Chapter 21: The Queen's Garden
Yuna found herself summoned to the royal gardens—a place said to be reserved only for those with the Queen's favor. Lavender trees stood tall like watchful guardians, and the scent of rare blossoms filled the air. There, under the shade of a silken pavilion, the Queen waited.
"I hear you've been treating my son's illness," the Queen said softly. Her eyes were not unkind, but they shimmered with curiosity.
Yuna bowed low. "I was only doing what I could."
"You're not like the others." The Queen's voice was like wind chimes. "What are you hiding, little apothecary?"
Yuna's heart skipped. Did the Queen know?
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Chapter 22: The Hidden Flame
A letter arrived that night. Unmarked. Unsigned. But the scent of brimstone on the wax told Yuna all she needed.
They're close.
She burned the letter in her palm. Her hand healed in seconds, leaving behind only ash and a question—who had found her?
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Chapter 23: Maid Duel
The palace maids were not all as they seemed. Mei Lin, the Chief Attendant, challenged Yuna's position under the guise of etiquette.
"You're clumsy," Mei Lin sneered, fanning herself. "How did a thing like you gain the Crown Prince's trust?"
"By not pretending to be useful," Yuna replied, her voice calm.
The other maids gasped. The Queen's spies listened.
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Chapter 24: The Prince's Whisper
"Are you in danger?" Prince Kael asked one night after she applied a new remedy.
"Why would you ask that?" Yuna kept her face unreadable.
"Because your hands are never cold, and your eyes—" he paused. "They burn like fire."
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Chapter 25: The Draconic Seal
The palace archive revealed a painting hidden behind centuries of dust. It showed a girl with golden eyes and scaled fingers surrounded by fire.
Yuna stared.
"Do you think she was a goddess?" the librarian asked.
"No," Yuna murmured. "She was something older."
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Chapter 26: Tail Trouble
Yuna woke up to find her tail out. In the middle of a royal corridor.
Panic struck her harder than a thunderclap. She darted behind a curtain, yanking it back in.
"Damn it," she hissed.
A small voice from behind: "Miss Yuna… was that a—?"
She turned. A pageboy stared.
"No, it was a very long scarf."
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Chapter 27: The Elixir of Lies
A potion was requested by the Queen herself. A love tonic. But love brewed from lies always turned sour.
Yuna altered the formula.
"Truth is a better poison than desire," she said to herself.
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Chapter 28: Fire in the Cellar
The palace cellar caught fire. Only the herbal wing burned.
"Targeted," she whispered, fingers brushing the scorched shelves. "They're trying to erase my traces."
Prince Kael arrived, soot on his cheeks. "Come with me. You're not safe here."
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Chapter 29: A Dragon's Dream
In a vision, she stood in a field of bones. Her true form loomed above—a shadow of wings and glowing scales. The dragon inside her spoke.
You can't pretend forever.
Yuna awoke gasping, her breath a plume of smoke.
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Chapter 30: The Royal Conspiracy
A spy was caught. In his possession—notes detailing her daily movements and an old rune that once sealed dragons.
"Who sent you?" the Queen demanded.
He smirked, blood on his lips. "Ask your son."
Yuna's world tilted.
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To be continued in Act Two...