Wen Ji stumbled back a step, hand flying to her mouth as her breath hitched. "It's… you?"
Doubts crept into her mind; the shock made it impossible for her to think straight.
Where did the queen go?
Had she been impersonating the queen for a long time?
Is there no escaping this woman?
Several thoughts appeared in her mind, but she did not have the time to dwell on them.
The figure standing in the queen's place tilted her head, the white smile still curving across that unstable, faceless void. The veil-like frills of her dress fluttered, though there was no wind in the room.
"I should be surprised you remember me," the girl-shaped thing replied with a soft laugh, her tone sweet and cruel all at once. "But I suppose the nightmares are… memorable."
Wen Ji's throat clenched. Her entire body stiffened as that old fear crawled up her spine like something half-dead trying to claw its way into the waking world.
