The gold-trimmed halls of the imperial palace hadn't changed.
The same white marble. The same hollow elegance. The same suffocating scent of roses meant to hide the rot of court politics. But Seraphina Velora walked these halls differently now—calmer, quieter. Eyes open.
Every smile she passed was a mask. Every noblewoman who curtsied was calculating her next move. Every man bowed low while watching her from the corner of his eyes.
She had once been blind to this. Not anymore.
"Lady Seraphina," a saccharine voice called.
She turned.
Lady Evelyne Astor approached with dainty steps and a falsely modest smile. Draped in pastel silks with a delicate butterfly pendant gleaming at her neck, Evelyne looked like innocence incarnate. But Seraphina knew better.
This woman would someday stand beside the prince. Loved. Protected. Chosen.
"Such a lovely surprise to see you here already," Evelyne said, her voice as smooth as whipped cream. "Your presence must mean something special is being planned."
Seraphina smiled gently. "You flatter me, Lady Evelyne. But aren't you always the one full of surprises?"
Evelyne blinked—just once. A subtle twitch of her cheek betrayed her.
A hit.
Before Evelyne could retort, a trumpet sounded across the ballroom.
All eyes turned.
The Crown Prince was entering.
---
Scene Break
Seraphina felt his presence before she saw him. Cold. Focused. Heavy with command.
Kaelith Draven's boots echoed across marble. He wore black today—lined with silver embroidery and a silver crest over his heart. His sword hung at his side, but it was his eyes that silenced the room.
And when they met hers…
…they didn't slide away this time.
They stayed.
He studied her—not as a prince observing a desperate admirer, but as a man watching something unfamiliar. Something potentially dangerous.
Seraphina curtsied low. Graceful. Measured.
When she rose, he was still staring.
Then he spoke, loud enough for all to hear.
"Lady Seraphina. May I have a word?"
Murmurs surged through the room. Evelyne's jaw clenched.
Seraphina bowed slightly. "Of course, Your Highness."
---
Scene Break: The Garden Balcony
The palace garden lay still, blanketed in moonlight. Blossoms hung heavy with dew, perfuming the night air. Seraphina stood beneath the arch of climbing roses, facing the man who had once ordered her death.
Prince Kaelith's expression was unreadable.
"You are… different," he said.
Seraphina tilted her head. "Is that a compliment, or an accusation?"
His eyes narrowed. "Neither. Simply an observation."
She chuckled lightly, turning to examine a rosebud. "People change, Your Highness. Sometimes it takes pain to grow."
He stepped closer. "I recall you once saying love was worth any sacrifice."
"That girl was a fool," she said, voice low.
His gaze flickered to her face, searching for something. He looked almost… curious.
She turned to him fully. "If you summoned me for polite conversation, I'd prefer to return inside. Your silence is far too loud."
But before she could move, his voice dropped—quiet but edged.
"Who is advising you now, Lady Seraphina?"
She blinked. "Excuse me?"
"You speak like someone who has seen battle. Not ballroom." He paused. "I wonder what changed you so… suddenly."
A flicker of danger. He was testing her.
She smiled sweetly. "Perhaps I simply stopped dreaming."
---
Scene Break: Later That Night – Velora Manor
Seraphina removed her earrings one by one, watching her reflection in the mirror.
The conversation with Kaelith replayed in her mind.
He was suspicious. Good. It meant he was paying attention. That he didn't see her as weak anymore.
But she couldn't afford his interest yet—not until she was in position.
She opened a locked drawer, pulling out an old, faded letter.
A memory she'd buried.
The letter that started it all.
"You were never meant to be a pawn. But if you don't leave the palace now, they will use you until you are nothing. – A Friend"
It had arrived too late in her previous life. She never found out who sent it. But now…
She would.
Because someone in the palace had tried to warn her.
And someone else had orchestrated her downfall.
Her finger traced the signatureless page.
"I'm going to find you," she whispered. "Both of you."
---
Final Scene – The Palace, Midnight
Far from the main halls, in a candlelit chamber draped in gold and scarlet, a man in shadows watched Seraphina's earlier movements through a spyglass-like artifact.
"She remembers nothing," came a voice beside him.
The man—tall, robed in black and gold—smirked.
"No," he said slowly. "She remembers… everything."
His fingers closed around a shard of red crystal—glowing faintly in the dark.
"And that makes her dangerous."