Chapter Nine: The Palace Below the Palace
They entered Gyeongbokgung at dawn.
Not as tourists, not as students, but disguised as historians on a private restoration tour—thanks to a forged clearance pass Heeyoung had quietly "borrowed" from an archivist she used to date.
Sheila wore a cream blouse tucked into high-waisted trousers, her hair in a bun, a leather satchel slung over her shoulder.
Hyunsoo looked... lethal.
His suit was black, clean-cut, and deceptively formal. But she knew underneath it were hidden blades, protective sigils, and a crescent-marked charm that pulsed in rhythm with her own pendant.
"Where exactly is the relic?" she asked as they passed through the east wing of the palace.
"In the Underground Archive," he replied. "It was sealed centuries ago, beneath what's now the restricted royal chamber."
"And what are we looking for?"
"A fragment of your crown," he said. "The Moon Crest. The piece that holds your command over light and memory. Without it, you won't survive the final awakening."
Her stomach turned. "What happens if someone else touches it?"
He stopped walking. Looked her in the eyes.
"They go mad."
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☽
They reached the restricted chamber just as the last of the morning security rotated out.
Hyunsoo pressed a symbol into the old wall—a symbol Sheila instinctively knew. It was hers. The wall trembled, shifted inward, and revealed a stone stairway leading into darkness.
They descended in silence.
Torchlight flickered to life as they moved, responding to Sheila's presence.
The corridor widened into a vast underground hall. Crystal lanterns glowed along the walls, illuminating ancient murals of a moonlit queen standing atop mountains, her sword raised, her people kneeling. On the far side of the chamber stood a shrine carved from moonstone.
And floating above it, glowing faintly—
Was the Moon Crest.
It hovered like a halo.
"I feel it," Sheila whispered. "It's calling me."
Hyunsoo nodded. "But wait."
He knelt, examining the sigils around the shrine. "There's a barrier. If you walk in too fast, it could drain your soul."
"So how do I get through?"
He rose and looked at her—something deep, almost reverent in his eyes.
"You have to remember why it was forged."
Sheila stepped forward slowly, heart pounding. "It was… a promise."
The pendant against her chest began to hum.
She closed her eyes.
> She remembered a younger version of herself kneeling before her people, placing the crest on her brow as her voice echoed:
"I will protect the innocent. Even if I must burn in their place."
She opened her eyes.
The barrier vanished.
She stepped through.
---
☽
The moment her fingers touched the Moon Crest, her body convulsed.
But not in pain.
In memory.
---
Suddenly, she stood in a moonlit chamber—her bedchamber in the palace.
The curtains fluttered. Candles glowed.
And he stood there.
Hyunsoo.
But his face was bloodied. His armor scorched.
"You were injured," she whispered.
He reached for her hand. "The Night Queen's forces breached the gate. They were after you."
She cupped his face. "You shouldn't be here. You need to rest."
"I needed to see you."
And then — he knelt before her.
"I may die tomorrow," he said, voice shaking. "But I need you to know… I never once fought for the crown."
His eyes rose to hers.
"I fought for you."
Her vision blurred with tears.
And then… she remembered kissing him. Not just with passion, but with desperation. That night, they shared a vow.
> "If this life breaks us," she whispered, "find me in the next one."
> "And I will choose you again," he replied.
---
Sheila gasped, falling to her knees in the chamber.
Hyunsoo rushed to her, catching her before she hit the floor.
The crest was clutched in her hand. Glowing. Complete.
"You remembered," he whispered.
She looked at him, voice trembling. "You made me promise."
He stared at her. "I did."
Her fingers brushed his jaw. "I kept it."
He kissed her.
And this time — it wasn't rushed, or hungry, or pained.
It was peace.
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⚠️
But it didn't last.
The ground shook.
A pulse of darkness surged through the chamber.
The murals cracked.
The light flickered.
Hyunsoo stood instantly, sword drawn. "Something followed us."
Sheila clutched the crest tighter.
From the far end of the hall, shadows swirled—and from them emerged a woman in black.
Her voice echoed.
"You found your past, dear sister. But I hold your future."
Sheila's mouth went dry. "No…"
It was her.
The Night Queen.
Alive. Whole. No longer whispering through Jiwoon… but standing in flesh and bone.
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