AUTHOR'S POV

Outside the high palace walls, the great bronzed gongs of the capital echo through the foggy midnight air, striking three heavy, resonant tolls that rattle the tiled roofs of the city.

​It is the night of the Blood Moon.

A celestial event that strikes the Joseon kingdom only once every twenty-five years.

Below the fortress, thousands of citizens gather in the vast courtyard, holding glowing red lanterns, their nervous whispers rising like smoke into the freezing night air.

They wait for the grand gates to throw open and reveal the monarch chosen by the spirits.

For centuries, the prophecy has held true: the Blood Seal does not honor birthright or royal titles.

It demands a true sovereign.

​Inside the subterranean, hidden chambers beneath the throne room, the atmosphere is suffocatingly quiet.

​Lit only by flickering tallow candles, King Yi-won stands in his formal crimson gonryongpo, his hand tightened so hard around the hilt of his sword that his knuckles shine white.

He glared at the five high priests bowed before him, their white ceremonial robes dragged in the dust.

​"Say that again," Yi-won sneered, his voice dripping with low, dangerous velvet.

​"Your Majesty..." High Priest Min trembles, keeping his forehead pressed to the icy stone floor. "The law of the founding spirits is absolute. "

"The Blood Seal does not care that you currently wear the crown, nor that you hold the military power of the court. Tonight, the throne belongs to the bloodline chosen by the prophecy."

​"I protected this palace with steel and fire," Yi-won stepped forward, his heavy boots echoing off the damp obsidian walls.

He looked up at the massive black ironwood throne in the center of the chamber-its carved dragon teeth glinting in the red twilight bleeding through the narrow high windows. "I have bled for this kingdom for a decade. And you tell me I must step down if this ancient piece of wood does not accept my drop of blood?"

​"If the seal rejects your blood, your claim is nullified," the priest stammers, sweat pouring down his pale face. "The spirits will demand another heir."

"The altar will choose someone else to lead the kingdom for the next quarter-century... as it has been done for hundreds of years. If you force your hand against the altar, it will drain your life force until only a husk remains."

​Yi-won lets out a harsh, dark laugh, tilting his head back as his eyes narrow into something lethal.

​"Let them try to take it," he whispers, leaning down until his shadow completely swallows the terrified priest. "I didn't conquer this realm to yield to ghosts and old legends. Bring in the bride. Bleed her, bleed me, and let us see if this throne has the courage to deny me."

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The heavy, gilded oak doors of the Phoenix Pavilion burst open, their thunderous reverberation cutting through the suffocating silence of the bridal chamber.

Standing in the archway, framed by the crimson moonlight, is the Chief Royal Eunuch, flanked by four royal guards in polished dark armor.

​He unscrolls a heavy silk decree, his voice booming with forced solemnity: "The Blood Moon reaches its zenith! The time has come to prepare Her Royal Highness, the Crown Queen. Escort her to the Subterranean Altar at once-the King and the heavens wait for no one!"

​Inside, a dozen court maids drop to their knees in unison, their foreheads pressed against the cool, polished wooden floorboards.

Sweat beads on the head court lady's brow as she rises with trembling hands. For weeks, the inner court whispered of the Queen's precarious fate, that as the newly crowned ruler of Joseon, her divine lineage would be tested tonight.

If the throne's ancient blood seal deems her spirit too weak, it will tear the life from her veins before the eyes of the realm.

​Yet, sitting motionless before the massive, filigreed bronze mirror, YN does not show a single trace of fear.

​She wears the towering jeokui-the magnificent, deep-blue royal robe embroidered with golden pheasants and dragons, woven specifically for the supreme sovereign of the court.

Heavy gold binyeo hairpins, encrusted with rubies and jade, weigh upon her head like a crown of iron, anchoring her posture into regal perfection.

​"Your Majesty.... It is your wedding." the chief maid falters, her voice breaking as she drapes the translucent crimson veil over YN's face, casting her world in shades of blood and fire. "May the mountain spirits guard your life force tonight."

​YN slowly stands, the heavy, sweeping silk trailing behind her like a royal mantle. She does not look down.

________________

Stepping outside the Phoenix Pavilion, the night air hits like an icy blade.

The vast courtyard between the Queen's Palace and the King's ancient domain is completely submerged in an eerie, violet-red haze beneath the rising blood moon.

​Surrounding YN is a terrifying wall of steel.

Dozens of elite royal guards clad in black-and-gold scale armor march in tight formation, their hands white-knuckled around the hilts of their hwansecurity swords.

Torchlight flickers wildly against their iron helmets, casting long, menacing shadows across the stone grounds. It looks less like a royal procession and more like a fortress bracing for a siege.

​YN tilts her head slightly under the heavy crimson veil, watching the hyper-vigilant guards check every shadow, every rooftop.

