The next day, Ai Natsuki visited the Hongshou Hall in the Inner Palace to see her sister.

“Ai Natsuki greets Consort Zi Xian. I have brought a copy of the book you requested.”

Spreading the book out on the table for her sister to see, Ai Natsuki kneeled in respect—placing one hand over the other and bowing her head. She was dressed in a luxurious long-sleeved robe, paying full respect to her sister.

Consort Zi Xian arrived, accompanied by two handmaidens and a eunuch. As she stepped gracefully onto the wooden floor of the grand hall, the long hem of her robe swayed elegantly. Her hair was intricately tied up, adorned with multiple hairpins and ornaments, looking beautiful yet somewhat heavy. She wore a refined, gradient-dyed skirt, cinched at the waist with a sash decorated with a purple jade pendant. Her elegant demeanor alone signified her high status.

“Ai Natsuki, how have you been? Are you eating properly?”

Her sister gently cupped Ai Natsuki’s cheeks with her delicate fingers, looking at her with concern.

“Y-Yes… I apologize for suddenly breaking our promise.”

She couldn’t possibly explain that she had gone for an exorcism and ended up dead. So, Ai Natsuki lowered her head.

“You don’t need to worry about promises. I was just surprised because, despite staying up late so often, you’ve never collapsed before…”

As she listened to her sister’s lively voice and gazed into her dark, expressive eyes, Ai Natsuki felt the reality of their conversation sink in. She couldn’t help but smile.

(I’m glad… I didn’t end up dying for good…)

At the same time as she rejoiced in being alive, she remembered the condition for her return—helping Taizan Fukun.

──“There was something I needed to investigate in the mortal world. I shall influence your fate. If you go to the castle and assist me, I will allow you to return to the living.”

(Well… this palace is technically a castle, but… there’s no way this visit counts as assisting him, right?)

Just as Ai Natsuki was distracted by thoughts of Taizan Fukun, someone arrived with a eunuch acting as their herald. One of Consort Zi Xian’s handmaidens responded to the visitor.

“Oh my, someone is coming while I’m meeting Ai Natsuki… I wonder who it could be?”

Her sister’s expression darkened slightly. It seemed to be someone she couldn’t refuse. She granted them permission to enter.

(We finally got to meet again, and now I already have to leave…?)

Just as Ai Natsuki was feeling disheartened, a young man dressed in official robes entered the Hongshou Hall, accompanied by a eunuch.

“Consort Zi Xian, I, Kōryokushui, offer my greetings. Thank you for accommodating my request. Is this the rumored letter writer?”

The young official who entered had a refined and dignified appearance. With his neatly tied-up hair secured by a hairpin, he stood tall and graceful. If he smiled at a woman, it seemed certain that any of them would fall for him.

(What is this rumor about? Could it be about my ghostwriting for spirits, or…?)

“Could it be… the girl who returned from the underworld?”

Ai Natsuki had such a notorious reputation that she couldn’t even guess what the rumors were about. Just as she was scrutinizing the official, he was also appraising her. The tension in the air was thick, but Consort Zi Xian, the highest-ranking person in the room, smoothly diffused it.

“Are you referring to the rumor that ‘Ai Natsuki’s letters always reach their destination’? I never expected it to spread all the way to the Outer Court… The head of the Manuscript Department at the Ministry of Secretaries would hardly come just to request a simple transcription. You must have an important letter to send, do you not?”

Ai Natsuki was the one most shocked by those words.

──“If you have Ai Natsuki write your letters, they will always reach their destination.”

Her sister had once said that when persuading their father to let Ai Natsuki work as a ghostwriter. But Ai Natsuki had assumed it was just a convenient excuse. She never imagined someone would take that baseless rumor seriously and come to request her services. Her mind went completely blank.

(Come to think of it… That ghost also said, ‘I recalled the rumor that if I ask the teacher, there will be no mistakes.’)

If the origin of the rumor was her sister, then perhaps that ghost had once been in the Inner Palace.

As Ai Natsuki’s thoughts swirled chaotically, she failed to refute the rumor in time.

“You are exactly right, Consort Zi Xian,” Kōryokushui responded. “As you may be aware, a royal decree has been issued for a certain ritual. However, despite sending an urgent courier for the necessary documents, we have not received any response. It is likely due to the ongoing floods following last year’s drought… I understand that this is an unreasonable request, but I would like to ask Ai Natsuki to write a letter for us.”