Holy Palace –

Besides in the palace where the Holy Queen was residing, the entire atmosphere was shrouded in a pall of anxious dread. Everyone had solemn expressions. They were all aware of how intense the situation was concerning the Holy Queen’s treatment and how little progress was being made. The normally warm and generous Holy Monarch had several outbursts. In this sort of situation, no one dared to make even a single mistake.

But people were like this. The more anxious they were, the easier it was to make mistakes. As the Holy Monarch, Holy Queen, and Holy Concubine were preparing to eat a meal, the hands of a maid responsible for setting down utensils suddenly shook and she knocked over a few dishes. The sound was especially grating. The other palace maids behind her were so frightened that the trays they held in their hands came clattering down to the floor.

Smashing sounds filled the air for a time. The palace maids that made a mistake instantly turned pale white. They fell to their knees and bowed their heads repeatedly, “This servant deserves to die, this servant deserves to die!”

Outside...