Everything in the Empire has a price—and some debts are paid in silence.For years, the life of a commoner has been defined by the scent of ozone and the weight of forgotten history. In the shadow of the capital city's towering, light-drenched spires, survival is a cold, meticulous craft. For one girl, it means drifting from city to city, trading her father's legacy for bread, accompanied only by a compact machine that remembers everything she is forced to forget.When an unexpected collision with the Prince of the Empire lands her in the heart of the Imperial Palace, she becomes just another faceless thing in a labyrinth of incense and ritual. Here, among the velvet, the stone, and the whispers of the nobility, she plays the part of the invisible observer.But behind her mask of domestic worker lies an architecture of secrets that even the throne cannot comprehend. She is moving through the corridors of power, not as a guest, but as a ghost in the machine of the Empire. She knows exactly what she is looking for.In the dark heart of the palace, the only thing more dangerous than being noticed is being found out.
