The palace inner court was shrouded in soft mists and ceremonial silence. The walls stretched endlessly, like the boundaries of another world.
All the selected girls were taken to the Hall of Reflection, a circular room of pale stone and a single towering mirror at its heart.
An old eunuch in embroidered black stood at the head. "You will step forward, one by one. Say your name. Look into the mirror. The Empress wishes to observe."
No one dared speak.
When it was Shen Yue's turn, her hands trembled as she bowed and stepped onto the platform.
The mirror shimmered.
Her image shifted.
She saw herself crowned in gold, sitting beside the Crown Prince. People bowed. The sky opened with petals. She smiled.
And said too loudly, "I was born for this."
Gasps echoed. The old eunuch's eyes narrowed.
Shen Yue realized what she had done a beat too late.
Shen Lian stepped forward when called.
She looked into the mirror. Fog swirled.
She saw a throne room. Blood on her hands. The Crown Prince lying beneath her blade. She wore no crown. Her eyes were calm.
She blinked.
The image faded.
The old eunuch tilted his head. "No reaction?"
"Just a dream," she said. "Dreams fade."
He made no comment.
From behind a screen, two figures watched.
One was the Empress.
The other, cloaked in shadow, whispered, "That girl… she saw blood and did not flinch."
The Empress said nothing, but her fan stilled in her hand.