully.

"Then perhaps..."

"...she rembers sothing subconsciously."

—

The Empress nodded again.

"Yes."

—

Her fingers tightened slightly around the teacup.

"I think she saw sothing she was never supposed to see."

—

Silence settled briefly.

—

Then the general ghost spoke quietly.

"And soone erased it."

—

The Empress lifted her eyes slowly.

Moonlight reflected faintly inside them.

"...Exactly."

—

Fen Yu frowned.

"But if her mory was erased..."

"...why is she still reacting?"

—

Li Shen answered calmly.

"Because so fears remain even when mories disappear."

—

The Empress fell silent.

Thinking deeply.

—

Then she spoke softly.

"If soone can erase mories..."

"...then this is far more dangerous than we thought."

—

The wind suddenly grew colder.

The lantern near the shrine flickered faintly.

—

The general ghost narrowed his eyes.

"...Soone’s coming."

—

The Empress looked up.

—

Footsteps.

Slow.

Steady.

Approaching the shrine courtyard.

—

Then—

A familiar figure appeared under the lantern light.

—

The Emperor.

—

The Empress blinked slightly.

"...Your Majesty?"

—

He stopped upon seeing her.

And for a brief mont—

He simply looked at her.

—

Sitting peacefully beneath the moonlight.

Hair loose.

Expression calm.

Surrounded by silence.

—

Beautiful.

—

Sothing inside his chest softened imdiately.

—

The ghosts floated backward instinctively.

Fen Yu whispered dramatically,

"He ca himself."

—

The Empress slowly stood.

"You ca at this hour?"

—

The Emperor walked closer.

"...I forgot."

—

She blinked.

"...Forgot?"

—

A rare trace of embarrassnt crossed his face.

"...I forgot you were still here."

—

For a second—

The Empress stared at him.

Then unexpectedly—

She laughed.

Softly.

Genuinely.

—

The Emperor froze slightly.

Because lately—

He realized sothing.

—

He liked hearing her laugh.

—

"It seems Your Majesty has been very busy," she said lightly.

—

He sighed quietly.

"...Too many things happened recently."

—

Then his expression softened.

"The Dowager has lifted your punishnt."

"You can return now."

—

The Empress looked at him quietly.

"...I know."

—

The Emperor blinked slightly.

"You knew?"

—

She nodded.

"A maid inford earlier."

—

"...Then why didn’t you leave?"

—

The Empress looked around the shrine calmly.

"...It was peaceful here."

—

The Emperor paused.

Then looked around as well.

Quiet lanterns.

Cold night air.

Stillness.

—

"...You liked staying here?"

—

She smiled faintly.

"At least no one tried to kill here."

—

His expression darkened instantly.

Guilt flashed through his eyes.

—

"...I’ll find out who did it."

—

The Empress looked at him carefully.

For once—

He didn’t sound like an emperor making promises.

—

He sounded sincere.

—

The wind brushed through the courtyard again.

—

Then—

The Emperor stepped closer.

Not too close.

Just enough.

—

"Co back."

He said quietly.

"The palace feels empty without you."

—

The Empress froze slightly.

Even the ghosts fell silent.

—

The moonlight flickered softly over the shrine courtyard.

And sowhere deep inside—

Sothing shifted again between them.

The Words That Broke Him

The shrine courtyard fell quiet again after the Emperor’s words.

"The palace feels empty without you."

The sentence lingered softly beneath the moonlight.

The wind moved gently through the trees.

The lantern beside the pavilion flickered faintly.

And for a brief mont—

Everything felt calm.

Fragile.

Like sothing delicate standing at the edge of breaking.

—

The Emperor stood in front of her.

His gaze steady.

Waiting.

Perhaps expecting her to soften.

Perhaps believing things were finally changing between them.

—

The ghosts remained silent nearby.

Even Fen Yu, who usually interrupted everything, said nothing.

Because all of them could feel it.

Sothing important was about to happen.

—

The Empress lowered her eyes briefly.

Thinking.

Then slowly—

She looked back at him.

"...Your Majesty."

—

The Emperor imdiately noticed the change in her tone.

Calm.

Too calm.

—

"...What is it?"

he asked quietly.

—

The Empress took a slow breath.

Then—

"...There is sothing I want to tell you."

—

The Emperor nodded slightly.

"Speak."

—

The shrine suddenly felt colder.

Even the wind seed to stop.

—

The Empress looked directly into his eyes.

And spoke clearly.

—

"I want a divorce."

—

Silence.

—

Absolute silence.

—

For a second—

The Emperor thought he heard wrong.

—

His expression froze completely.

"...What?"

—

The Empress remained calm.

"I want to leave the palace."

—

The Emperor stared at her.

