The tower bells tolled three times, slicing the morning silence.
In the palace war room, maps covered the tables and reports from the north were being piled without pause.
Crown Prince Leonhardt walked among the generals, his expression worn and his gaze hardened.
The candles trembled, casting shadows across his face — he looked older than his years.
— "Your Highness," one officer began, "the reports are clear. The black mists continue to spread. The birds… the ravens… are appearing in every village near the old d'Arnoir frontier."
Leonhardt clenched his fists.
— "And what of the scouts?"
— "They… have not returned."
The prince was silent for many long seconds, then turned to Emilia, who watched from the edge of the room.
— "Is she controlling this?"
Emilia hesitated.
— "Perhaps. But she may also be trying to contain it."
— "You still believe Celestine is not a threat?"
— "I do," Emilia said firmly, "that the true enemy may not be her."
---
⚜️ The Secret of the Royal Archives
While the council debated troop movements, Emilia made a dangerous choice.
She waited until nightfall, when the guards changed watch, and slipped into the Royal Archives — a vault where only the emperor or the crown prince had access.
The young heroine inhaled sharply and forced the locked drawer open with a small disguising charm. The corridor was dark and the drip of water echoed between stone shelves.
At the back of the room she found a drawer sealed with the imperial crest — and inside, documents marked in red ink:
> "PROJECT D'ARNOIR — TOP SECRET."
Emilia flipped through the pages, her heart racing.
And then she found what she'd feared.
> "Year 418. The throne orders blood experimentation on noble lineages to create mages capable of manipulating the Void. The d'Arnoir family was selected first. Result: catastrophic failure. The void-seal consumed those involved. The survivor… daughter of Duchess Seraphina."
> "Order of the throne: eliminate all remaining descendants and erase records."
Emilia took a step back, horrified.
— "So… the empire used them. And then killed them."
A sound behind her froze her in place.
Leonhardt stood in the doorway, his face half-swallowed by shadow.
— "I knew you would come here," he said quietly.
Emilia tried to hide the papers, but he had already seen them. He stepped forward and took a page, reading in silence.
Shock registered on his face at once.
— "The throne… did this?"
Emilia nodded.
— "The d'Arnoir blood wasn't a natural curse. It was engineered. The empire turned them into monsters — then hunted them down."
Leonhardt let the documents slip from his hand to the floor.
— "My father… knew of this?"
— "The emperor signed the order."
The silence that followed pressed like a weight. Leonhardt leaned on the table, breathing as if the world's burden had settled on his shoulders.
— "So all of this… the trial, the accusations against Celestine… was a cover for an imperial crime."
Emilia placed a hand on his arm.
— "Leonhardt, she's not the enemy. She's the result of everything the empire destroyed."
The prince looked at her — and for the first time, doubt, anger, and sorrow mingled in his eyes.
— "What if she finds out before I do?"
Emilia averted her gaze.
— "Then… the empire will burn."
---
🌑 The Throne's Voice
On the palace's uppermost floor, the emperor watched the night.
A man worn by years, but with cold eyes — eyes that had once decided the fate of thousands.
Beside him, the chancellor murmured:
— "The mists grow, Your Majesty. People speak the d'Arnoir name as though it were a living legend."
The emperor did not reply. He raised a goblet and studied the crimson wine.
— "Blood always comes back to collect," he said at last. "Prepare the decree. If Celestine d'Arnoir remains alive until the next moon, declare her traitor to the empire."
The chancellor bowed.
— "Yes, Majesty."
After the man left, the emperor's finger hovered over the map, trembling for a moment as it passed the north.
— "Seraphina… your daughter carries the same look you had."
---
🌹 Chapter Epilogue
Across the kingdom, Celestine felt the pact's pulse under her skin.
The seal shone on her palm, and in the distance ravens rose into the sky, spiraling to obscure the moon.
She smiled, bitter and resolute.
— "They finally decided to hunt me."
Damien, at her side, asked softly:
— "And what will you do?"
She turned to him, red eyes flashing.
— "What every villain does when the world calls her monster."
She raised her arm, and hundreds of ravens took flight, darkening the horizon.
— "I strike back."