As night fell, a heavy silence settled over the palace. The corridors grew colder, and the torches hanging on the walls cast long shadows that shifted with every breath of wind.
Kaizlan was returning to his chamber when he noticed three servants gathered near a side door, whispering to one another in voices barely audible.
He hesitated for a moment before approaching. At first, they did not notice him, but when his foot pressed against the wooden floorboards, the faint creak made them turn.
He pretended he hadn't been listening, yet a few words reached his ears:
"… another body was found outside the walls…"
"They said his chest was pierced with uncanny precision… as if by a deliberate hand."
"A black rose was placed beside him."
A brief silence fell between them. One of the servants wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve and muttered anxiously:
"Quiet… such talk could bring misfortune upon us."
They greeted him hastily as he passed, then slipped away quickly, as if fearful of being caught in their gossip.
⸻
In his chamber, Kaizlan sat by the window, his mind lingering on what he had overheard. He couldn't grasp the full meaning of their words, yet a strange unease stirred within his chest.
It was the first time he had heard of the "black rose," without realizing that it was no mere passing phrase, but a mark that would appear again and again along his path.