As if unable to process the words.

—

"...Divorce?"

—

She nodded slowly.

"Yes."

—

The ghosts looked stunned.

Fen Yu’s mouth fell open.

Even the general ghost frowned deeply.

—

But the Empress continued quietly.

"I want to give my position to Lady Chen."

"She has always been the one you wanted beside you."

—

The Emperor’s face slowly turned pale.

—

"No."

The word ca instantly.

Sharp.

Instinctive.

—

The Empress continued as if she hadn’t heard him.

"I will remain here temporarily."

"At the shrine."

"And once the divorce letter is prepared..."

She paused softly.

"...I will return to the Duke residence."

—

Each word landed like a blade.

Slowly.

Precisely.

—

The Emperor stared at her in disbelief.

His chest tightening painfully.

—

"...You’re joking."

—

His voice sounded strained now.

Almost desperate.

—

"You’re angry because I forgot to bring you back personally."

"That’s why you’re saying this."

—

The Empress looked at him quietly.

Then unexpectedly—

She laughed softly.

But there was no warmth in it.

—

"You think I care about that?"

—

The Emperor’s heart sank.

—

Because her eyes—

Were calm.

Too calm.

—

Not emotional.

Not impulsive.

—

She ant it.

—

"I truly don’t care anymore, Your Majesty."

—

The words shattered sothing inside him.

—

The Emperor took a step forward instinctively.

"No."

"You don’t an that."

—

But the Empress only looked at him steadily.

"I do."

—

The wind moved again.

Cold.

Sharp.

—

The Emperor suddenly realized sothing terrifying.

—

She wasn’t threatening him.

She wasn’t trying to gain attention.

She wasn’t testing him.

—

She had already decided.

—

And that realization—

Made panic rise inside his chest for the first ti in years.

—

"...Why?"

he asked quietly.

The question almost sounded broken.

—

The Empress fell silent briefly.

Then spoke softly.

"Because I’m tired."

—

The Emperor’s fingers tightened slowly.

—

"Tired of proving myself."

"Tired of surviving."

"Tired of being hated for existing."

—

Her voice remained calm.

But every sentence carried exhaustion buried for years.

—

"You once wanted to strangle ."

"You ignored ."

"You punished ."

"You believed others over ."

—

The Emperor’s face lost more color with every word.

—

"And now suddenly..."

She smiled faintly.

"...you care?"

—

He opened his mouth.

But no words ca out.

—

Because she wasn’t wrong.

—

Everything she said—

Was true.

—

The Empress looked away briefly toward the quiet shrine courtyard.

"...I almost died."

—

The Emperor’s breathing faltered.

—

"And when I stood between life and death..."

She continued softly.

"...I realized sothing."

—

Her gaze returned to him.

Clear.

Steady.

—

"I don’t want to spend the rest of my life begging for love."

—

Silence.

—

The Emperor felt as if sothing was crushing his chest.

—

Because for the first ti—

He understood clearly.

—

She had stopped waiting for him.

—

And that terrified him more than anything else.

—

"You said you would wait for to trust you," she said quietly.

"But Your Majesty..."

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

Sad.

Gentle.

—

"...I no longer want to try."

—

The shrine fell completely silent.

Even the ghosts couldn’t speak.

—

The Emperor looked at her as if the world beneath him was collapsing.

—

"No..."

he whispered.

—

His voice sounded unfamiliar even to himself.

Weak.

Shaken.

—

"You can’t leave."

—

The Empress looked at him quietly.

"Why?"

—

He froze.

—

Why?

—

Because he loved her?

Because he couldn’t lose her?

Because the thought of her leaving made him unable to breathe?

—

But none of those words ca out.

—

And that silence—

Said everything.

—

The Empress lowered her eyes briefly.

"...You see?"

—

The Emperor clenched his fists.

His entire chest hurt.

—

For years—

He thought she would always remain beside him.

No matter how cold he was.

No matter how much he ignored her.

—

But now—

She was letting go.

—

And he didn’t know how to stop her.

—

The wind blew harder through the shrine courtyard.

Lantern light trembled faintly.

—

The Emperor stood there silently for a long mont.

Looking at her.

morizing her.

Afraid.

—

Then finally—

Without another word—

He turned.

—

And left.

—

The sound of his footsteps echoed heavily through the shrine path.

Slow.

Unsteady.

—

The Empress remained standing beneath the moonlight.

Watching silently as his figure disappeared into darkness.

—

Only after he was completely gone—

Did she slowly close her eyes.

—

Her chest hurt too.

More than she expected.

—

But she didn’t stop him.

—

And sowhere far away—

For the first ti in his life—

The Emperor understood what it ant—

To truly fear losing soone.