​"Why is there so much security tonight?" YN asks softly, her smooth voice cutting through the heavy thud of marching boots. "It feels as though we are walking straight into a battlefield. Surely no one would dare attack the royal palace on the night of the Blood Moon?"

​The head court lady steps closer, keeping her gaze fixed strictly on the stone path ahead, letting out a quiet, nervous chuckle that lacks any real humor.

​"My Lady... tonight is no different than a war," the head maid whispers, her voice trembling beneath the crackle of the torches. "There is no room for a single mistake. "

"Right now, the throne sits empty, awaiting the blood seal's judgment."

"For these few hours, the kingdom has no recognized ruler and our enemies know it. Rebel factions, rival warlords, and dark forces would stop at nothing to spill royal blood before the seal is completed. Tonight, the throne is vulnerable... which means you are the primary target. You must be protected at all costs."

​YN adjusts her heavy, blue jeokui robes, her voice calm beneath the crimson veil as she tilts her head toward the head court lady walking beside her.

​"If the throne sits empty, surely King Yi-Won is the true target," Y/N said softly, the name of the cold, ruthless monarch heavy on her tongue. "He is the one holding the court, the one who conquered the council with steel."

"Why place such heavy, suffocating security around a supposed queen? What harm comes to the kingdom if a bride is struck down out here on the open grounds?" YN said looking ahead.

​The head court lady lets out a quiet, nervous chuckle, keeping her gaze fixed strictly on the distant silhouette of the Ancient Palace.

​"My Lady, you misunderstand the gravity of your own existence tonight," the head maid whispers, her voice trembling beneath the rhythmic thud of marching boots. "King Yi-Won may hold the palace with iron and blood, but he is still just a man waiting for the heavens to judge him."

"You are different."

“You were chosen directly by the Moon Goddess through the ancient omens weeks ago. Your divine lineage is already bound to this realm. King Yi-Won has yet to be chosen-the blood seal could accept him tonight, or it could drain his very soul and demand another. "

"But without you, the ritual cannot even begin. The rebels know this. If they strike down the Moon Queen out on these grounds, they destroy the kingdom's only bridge to the spirits, leaving King Yi-Won with a crown of dust and an absolute civil war."

​She looked up toward the distant, dark spires where the ceremony awaits.

​"You are the light that anchors the blood seal, My lady. That is why King Yi-Won has placed his best blades on these grounds tonight. He would sooner let this entire palace burn to ash than allow a single scratch to fall upon his Moon Queen before you reach those doors."

​As they cross the halfway mark of the dark grounds, the heavy iron gates of the Ancient Palace finally loom close ahead, guarded by torch-bearing soldiers standing at rigid attention.

Before the guards could even haul the heavy iron gates fully open, the dark sky tore open with the shriek of flying steel.

​"Enemy attack! Protect the Moon Queen!"

​The commander's roar echoed across the courtyard as black-feathered arrows rained down onto the stone grounds, thudding into wooden shields and piercing armor.

Torchlight flickered wildly against blood and flashing steel as masked assassins spilled over the high outer walls of the Ancient Palace.

​Chaos erupted instantly.

The elite guards instantly formed a tight ring of iron around YN, swords clashing against incoming blades in a deafening storm of metal.

​"Take Her Majesty back to the Phoenix Pavilion! Move! Move!" the commander bellowed, parrying a lethal strike.

​The court maids shrieked in terror, their hands shaking violently as they grabbed the heavy, sweeping silk of YN's blue jeokui robe.

There was no time to think, no time to breathe.

The head court lady's eyes were wide with sheer panic, but her instinct kicked in with terrifying speed.

​"Your Majesty, this way!" the head maid gasped, ushering YN back toward a shadowy stone alcove hidden along the courtyard wall....a secret escape passage designed exclusively for royal blood, leading directly up into the private quarters of the Queen's palace.

​They scrambled into the narrow, dark tunnel, the heavy wooden door slamming shut behind them, cutting off the horrific sounds of slaughter outside.

​Inside the safety of the Queen's hidden chamber, the air was thick with desperation.

The head court lady didn't waste a single second. She turned to two of the youngest, terrified maids who were weeping softly.

​"Strip off your white aprons! Quickly!" the head maid commanded, her voice sharp and authoritative.

​She stripped the heavy crimson veil and outer ceremonial mantle off YN, draping the royal crimson veil over one of the maids' heads and handing the glowing, ruby-encrusted outer robe to the other.

​"Listen to me," the head maid gripped the young maid's trembling shoulders, staring directly into her eyes. "You two run out through the main gates of the pavilion toward the eastern gardens. Make as much noise as you can. The assassins are looking for the crimson veil and the blue silk. You will divert their attention away from the true Moon Queen."

