Seungwan was not wrong about the Imperial Ghosts. Everyone present in Seulgi's chambers was indeed part of it. The Imperial Ghosts came to after Seulgi had saved them. Seulgi was battling an intense struggle to keep the seventh prince safe from Crown Prince Seungri’s faction.

Seungwan’s inability to inherit the throne made her an easy target among the royalty and nobility. Their lackeys have pulled off catastrophic pranks that would’ve cost the seventh prince her life if it wasn’t for Seulgi.

Those that were saved by Seulgi and witnessed the endless conflicts had gotten together to avenge her. The ones that had inflicted damage on Seulgi were mysteriously dealt with one by one overnight.

Was it the god’s will or the devil’s tricks? A rumor soon spread among the palace: Those that come across Seulgi will greet the ghosts.

With the lack of evidence, these mysterious deaths were untraceable. Even those that instructed to lock her up in the Imperial Prison were never able to welcome the next morning.

The pranks and bullying soon ceased but they say the Imperials Ghosts still haunt the palace. Some served Seulgi in the shadows while others were able to work with her openly without a doubt due to their position. Jongin, the Imperial Commander was an important member. They were her most trusted people. 

As soon as Seulgi politely dismissed Seungwan and Joohyun, she returned to the others at the table. “Where’s Byul?”

The one adorning a similar black palace guard uniform spoke out. “She left to retrieve something important for tonight’s meeting.” Seulgi sat down and marveled at how fast Chungha had grown since she last saw her. Chungha was a new hall guard the first time they met. Unfortunately, she had caught the crown prince’s eyes. But when she rejected his advances, he had her transferred to his quarters to teach her a lesson.

Luckily, Seulgi was reporting to the former imperial commander and manage to slip up about the crown prince robbing him of one of his guards. It was fortunate they managed to search the crown prince’s quarters in time. He was put under house arrest when the former imperial commander reported the sinful act to the King.

“How about you, Hyojung?” Seulgi looked to the palace maid. Hyojung was a maid who used to serve the crown prince. But when she had accidentally spilled tea over his palace robes one day, he had her flogged. Seungwan was there to interrupt him and advise him to stop. But he dared the seventh prince to have Seulgi take her place instead. 

Twenty floggings in exchange for a palace maid. Seulgi didn’t even wait for Seungwan’s decision before she settled upon the wooden bench to endure the paddles. When Hyojung was transferred to Yueliang Palace, Seulgi managed to have her switch back and forth between the Royal Palace and the Bae estate.

The Imperial Ghost was initially a one-time gathering to avenge Seulgi. But seeing the mass that had gotten together, Seulgi proposed to shift their focus. With all in agreement, Seulgi established the Imperial Ghosts, a deadly elite force of guards tasked with protecting only members of the Royal Family. 

Additionally, their identities remain hidden like a shadow while protecting the family. They differ from normal palace guards. Palace guards protect any blood of those from royalty to nobility. Knowledge of the Imperial Ghosts is limited. They protect under the pretense of a palace staff, and they only answer to one master, the Captain of the Imperial Guards Kang Seulgi. 

A recent matter had brought Hyojung to meet up in the palace more often than Seulgi expected. While sneaking back from the Royal Palace to update Seulgi about Lady Miyoung’s health, she had run into a group of assassins heading towards the estate. Fortunately, Chungha was escorting her that night and intercepted the intruders. Chungha reported them to Seulgi, who despite her innocent appearance, interrogated them with a gruesome method of torture and discovered that someone was targeting the Bae clan.