Throne Room – Midnight
The moonlight spilled across the marble floor like spilled wine beautiful, but staining everything it touched.
Arius stood alone, staring at the throne he was born to inherit. His hands trembled, not from fear, but from fury.
The doors creaked open.
Seraphine entered, her gown shimmering like frost. Her expression was unreadable cold, composed, and distant.
"You summoned me?" she asked.
"I needed to hear it from you," Arius said. "Not from the council. Not from Caelum's smug mouth."
She tilted her head. "Hear what?"
"That you chose him," Arius said. "That you threw away everything we built for a man who's never bled for this kingdom."
Seraphine stepped forward. "Caelum understands power. He doesn't waste time chasing dreams."
Arius's voice cracked. "We were more than a dream."
She laughed soft, bitter. "We were a distraction. You were always chasing ideals. Justice. Honor. Love. But this kingdom doesn't run on poetry, Arius. It runs on control."
---
Flashback – The Garden
Arius had held her hand beneath the magnolia tree.
"When I'm king," he whispered, "I'll make you my queen. Not because of duty. Because I love you."
She had smiled then. But even in that moment, her eyes had flickered toward the palace windows where Caelum watched them from the shadows.
---
Back to Present
"You changed," Arius said. "You used to believe in me."
"I used to believe in a lot of things," Seraphine replied. "But belief doesn't protect you when the knives come out."
Arius stepped closer. "Did he threaten you?"
She didn't answer.
"Seraphine," he said, voice low, "did Caelum force you?"
She met his gaze. "He didn't have to. He simply showed me what you never could."
"And what's that?" Arius asked.
"How to win," she said. "How to survive."
---
Cedric's Quarters – Earlier That Day
Cedric paced as Arius stared blankly at the fire.
"He's poisoning her," Cedric said. "Caelum's been whispering in her ear for months. Telling her you're weak. That you'll ruin the kingdom with your sentiment."
Arius clenched his jaw. "She used to call my kindness strength."
"She calls it weakness now," Cedric replied. "And she's not the only one. The council's leaning toward Caelum. They think he's decisive. Ruthless."
Arius stood. "Then I'll show them what ruthlessness looks like."
---
Throne Room
"You think he loves you?" Arius asked. "He loves power. You're just the crown he couldn't wear."
Seraphine's eyes flashed. "And you think you loved me? You loved the idea of me. The girl who smiled and stood beside you. But I'm not her anymore."
"You're colder," Arius said. "Sharper. Crueler."
She stepped closer. "And you made me this way. You taught me that love is weakness. That devotion is dangerous. So I chose strength."
"You chose a snake."
"I chose survival."
---
Garden
Arius stood beneath the magnolia tree, snow falling around him.
Cedric approached. "She's gone?"
"She was gone the moment she let him in," Arius said.
Cedric hesitated. "What now?"
Arius turned toward the palace. "Now I stop mourning. And start fighting."