Adrien leaned against the cold stone of the eastern corridor, staring through the arched window at the courtyard below. His jaw was tight, his fists still raw from gripping his sword too hard.
"You'll break the stone if you glare long enough."
He turned sharply. Evelyne stood behind him, a folded cloak in her arms.
"You followed me," he said.
"You stormed out of council," she replied evenly. "Someone had to follow."
Adrien scoffed. "Lucien didn't notice?"
"Lucien believes you'll cool." Evelyne stepped closer, her voice lowering. "But I saw your hands. You weren't cooling. You were burning."
Adrien looked away. "Burning is all I know."
"That is not true."
He turned back, eyes fierce. "Isn't it? Look at me, Evelyne. Look at my brother. The Queen calls him steady, the court calls him wise. And me? The restless shadow. The flame that scorches more than it warms."
Her gaze held his, calm but steady. "And yet flames light halls where shadows choke. You forget that."
For a moment, silence pressed between them. Adrien's jaw eased, only slightly. Then he shook his head, rough. "You speak gently. Too gently. You cannot understand what it is to watch someone praised for a crown that should be yours."
"I understand envy," Evelyne said softly. "I understand love. Both destroy if you feed them too much."
Adrien's lips parted, words faltering. For a heartbeat, his fire flickered into something else — raw, unguarded.
But then footsteps echoed.
Seraphina appeared at the far end of the corridor, her gown whispering against the stone. She paused as though surprised, her expression perfectly calm.
"Your Highness," she said sweetly. "Forgive me. I did not mean to intrude."
Adrien's eyes sharpened. "And yet you do."
Seraphina's lips curved, just faintly. "I only came to say that the council ended well. Lucien believes your temper sharpened the discussion. He is… grateful."
Adrien barked a laugh. "Grateful that I play the fool while he plays the saint."
"You misunderstand him," Seraphina said gently. Her gaze flicked, quick as a blade, to Evelyne. "But perhaps… not all misunderstandings can be mended."
Evelyne inclined her head politely. "Then let us not weave more."
"Wise," Seraphina said. She dipped in a graceful curtsy, her eyes lingering on Adrien half a heartbeat too long before she turned and drifted away.
Adrien exhaled sharply, leaning back against the stone. "She smiles like a saint and strikes like a dagger."
Evelyne's voice was quiet. "And you lean closer to the dagger each day."
Adrien's jaw tightened. "Perhaps I want to be cut."
"Then remember," Evelyne whispered, "a wound doesn't always heal where it strikes. Sometimes it festers."
Adrien looked at her, his fire clashing against her calm, and for the first time, he had no reply.
---
✨ This chapter:
Adrien & Evelyne → emotional conversation, her warning vs his fire.
Seraphina enters briefly, planting subtle discord and keeping her perfect mask.
Ends with Adrien torn between Evelyne's truth and Seraphina's dangerous pull.