**

The rain had been falling since the first light of dawn, a cold, relentless drizzle that washed the color from the courtyard. Usually, the Shin residence would be bustling by this hour, but today it was eerily quiet. No servants hurried across the wet stone paths. No lanterns had been lit to fight the gloomy sky, leaving the eaves in shadow—a silent testament to how empty the family’s coffers had truly become. Inside the main hall, the air was drafty. Jungkook stood before his father, his hands tucked deep into his wide sleeves to hide the chill.

Shin Han did not look at his son. His eyes were fixed on the sliding screen doors, his face set in a hard, unreadable mask.

Jungkook asked, his voice quiet in the empty room.

Shin Han exhaled slowly, the sound heavy.

Jungkook didn’t move. For a second, the only sound was the steady patter of rain on the roof.

he repeated, hoping he had misunderstood.

his father said, his voice flat, devoid of room for argument.

The word felt like a physical weight dropping into the space between them. Jungkook stared at his father, the silence stretching until it became suffocating.

Jungkook said, his voice dropping to a whisper.

Shin Han’s jaw tightened, a flash of defensive anger crossing his face.

Jungkook asked, step by step refusing to back down.

His father did not answer. There was no defense to offer. The Shin family, once a proud name in the capital, had spent the last decade watching their influence erode. Debts had piled up, allies had turned their backs, and the family name was on the verge of ruin.

Jungkook had always known a sacrifice would be made to save them. He just hadn't realized he would be the currency.

Jungkook asked.

Shin Han finally met his son's gaze, his eyes shadowed with a mixture of guilt and exhaustion.

Jungkook let out a dry, bitter laugh that died quickly in the cold room.

His father looked away again, unable to bear the look in his son's eyes. Jungkook turned toward the window, watching the rain streak down the wooden frame, blurring the garden beyond. All his life, he had been told that as an omega, he was to be protected, kept safe behind the walls of his family home. Now, those same walls were pushing him out, sending him directly into the maw of the most dangerous place in the empire.

***

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**

The palace woke to a low, restless hum. Long before the sun cleared the eastern walls, the gravel paths of the inner court clattered with the hurried footsteps of messengers. A single, bewildering decree had set the entire harem into a quiet panic: *All imperial consorts are to assemble immediately at the Hall of Spring Blossoms.* Jungkook was still adjusting the ties of his inner robe when the heavy wooden doors of his quarters creaked open. A senior attendant stood on the threshold, chest heaving slightly from a hurried walk.

the attendant said, bowing cursorily.

Jungkook paused, a silk sash draped over his hands.

the man interrupted, his voice tight.

Without another word, Jungkook finished dressing, his fingers suddenly clumsy against the fabric. He followed the attendant out into the damp morning air, his mind racing with quiet anxiety. By the time he reached the Hall of Spring Blossoms, the pavilion was already suffocatingly crowded. Dozens of consorts stood in clustered groups, the rustle of their expensive silks sounding like dry leaves in the wind. The air was thick with the scent of competing perfumes and nervous whispers.

"Why would His Majesty summon us at this hour?" a consort near the front murmured, anxiously smoothing her skirts. "I heard he is attending in person," another whispered back, her voice trembling with a mix of excitement and dread.

Jungkook shrank back slightly, seeking the shadow of a lacquered pillar. *The Emperor.* He had never seen the man who ruled the empire. In the quiet estate of his youth, the Emperor had existed only as a ghost in his father’s hushed conversations—a ruler described as cold, dangerously observant, and entirely unpredictable. Before Jungkook could dwell on it further, the massive double doors of the hall groaned open.

****