Adrian's POV(Dante's mind)
I burst through my chamber doors, breathing hard.
The room was full of guards. Six of them, all wearing Cassian's colors—golden armor with red trim. They stood in a circle around something on the floor.
Someone.
"Out," I ordered, my voice sharper than Adrian ever used. "Now."
The guards looked at each other, surprised. One of them—a captain with a scar across his cheek—smirked. "Prince Cassian ordered us to deliver the gift personally, Your Highness."
"And you've delivered it. Now leave."
The captain's smirk widened. "Prince Cassian also ordered us to... help you understand how to use your new property. Since you've never had a woman before."
The other guards laughed.
Rage burned through my chest. In my old life, I would've put a bullet in this man's head for talking to me like that. But I didn't have guns here. Didn't have power. Didn't have anything except Adrian's weak body and his terrible reputation.
I had to be smart.
"Tell my brother thank you for his concern," I said coldly. "But I can manage. Unless he wants me to tell Father that his guards disobeyed a direct order from a prince?"
The captain's smile died. Even the Mouse Prince could report them. And King Wilhelm, for all his hatred of Adrian, wouldn't tolerate guards disrespecting royalty.
"As you wish, Your Highness." The captain bowed mockingly. "Enjoy your gift."
They filed out, still chuckling. The door closed behind them.
I was alone with whoever they'd brought.
I turned toward the figure on the floor.
She was curled up in a ball, her hands chained behind her back. Dirty clothes hung off her thin frame. Her silver-blonde hair had been chopped short and uneven, like someone had used a knife instead of scissors.
But even like this—broken and filthy—I could see she'd once been beautiful.
"Are you going to stare all day?" Her voice came out hoarse but strong. "Or are you going to try something so I can kill you?"
I blinked, surprised. "I'm not going to hurt you."
She lifted her head slowly, and I saw her face for the first time.
Green eyes blazed with pure hatred. Scars cut across her cheeks and forehead. A slave brand burned into her neck—the mark of ownership.
But it was her eyes that stopped me cold. They held the same look I'd seen in my mirror a thousand times. The look of someone who'd lost everything and survived anyway.
"You're lying," she said. "All men lie. Especially princes."
"I'm not—" I stopped myself. She wouldn't believe words. I needed to show her. "What's your name?"
"Why?" She struggled to sit up despite the chains. "So you can pretend you care before you rape me?"
The word hit like a punch. Adrian's memories showed me the truth—this happened to slaves. Often. And princes were some of the worst offenders.
"I'm not going to touch you," I said firmly. "I just want to know who you are."
She laughed bitterly. "I'm no one. A slave. A thing your brother gave you to celebrate your engagement. That's all you need to know."
"The servant said you used to be a general."
Her entire body went rigid. The hatred in her eyes turned to something sharper—fear.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said quickly. Too quickly.
I knelt down slowly, keeping my hands visible. In the mafia, you learned to read people or you died. This woman was terrified I'd use her past against her.
"I'm not going to hurt you with information," I told her. "I'm trying to understand why Cassian gave you to me specifically. He doesn't do anything without a reason."
She studied my face, searching for the trap. "Why would you care?"
"Because he's trying to kill me." The words came out flat and honest. "And I think giving you to me is part of that plan. So tell me—who are you really?"
For a long moment, she said nothing. Then, slowly, the walls cracked.
"Seraphina," she whispered. "My name was Seraphina Ashford."
The name exploded in my head.
Adrian's memories surged forward—two years ago, a massive scandal. The Duke Ashford's daughter accused of treason. Her entire family executed. Their lands seized by the crown.
But there was more. Adrian remembered watching the trial from a distance, too scared to pay close attention. But he'd heard whispers. Some people didn't believe she was guilty. Some people thought Crown Prince Cassian had framed her.
"The Silver Phoenix," I said quietly.
Her eyes widened in shock. "No one calls me that anymore."
"They did once. The youngest general in the kingdom's history. Won three major battles before you turned twenty-three. The soldiers loved you."
Tears filled her eyes, but she blinked them away angrily. "That woman is dead. Cassian made sure of it."
"What happened?" I asked.
