Moonlight crawled across the long table where Lord Cassian Valtore stood, his hands tense against the polished wood. His allies—Lord Renwick Hale and Marquis Dorian Lestrelle—leaned in as Cassian recounted the moment Riven stared at him a week earlier.
"She looked at me," Cassian whispered, "as if she already knew the truth of what I did twenty years ago."
Renwick paled. "Did she say something?"
"No. That's what makes it worse." Cassian's jaw tightened. "She pretended not to know, but her eyes—those eyes—judged me."
Dorian exhaled shakily. "Then she must not live long enough to uncover the rest. Especially now that she is close to the princess."
Cassian nodded once.
Tomorrow . During her palace visit. She dies."
The lamp flickered. Their shadows bent and bowed, as if agreeing.
⸻
The palace training yard was quiet that morning, the air unusually still. Riven arrived early, walking between the columns, her posture relaxed… but her instincts sharpened like knives.
Morrivayne's voice slipped into her mind like smoke.
"Three eyes are watching you."
Riven did not react . She kept walking .
She pretended not to notice the guard who wasn't breathing properly.
She pretended not to notice the faint magical residue on the balcony.
She pretended not to hear the footsteps trying too hard to be silent.
She looked calm . Almost bored .
But inside, she counted heartbeats.
One. Two . Three .
The assassins struck simultaneously.
The first attacker dropped from the balcony with a poisoned blade—
The second hurled a cloud of black dust designed to melt the lungs—
The third lunged from behind a pillar with a short sword aimed at her throat.
To the watching guards, it looked like chaos.
To Riven , it unfolded exactly as she expected.
She moved like she had rehearsed it a thousand times.
She twisted, letting the blade pass her cheek by a hair.
She kicked the balcony assassin in the ribs so hard that he died in the spot —he landed with a loud crack.
She stepped through the cloud of poison before it fully bloomed, avoiding every lethal tendril as if she could see its path.
Kara shouted in shock , "watch out."
Lyria froze, breath caught in her throat.
The last assassin swung at her back—but Riven didn't even look. She reached behind her, caught his wrist, and flipped him onto the marble floor with brutal precision.
Then everything went silent.
The attackers groaned on the ground.
Riven stood untouched.
Her face calm. Expression unreadable . Breathing steady .
As if nothing had happened.
⸻
At The Throne Hall Aftermath
The throne hall filled quickly—nobles, guards, advisors—murmuring like frightened birds. The king sat forward, the queen beside him, their concern sharp and visible.
Riven stood alone in the center of the hall, still wearing the same neutral expression she had during the attack.
The king shouted;
Who dared to do that inside my home? Who dared to kill my guest under my watch?
The king studied her carefully.
"You seem… unsurprised or afraid , Riven ," he said.
A whisper rippled through the hall.
Nobles leaned in.
Riven lifted her head slightly.
"I've been attacked before," she replied calmly. "Fear is a waste of time."
The queen frowned. "Did you sense the attack coming?"
Riven shrugged lightly.
A perfect picture of feigned ignorance.
"I was simply… paying attention."
Lyria watched her closely—eyes filled with worry, and something else she didn't yet understand.
But the king—
He narrowed his gaze.
He did not believe her.
He sensed what others did not:
She knew.
She knew far more than she spoke.
The hall quieted.
Riven stepped forward, her boots echoing sharply on the marble.
When she spoke, her tone changed:
Calm. Cold . And unmistakably threatening .
"If someone is bold enough to try killing me inside your palace," she said, "then I will not remain silent."
The hall froze.
Her golden eyes reflected the torchlight, sharp as a predator's.
"If they come for me again…"
She paused— Letting her voice sink into every noble's bones .
"…I will find them first ."
Another step forward.
"And I will kill them."
Gasps filled the hall.
Even some guards flinched.
But not the king.
He watched her with a calculating stare—half concern, half fear, half awe.
(Yes… he thought. She knows something. And she is far more dangerous than they expected .)