The fire blared. The orange light illuminated the royal barracks, and the thick smoke above choked the sky.
Kaelith stood frozen in front of the fire, staring at the outline of her cousin.
"She's wearing my ring," she said flatly.
Theron gripped her arm tightly. "We need to leave. If the guards see us, we'll take the fall."
"But that's my ring on her hand." She looked up at him slowly. "It's my signet ring."
"She's flaunting it like a trophy," he said with a frown. "She's doing this to pull you out. This is a trap."
Kaelith clenched her fists. "Let her burn. I want nothing to do with her."
"She's not going to stop," Theron replied. "With your ring, she has access to your seals, to the Ravencourt accounts… to your name."
"She must've taken it after I was arrested. She must have gone back to the manor."
Kaelith bit the inside of her cheek. Her hand twitched, and she grabbed a sharp piece of her robe's embroidery, digging it into her skin.
"She thinks I'm gone. Or that I'm too scared to show my face.
The next morning, the royal papers covered it all:
"Thalia Ravencourt — The True Heir?"
"Crowns and Ashes: The Court Is Divided"
"Villain Duchess' Legacy: The Fire at the Barracks"
"She used the name I gave her. She let the fire ruin my name. I gave her my hand, my room, my loyalty, and she spat it all back."
Kaelith hurled the paper across the room.
Theron sighed. "You always wanted to be remembered."
She turned away. "I didn't want to be remembered like this."
That night, the hideout was lit with candles and maps. The Black Rose Order's inner circle gathered with Kaelith at the center.
"She stole my ring. My name. And they're calling her the heir. That she was the secret I left behind."
Theron's face was unreadable. "She has court support. Rumor says even Lord Kalen, the Queen's advisor, backs her."
Kaelith scoffed. "Because she knows how to play the part. I was the shadow; she was the light."
"She helped you escape," Theron reminded. "And then replaced you."
"She was always playing the long game. Even when she was my handmaid. She cleaned my wounds after Aldric died. She said she loved me."
"She waited for the fire to burn everything away before she stepped forward."
Kaelith looked at her reflection in a polished blade.
"Then I'll become the flame. And I'll burn everything she stole down.
Later that night, Kaelith sat with a brush in hand, sketching Thalia's face. It was a mask now—silver, cold, lined with elegant grey and red strokes. Flowers curled like vines at the edges, blooming from black voids.
"This feels like worship," she muttered. "She's beautiful, even in betrayal."
Theron looked over her shoulder. "You're obsessed."
"I'm angry," she corrected. "And she's vain. She would've forged my seal—but she couldn't copy the scar on the wing. My seal cracked the night Aldric died. That mark... that scar proves who I am."
She stood up.
"We're going to find her letters. Her accounts. Her ledgers. Anything that ties her to the forgeries."
"And if she didn't leave anything behind?"
"She did," Kaelith said. "She needs to be seen. To be praised. There's no way she didn't keep a record of her rise.
Two days later, they intercepted a courier. A letter sealed with the Ravencourt crest.
Kaelith opened it carefully.
The seal was smooth—perfect.
Too perfect.
"She copied my crest exactly. But there's no scar."
She turned the letter in her hands. The signature read:
Lady Thalia Ravencourt
Duchess of Greystone
"To Lady Caldreth," Kaelith read aloud. "She's trying to win over the Queen's council. Caldreth used to serve the Queen directly... she's powerful."
Theron narrowed his eyes. "That's dangerous."
Kaelith grabbed her cloak. "Then I'm going to the palace."
Theron looked at her like she'd lost her mind. "You'll be arrested."
"Then they'll have to catch me first."
The moon was high. Kaelith slipped into the palace through a hidden tunnel—one she used to explore with Aldric. She moved like a shadow through the walls.
In the garden, near the ancient fountain, someone waited.
Silver hair. Regal stance.
Prince Corven.
"Your Highness," she said, eyes unblinking.
He turned slowly. His voice was low. "So you're alive."
Kaelith raised her chin. "And you didn't look for me."
"I thought you would disappear."
"I'm not a ghost, Corven. I'm the heir. And I'm taking back what's mine."
They stood in silence, two blades sharpened over time—ready to clash again.