She looked away. "I discovered something I shouldn't have. Evidence that Cassian was working with our enemies. Selling military secrets. When I tried to report it to the king, Cassian struck first." Her voice cracked. "He framed me for the crimes he committed. Made it look like I was the traitor."
"And your family?"
"Executed. All of them. My father, my brothers, even my younger sister. Cassian said traitor blood needed to be purged." A sob escaped her throat. "I was supposed to die too, but he sold me into slavery instead. Said death was too easy. He wanted me to suffer."
My hands clenched into fists. This was exactly like something Vincent would've done—destroy someone completely, then keep them alive just to watch them hurt.
"Two years," Seraphina continued, her voice hollow. "Two years of hell. And now I'm here, given to the weakest prince like a joke. Cassian's final insult. The mighty general reduced to being the Mouse Prince's toy."
She looked at me with dead eyes. "So go ahead. Do whatever you want. I stopped caring a long time ago."
I should have been offended by being called weak. But I understood her pain too well. When Vincent shot me, I'd felt the same way—empty, betrayed, done caring about anything.
"I'm not going to use you," I said quietly. "I'm going to make you an offer instead."
She laughed harshly. "What could you possibly offer me? You're the useless prince everyone mocks. You can't even protect yourself."
"You're right," I admitted. "I can't. Not yet. But I can learn. And you can teach me."
Her eyes narrowed. "Teach you what?"
"How to fight. How to survive. How to think like a general." I met her gaze directly. "You want revenge on Cassian. I need to stay alive long enough to stop him from taking the throne. We both want the same thing—to see him destroyed."
"You're crazy," she whispered. "Even if I trained you for ten years, you couldn't beat Cassian. He's too powerful."
"Powerful people fall all the time. I've seen it happen." I thought of my own empire crumbling because Vincent got greedy. "Everyone has weaknesses. We just need to find his."
Seraphina stared at me like I'd grown a second head. "Why are you doing this? No one helps anyone in this palace without wanting something."
"I want to survive. And I can't do it alone." I stood up and found the key to her chains on a nearby table. "So I'm offering you a deal. Help me become strong enough to fight back. In return, I'll help you destroy the man who took everything from you."
I unlocked her chains. They fell to the floor with a heavy clang.
Seraphina rubbed her wrists, staring at her freed hands like she couldn't believe they were real.
"This is a trick," she said. "Another way to hurt me."
"It's not. I swear."
"Swear on what? Your honor?" She laughed bitterly. "Princes don't have honor."
I thought about Dante Russo. About Vincent's betrayal. About dying on a cold warehouse floor.
"Swear on my life," I said. "If I betray you, you can kill me. I'll even show you where I sleep."
She stood up slowly, her chains gone but her posture still defensive. We were the same height now. Her green eyes bore into mine, searching for lies.
"What's your real name?" she asked suddenly.
The question caught me off guard. "What?"
"You're not acting like Adrian Valerian. The Mouse Prince I heard about was weak, scared, pathetic. You're none of those things." She stepped closer. "So who are you really?"
My heart started pounding. Could she tell? Could she sense that someone else was inside this body?
"I'm still figuring that out," I said honestly. "But whoever I am, I'm not going to be their victim anymore."
Something shifted in her eyes. Not trust—not yet. But maybe the beginning of it.
"One chance," she said quietly. "You get one chance to prove you're different. If you fail, if you betray me, if you're just like all the others—"
"You'll kill me. I know."
"No." Her smile was sharp as broken glass. "I'll make you wish you were dead."
Before I could respond, the door crashed open.
Vivienne Ashford stood there, her platinum hair perfect, her dress expensive, her smile poisonous.
"There you are, my darling fiancé," she purred. Then her eyes landed on Seraphina. "And I see you've already unwrapped your gift from Cassian. How... improper."
Seraphina's entire body tensed. She stared at Vivienne with recognition and horror.
"You," Seraphina breathed. "You were at my trial. You testified against me."
Vivienne's smile widened. "Of course I did, dear. Your family's lands bordered mine. After your execution, Cassian gave them to me as a reward." She walked closer, examining Seraphina like a piece of meat. "How the mighty have fallen. The great Silver Phoenix, now a slave in chains."
