Colden entered the dorms quietly, his footsteps soft against the stone floor. He found Carmine seated on her bed, her posture relaxed, her eyes gleaming with a devilish look that unsettled him. There was no fear in her, no trace of the midnight attack that had shaken the palace.
"Well," he said cautiously, "aren't you glad that nobody got hurt?"
Carmine's lips curved into a smirk. "I know who did it. And it's amusing… thinking what I can do to them."
Colden instinctively stepped back, sensing the sharp, vengeful energy radiating from her. It was not the calm protector he had always known, but the assassin she once had been.
She leaned forward, her voice low. "Since I joined the royal family, my assassination days are past. But I'll admit… I miss them. And now that someone has taken a bow at me, I can finally return the favour."
Colden sat beside her, his tone softening. "Thank you for having my back at the dinner last night. I knew you were pissed off by them, but you still stayed. Thank you."
Carmine's expression softened, her smirk fading into a smile. "Do you forget that I know every bit of them as well as you? I know how they were gritty and insolent. But not you, Colden. Because I raised you. I will always protect you. I will always stand by you."
A warmth spread through Colden's chest, easing the tension that had gripped him. Yet the weight of his decision still loomed — the answer he owed his brothers, the crown that awaited him. His hands trembled slightly.
Carmine reached out, taking his hand firmly. "Colden, whatever you decide, just know this: I, Elaine, Francis, and of course Marco… we will always stand by your side. No matter what."
Her words settled into him like a shield. For the first time, he felt reassured, his path clearer.
Unseen by them, Glinda lingered behind the walls, listening. Her eyes narrowed, her mind racing. What she saw was not a fractured household, but a family — bound by loyalty, by love, by defiance. She slipped away silently, carrying the knowledge with her.
To be continued…