​"My Lady-" the maid sobbed, but the head court lady shoved them toward the secondary exit.

​"Go! Protect your Queen with your lives!"

But before they could move ahead.

YN reached out, her fingers catching the trembling shoulder of the maid holding the crimson veil.

She pulled the silk back into her own hands, her gaze steady and unyielding beneath the dim candlelight of the chamber.

​"Stop," YN commanded, her voice ringing clear above the distant echoes of clashing steel outside. "I will not buy my survival with the blood of innocent girls who have never held a blade. You wear the robes of court servants, but tonight, you are women of the sovereign's household."

​The head court lady gasped, stepping forward to intervene. "Your Majesty, please! If they catch you-"

​"If they catch me, I will face them as the Moon Queen," YN interrupted, turning to stare the head maid directly in the eye.

Yn snatched a discarded silver-hilted dagger from the weapon rack beside the hidden door, its blade catching the firelight.

She shoved two light short-swords into the hands of the terrified younger maids. "Running like frightened hares only makes us easy prey. Hold these swords. Stand your ground, move forward, and fight for your lives."

​The maids stared at the cold iron in their palms, their tears drying as a sudden, sharp resolve took root in their chests.

​"Your Majesty... this is madness, you cannot put your life at risk-" the head maid began, her breath hitching.

​"It is not a request, head court lady. It is an order from your Queen," YN stated, her blue jeokui robes rustling as she stepped toward the primary chamber doors, her posture radiating absolute royal authority.

​The head court lady froze. A slow, breathtaking smile broke across her weathered face, her eyes shining with fierce pride as she bowed her head deeply.

In that quiet moment, all doubt vanished.

The Moon Goddess had not chosen a fragile figurehead to anchor the kingdom...she had chosen a true ruler.

​"As you command, My Queen," the head maid murmured, pulling a concealed blade from her own long sleeves and stepping into formation beside YN.

​Together, they unbolted the heavy chamber doors, stepping out to face the shadows of the palace grounds blade-in-hand.

_______________

The heavy air inside the corridor grew cold enough to freeze the breath in YN's lungs.

The sound outside was no longer the chaotic clash of a small rebel raid....it was the rhythmic, bone-rattling march of a disciplined, unstoppable force.

​YN pressed her back against the cool stone, signaling her maids to halt with a sharp motion of her hand.

She crept toward a carved wooden lattice window overlooking the main courtyard and peered through the shadows.

​Her blood ran cold.

​This was no ordinary enemy.

Filling the vast stone grounds beneath the violent crimson sky was a sea of black-armored soldiers.

They marched in terrifying, absolute silence, carrying towering obsidian flags that snapped against the icy wind under the rising blood moon.

​And at the center of the dark legion rode a single man.

​He sat atop a massive, jet-black warhorse that paced arrogantly over the blood-stained cobbles.

The man was draped in heavy, dark silk and iron armor, but it was his face that made YN's chest tighten....a seamless black mask covered his features completely, exposing only a pair of lethal, unblinking eyes that glowed like molten gold under the crimson sky.

​As if sensing her presence from across the vast courtyard, the masked commander slowly turned his head.

His sharp, amber gaze tracked straight up to the high window of the Queen's Pavilion....locking onto YN through the lattice.

​YN's breath hitched in her throat. The sheer weight of his aura felt physical, heavy enough to crush the air straight from her lungs.

She ducked behind the thick stone wall instantly, her hand tightening around her silver dagger until her knuckles turned white.

​"Your Majesty..." the head court lady whispered, her voice barely a thread of sound as she saw the color drain from Y/N's face. "What is happening out there?"

​Outside, the thunderous march came to a sudden, absolute stop.

​A deep, metallic voice echoed from the courtyard below, cutting through the silence of the night: "Break the doors. Bring me the Moon Queen."

The masked commander's deep, iron-laced voice reverberated off the high stone walls of the courtyard. The absolute quiet that followed was more suffocating than the march itself.

​Beside Yn, the head court lady and the young maids raised their short-swords, their knuckles white, their bodies trembling violently as the heavy iron-reinforced doors of the pavilion began to groan under the weight of the dark army outside.

​The masked man slowly nudged his black warhorse a few paces forward, his golden eyes remaining fixed on the lattice window above.

​"I know you are watching, Your Majesty," he called out, his tone disturbingly calm, smooth as dark velvet, yet carrying an edge sharp enough to draw blood. "You have two choices tonight. You may walk down those steps willingly, draped in your royal blue silk, and face the blood moon beside me."

​He paused, resting his gloved hand casually on the pommel of a dark, obsidian-hilted sword.

​"Or," he continued, the gold in his eyes flashing dangerously under the crimson sky.

"I send my men inside to drag you out. And I assure you... they will step over the corpses of every single woman standing in that room to reach you."

★★★