"Get out," I said coldly.
Vivienne turned to me, surprised. "Excuse me?"
"I said get out of my room."
Her eyes flashed dangerously. "We're engaged, darling. I have every right—"
"We're not married yet. And until we are, you don't enter my chambers without permission." I stepped between her and Seraphina. "Leave. Now."
For a moment, Vivienne's mask slipped. I saw pure rage underneath. But then she smiled again, sweet as poisoned honey.
"Very well. But remember, Adrian—sunset. You promised the king an answer." She glanced at Seraphina. "Choose wisely. Your decisions affect more than just you now."
She left, her dress swishing.
The moment the door closed, Seraphina grabbed my arm hard. "That woman is dangerous. Vivienne Ashford is—"
"Ashford?" I interrupted. "Same last name as you?"
Seraphina's face went pale. "She's my stepsister."
The world tilted.
Cassian had framed Seraphina for treason. Given her lands to Vivienne. And now Cassian wanted me to marry Vivienne.
This wasn't random. This was all connected.
"What does Vivienne want?" I asked urgently.
"Everything," Seraphina whispered. "She always wanted everything I had. My father's love. My position. My fiancé." Her eyes widened in horror. "Oh gods. Who were you engaged to before? Before Vivienne?"
"I was never engaged before. This is my first—"
"No." Seraphina backed away, her face white as snow. "Not you. Cassian. Who was Cassian engaged to two years ago?"
My blood turned to ice as Adrian's memories provided the answer.
"You," I breathed. "He was engaged to you."
Seraphina nodded, tears streaming down her face. "I was going to marry the crown prince. Vivienne wanted that position. So she and Cassian worked together. They framed me, killed my family, took everything." Her voice broke. "And now they're getting married. She gets the throne. He gets her money and connections. I was just in the way."
The pieces clicked together in my head.
Cassian framing Seraphina. Giving her to me as a "gift" to humiliate her more. Forcing me to marry her stepsister. All of it designed to torture Seraphina with what she'd lost.
And kill me in the process.
"They want us both dead," I said. "You slowly, me quickly."
Seraphina wiped her eyes, and when she looked at me again, fire burned there.
"Then we make them regret it," she said. "Both of them."
"Deal."
We shook hands—a former mafia boss and a fallen general, both broken, both betrayed, both ready to burn down everything to get revenge.
But as our hands clasped, footsteps thundered down the hallway outside.
The door burst open again.
This time it was Marcus Stone—the captain of the guard I'd seen briefly in Adrian's memories. He was breathing hard, his face pale.
"Your Highness," he gasped. "The king. He's collapsed. They're saying he won't make it through the night."
My stomach dropped.
If King Wilhelm died tonight, Cassian became king immediately.
And the first thing a new king did was eliminate threats.
"How long?" I asked.
"Maybe hours. Maybe minutes." Marcus looked between me and Seraphina, confused but professional. "Prince Cassian has declared martial law. No one enters or leaves the palace. He says it's for security, but—"
"But he's locking us in," I finished.
Seraphina's hand found mine, squeezing hard.
"We're out of time," she whispered.
Marcus pulled out his sword. "I don't know what's happening, Your Highness, but something feels wrong. Very wrong."
"It is wrong," I told him. "And I need to know—if I asked you to help me survive tonight, would you?"
Marcus's scarred face hardened. "Prince Adrian, I've served this kingdom for fifteen years. I've watched corruption eat it from inside. If you're finally ready to fight back..." He knelt. "Then I'm with you."
Outside, bells began to ring.
The death bells.
King Wilhelm was gone.
And somewhere in this palace, Crown Prince Cassian was becoming King Cassian.
Which meant my death warrant had just been signed.
Seraphina looked at me, her green eyes fierce. "So what do we do?"
I thought of Dante Russo. Of building an empire from nothing. Of surviving when everyone wanted you dead.
"We play their game," I said. "Until we're strong enough to flip the board."
Thunder crashed outside, shaking the windows.
And in that moment, three broken people—a dead mafia boss in a prince's body, a fallen general in chains, and a disgraced guard captain—made a promise.
To survive.
To fight.
To win.
Or burn the whole kingdom down trying.