The assassination attempt on Princess Lyria in the market spread through the capital like wildfire.
Whispers followed the royal carriage back to the palace, and by the time she arrived, the entire court already knew:
Someone dared to attack the princess in broad daylight.
Inside the palace, tension was thick enough to choke on.
Inside the Royal Palace
The king sat at the head of the strategy chamber, fingers drumming sharply against the polished table. His expression was dark as a thundercloud.
King:
"An attack on her life… in the open streets? This isn't defiance. This is a declaration of war."
Lyria stood silently against the wall, her silver eyes downcast. The scene kept replaying in her mind—the masked man, the poisoned dagger inches from her heart, and then…
Raven's hand seizing the blade without hesitation.
Royal Guard:
"Your Majesty, we still haven't found concrete evidence linking the attack to one of the noble houses—"
The king slammed his hand against the table.
"Who else possesses such forbidden poison? Who else would dare target my daughter? Continue the investigation—I want answers, not excuses."
But Lyria barely heard the argument. Her mind kept returning to something else entirely:
'Poisons don't work on me.'
'Healing magic doesn't work on me either.'
Those words unsettled her far more than the attack itself.
⸻
Raven sat on her bed, quietly removing the bandage from her hand.
Dried blood clung to her skin, but the wound remained—the same deep red cut that refused to heal.
She stared at it with a faint, mocking smile.
Raven(murmuring to herself):
"They went after the princess instead of me this time… bold.
They must be getting desperate."
Her aura had grown heavier ever since she copied the spirit magic—darker, colder. Even the air around her seemed weighted, pulsing like a restrained beast waiting to be unleashed.
The door to her room opened abruptly without a knock.
Princess Lyria stepped inside.
She was still wearing her formal gown, her long silver hair cascading over her shoulders like moonlight. Her eyes scanned the room, then stopped on Raven .
Raven :
"Princess…?"
Lyria (soft but tense):
"You didn't return to the palace after the investigation.
I came to make sure you're alright."
Raven raised a brow, indifferent as ever.
Raven :
"I told you earlier. I'm fi—"
Lyria cut her off sharply, surprising even herself.
"No. Don't say you're fine. You were bleeding in front of me , and because of me."
Raven froze slightly, caught off guard.
Lyria (voice trembling with frustration):
"If you hadn't grabbed that dagger for me… if you weren't there…"
She stepped closer, hands clenched.
Lyria:
"Why do you act like your life doesn't matter?"
Raven looked at her silently.
Then came that faint , soft , fake smile—the one Lyria hated most.
Raven :
"Because it doesn't.
Not in the way you think."
Lyria's breath hitched, something sharp tightening in her chest.
Lyria:
"I hate that smile."
Raven blinked.
"What smile?"
Lyria:
"The one you use when you pretend no one matters to you."
Before Raven could answer, a familiar voice cut in from the doorway:
Kara:
"Oh for heaven's sake—do I need to drag you two apart? We only came to make sure Raven isn't dead."
Lyria gasped.
"K–Kara!!"
Kara laughed lightly, hands behind her head.
Kara:
"Princess is getting reeeally sensitive these days. I wonder why."
Lyria's cheeks flushed bright red, while Raven simply stared at them both… utterly confused.
⸻
In a dimly lit manor on the far edge of the capital, Duke Cassian met with a circle of nobles.
Their faces were tight with anxiety.
Noble:
"We failed to kill the girl… and worse—we targeted the princess , That was a mistake , Because we were in a hurry, our plans fell apart; now the king will pursue us relentlessly.
Cassian slammed his fist on the table.
Cassian:
"The girl is far stronger than we calculated. Her abilities defy reason."
A cloaked sorcerer stepped forward.
Sorcerer:
" we have heard that She absorbs magic. That explains her resistance to every attack.
But now that she survived the poison… things may escalate."
Cassian lifted his gaze, hatred gleaming.
Cassian:
"Then we change our approach.
No more attacking her directly."
The nobles leaned in.
Cassian:
"We target the things… she tries to protect."
A chilling silence followed.
A spark had been struck.
And everyone—whether they realized it or not—was standing at the edge of a storm.
And They don't realize they are about to awaken a sleeping monster that is ready to destroy everything in its path.