Chapter Seven: The Gathering Storm
Two nights later, the moon hung low and watchful as Caden rode for Duke Alvan's estate.
He wore the uniform of a lower noble house, face shadowed by a hood. I watched him leave from my tower window, heart clenching with something dangerously close to fear.
I had died once before.
I didn't want to lose him, too.
While he infiltrated their secret meeting, I hosted a tea.
Yes—a tea.
Because in the court of vipers, poison is most often served with sugar.
Lady Irielle, Duchess Vexa, and Countess Elane—three of the most influential tongues in the palace—sat across from me in a sun-drenched garden. I wore white silk, my expression carefully curated.
"You've grown into your mother's beauty," Irielle cooed, her fan fluttering.
"And your father's silence," Elane added with a smile that did not reach her eyes.
"Then perhaps I inherited all their best traits," I said sweetly, pouring their tea.
They sipped.
I didn't.
Not because it was poisoned, but because I never drank with those who might stab me later.
Which meant I rarely drank at all.
Later, when the ladies had gone and their whispers were already floating down the halls, I returned to my rooms.
Caden was waiting in the shadows.
My heart jolted. "You're early."
He stepped into the candlelight, pulling the hood back.
"I slipped in through the kitchen cellars. Nobles talk too much when wine is free."
"What did you learn?"
He handed me a scroll—sealed with Alvan's crest. I broke it carefully, heart thundering.
Inside were minutes from the meeting: a list of promised votes. Mentions of Kael's plan to secure the throne. References to my "mental instability" and how "grief had made her a liability."
I read the words with a calm I didn't feel.
"They're planning to force my father to abdicate," I said, voice flat.
Caden nodded. "And crown Kael as heir in his place. With you at his side—until you're no longer useful."
I met his eyes.
"I won't let that happen."
His expression didn't change. "Then you'd better move faster. The vote is set for the full moon."
Seven days.
Seven days to destroy Kael.
That night, I wrote a letter.
Not a plea.
A warning.
To the Chancellor of the High Council,
This is not treason. It is justice. Watch closely. What you see next will decide the fate of this realm.
—E. Seravyn
Let them come.
I would be waiting.
To be Continued...