The early morning sky looked somber, cloaked in a thin mist as if nature itself was hiding a secret. Areum sat on the small veranda of her room, clutching the locket left behind by Seol Hwa. For some reason, she had been haunted all night by a strange dream — a soft voice of an old woman whispering a place she had never heard of: the Valley of Seven Leaves.
As she opened the locket once more, a small piece of paper suddenly fell out — as if it had just emerged from a long-hidden compartment. Ancient symbols were scrawled on it, ones she had only ever seen in a worn palace book. On the back, a direction: northeast, two days' journey from the palace, at the foot of a hill marked by seven moss-covered stones.
Areum swallowed hard. Her instincts screamed that this place was no ordinary site. It might be the final key to unlocking the truth of who she really was.
"I'm coming with you," Ji Seong said plainly.
Areum turned. She hadn't fully told him about the dream or the locket, yet Ji Seong seemed to understand. His gaze didn't demand explanation — only assurance that he wouldn't let her go alone.
They left before sunrise. No guards. No notice to the palace. Areum only left a short note for Yu Jin: "If I don't return in three days, don't come looking for me."
Valley of Seven Leaves
The trek through rocky paths and small forests tested their bodies and minds. Ji Seong paused occasionally, eyes scanning the trees as if sensing they were being followed from afar.
"Are you afraid?" Areum asked as night began to fall.
Ji Seong replied, "Not afraid. I just know… when a truth is buried for too long, there are those who will kill to keep it hidden."
Areum stayed silent. His words lingered in her mind.
On the third day, they stood before a tall, moss-covered cliff. True to the note's direction, seven large stones were arranged like an ancient gate. Areum stepped forward, took a deep breath, and placed the locket onto the carved symbol at the center of the largest stone.
KRRAAKK—
The ground trembled slightly. One of the stones slid inward, revealing a narrow passage into a cave.
Seol Hwa's Sanctuary
Inside, the air was cold and still. The walls of the cave were adorned with paintings and ancient texts. Areum touched one of them, staring at the carved image of a woman who looked just like her — Seol Hwa.
Beneath the carving, it read:
> "To my daughter who will return from a time yet to come. Your inheritance is not only of my blood, but of a stolen history. Know this: you are the first true heir."
Areum was stunned. She was a descendant of Seol Hwa? And Seol Hwa… the descendant of the king's first wife, overthrown for the throne?
A complete lineage was carved on the back wall — and her name was the last one, etched in a future symbol that Seol Hwa had predicted. Clear. Undeniable.
Ji Seong stepped slowly beside her. "So… you truly carry royal blood."
Areum turned to him, still in disbelief. "But why me? Why now?"
Shadows of Threat
Elsewhere, Lord Baek received a report from his spy.
"She has found the valley," said the spy.
Lord Baek sank back into his chair, a wicked smile forming on his lips. "Then make sure… she never leaves it alive."
He turned to a masked man standing at the edge of the room. "You know what to do."
The man nodded once before vanishing into the darkness.
Chapter End: Darkness Awaits
Areum and Ji Seong prepared to leave the valley — Areum determined to tell Wang Joon everything. But their steps halted as dark figures appeared at the cave's entrance.
Three masked men. Silent. Motionless.
Areum gripped the locket tightly — now she knew, it wasn't just her life that was at risk, but the entire truth of a stolen history she now carried.
To be continued in Chapter 33…