Whenever Eun-bi stepped onto the grounds of the Queen Dowager's residence, she would sweat in nervousness.

It wasn't because she was afraid of receiving punishment. The older a woman became, the scarier they were in their endless nagging; that meant when daylight was over, they still would not have finished. Their decades of experience and wisdom would turn themselves into the lawmakers in the room. And often, people would yield to them, hoping to get them to stop talking and be on their way.

But it was different with grandchildren.

Eun-bi's late grandmother was a great example.

When she was five years old and creating chaos in the house, her grandmother turned into her ally, giving her more treats than her own parents would. She would, often, rave to neighbours about putting her grandchildren to sleep was her favourite task, because they looked adorable and that was also the time when Eun-bi was the quietest.

After years of her passing, Eun-bi still missed her dearly.

This was why she was determined to have the Queen Dowager acknowledge her. To have one more ally in the palace would mean one less problem in her life.

She made her way to the pavilion surrounded by trees at the peak of the autumn, where they informed her that the Queen Dowager and Yul were enjoying tea. Taking a deep inhale, she mentally prepared herself for another round of scolding, but a high-pitched giggle coming from that direction forced her to a stop.

With a lift of her hand, she stopped a servant from announcing her arrival and listened hard.

The voice neither belonged to the Queen Dowager nor the Crown Prince. A young and beautiful noblewoman sat with the Queen Dowager, dressed in pure white. Like a painting of innocence. She spoke a few words, giggled, and hid her smile behind her sleeve shyly.

She looked like a rabbit, but she could also be a fox.

This was what people in the palace had been talking about behind Eun-bi's back. Even though the Selection was over, it didn't stop many from wanting to ascend their status; several noblewomen had set their sight on the seats of the concubines. They would put on pretentious acts and request an audience with the Queen Dowager and the Crown Prince.

Watching them, Eun-bi lingered by a tree, feeling strangely calm. If she were to intervene in this meeting now, people might see her as a jealous and petty Crown Princess.

But she didn't want that. She didn't have the luxury of time to partake in such a senseless rivalry before the Queen Dowager. There were far more important matters to tend to.

Like punching a criminal's face.

Yul was nowhere to be seen. According to an attendant, he had already left the pavilion. Eun-bi could imagine his stony expression, knowing that their new guest had irked him of their presence and so he extracted himself from the situation.

He was that kind of man, after all. No one—not even the King or the Queen Dowager—could force him to do what he disliked.

Smiling to herself, Eun-bi knew he kept his promise to her.

As an apology for missing her morning greeting, she picked a bunch of flowers from the gardens and sent them to the Queen Dowager. Next, she made her way to the Department of Taxation with her court ladies and guards in tow.

Her smile faded. With every step she took, her anger flared with fresh intensity.

After living in the palace for a while, she learned she shouldn't let anyone predict her next move.

In the Office of Taxation, Eun-bi occupied Accountant Cha's seat and propped her feet up on his table. She held an important ledger in her hands, leafing through the pages and checking the numbers again while she waited for the man to return from his meeting.

Some eternity later, he finally came back.

Accountant Cha bowed with his hands folded together. "Your Highness, what brings you here? You seem...really comfortable sitting here."

Eun-bi, who had fallen asleep in his chair, removed the ledger on her face which she used to block out the light. She blinked once, yawned and rubbed the sleepiness off her eyes.

"You're finally here," she said with a glare. "How dare you make me wait for you?"

Her accountant acted surprised, even though his tone said otherwise. "Why are you looking for me, Your Highness?"

Eun-bi snorted at his deceiving act. "You already know the answer to that." She stabbed a finger into the ledger. "Look at these numbers. Anyone can see that you've done something to these accounts."

There was a momentary silence in the air until he broke into an arrogant smile. "Now, why would I do that?"

She couldn't help feeling a familiar annoyance as he evaded her questions. Here she was trying to give him a chance for him to confess his sins and still live the day to see his mother, yet he chose to ignore it.

She slammed the ledger on the wooden table. "I want answers, not confusion," she demanded, standing tall even though she barely came up to his chin. "You've created a mess and used the nation's funds inappropriately. Where did they all go?"

With a brow raised, his relaxed eyes trailed towards where Officer Hyong stood guard by her side. A short distance away, anxious taxation officials were hiding behind shelves, clearly eavesdropping on every word in their conversation.

Accountant Cha's gaze lacked his usual friendliness, meeting hers and holding them right there. The sinister look in his eyes gave Eun-bi a shiver down her spine as he appeared almost maniacal.

"You really do not know the answer to that, Crown Princess?" he asked.

She crossed her arms, gritting her teeth as she was losing her patience with him. "No, I don't. That's why I'm asking."

"I'm confused as well," he said innocently. "Because this was all your idea, Your Highness."

His words prompted several gasps in the Office of Taxation. Officials jerked or stumbled over in surprise before huddling even closer in hushed discussion. A sharp glare from Officer Hyong sent them moving backwards and away from the scene.

Eun-bi, meanwhile, was stunned by the absurd accusation.

All this time, she had believed she was a step ahead of Accountant Cha when she confronted him, but now she realised she got played in his hands instead. All those times he helped her, it was all because he wanted this to happen. He wanted to create a misunderstanding, ruin her reputation and turn her into a scapegoat for his wrongdoings.

She was seething with rage, her fingers clenching into a fist. Prepared to throw a punch into his face.

"You've gone insane," she snapped. "Is putting your own words into other people's mouths a hobby of yours?"

She rolled her shoulders and stepped forward angrily, but the doors to the Office of Taxation burst open suddenly, gathering all attention there.

In stepped more than a dozen armed guards marched in, swamping around her and Accountant Cha. They blocked all possible escape routes, eyes staring ahead with a hard, indifferent expression.

Fear crawled across her skin. Something was wrong in the palace—one which she wasn't aware of yet—but she knew she was deep in trouble. A trouble that was completely different from her usual pranks.

This was real. 

This was the dark side of the palace.

An old eunuch appeared last. His feet shuffled forward slowly, his grey brows pinching together into a frown. His voice resounded the room as he recited the orders from the King.

"The Crown Princess and Accountant Cha, you are summoned to the Royal Court immediately."