The letter sat on her desk like a venomous snake.
Scarlet wax seal. Gold-threaded envelope. The royal crest of Elvara gleamed under the sunlight — a lion, proud and untouchable. In her past life, she had opened it without hesitation, believing the words inside to be the beginning of a fairy tale.
It had been the start of her nightmare.
Her fingers hovered over the seal, but she didn't break it. She didn't need to. She remembered every word of the invitation.
The royal court of Elvara is honored to announce the engagement of Her Grace Serenya Vale to His Majesty King Alderic of Tharan.
Her stomach twisted — not with pain this time, but with anticipation. This was the day history had written for her. But now, she was holding the pen.
A sharp knock echoed from the chamber door.
"Your Grace?" It was Marenne, her most loyal handmaiden in the past… until Marenne was bribed to spy on her.
Serenya's lips curved into a faint smile.
"Come in," she said evenly.
Marenne entered, curtsying, her brown curls bouncing. "The court messenger awaits your reply, my lady."
"In a moment." Serenya walked to the vanity, studying her reflection — the face of a girl who, by tomorrow, would be engaged to a king. In her past life, she had smiled for the court, dressed in jewels, and accepted her fate.
Not this time.
She turned to Marenne, her voice warm but layered with steel.
"Marenne, you've been with me for years. You'd never betray me, would you?"
The handmaiden's eyes widened at the sudden question. "O-of course not, my lady."
Serenya smiled faintly. Liar.
But she didn't call her out. Not yet. She had learned that true power came from patience, not rage.
"Good," Serenya said, her tone soft. "Because I will need you to deliver a message for me. Not to the court messenger. To General Kael of the Tharan army."
Marenne blinked in confusion. "The enemy general?"
"Yes," Serenya said simply. "Tell him the queen he once fought will meet him in the gardens of Rosehall at midnight. Alone."
In her past life, she had never spoken to Kael until after the war. Now, she would speak to him before it even began.
It was time to plant seeds no one would see until they bloomed into thorns.