Katerina's POV
My hand trembles on the ballroom door.
Three years. Three years since I died in this palace. Three years since the man inside signed my execution order and never looked back.
And now I'm walking right back into his world wearing a different face and a smile that could cut glass.
Are you ready, my lady? Marcus's voice whispers from the shadows behind me. The Shadow Broker saved my life, trained me, gave me everything I need for this moment.
I straighten my spine. I was ready the day they tried to kill me.
I push open the doors.
The ballroom explodes with light and music and laughter. Hundreds of nobles in glittering masks dance and gossip under crystal chandeliers. The same chandeliers that hung over my wedding reception. The same floor where I danced with my new husband, trying desperately to make him smile.
He never did.
I scan the crowd, my heart pounding so hard it hurts. Where is he? Where is the Blood Prince who murdered his own wife?
Then I see him.
Prince Damien Ashforge stands alone on the balcony overlooking the gardens, a glass of wine in his hand and shadows under his eyes. Even from here, I can see how tired he looks. How haunted.
Good, I think viciously. I hope my ghost keeps you awake every night.
But something twists in my chest as I watch him. He's thinner than I remember. His shoulders carry a weight that wasn't there before. This isn't the cold, cruel prince from my memories. This is someone who looks... broken.
I crush that thought immediately. He should be broken. He killed an innocent woman.
He killed me.
Taking a breath, I weave through the crowd toward the balcony. Nobles stare at my black gown—scandalous for a party this bright—but I ignore them. I only have eyes for one man.
My target. My enemy. My husband.
Former husband, I remind myself. Dead wives don't have husbands.
I step onto the balcony. The cool night air hits my face, and suddenly I'm transported back three years. Standing on this exact balcony after the wedding, crying silent tears while my new husband ignored me inside. Serena's mocking laughter echoing from the ballroom.
You're either very brave or very foolish, Damien says without turning around. His voice is deeper than I remember, rougher. No one approaches the Blood Prince uninvited.
I force myself to smile even though he can't see it yet. Maybe I'm both.
He turns, and our eyes meet for the first time in three years.
I forget how to breathe.
Gods, he's exactly the same. Dark hair, sharp cheekbones, eyes like storm clouds. The face that haunted my nightmares. The face I've imagined destroying a thousand different ways.
The face I once stupidly hoped might learn to love me.
You're new, he says, studying me with unnerving intensity. I know everyone at court. Who are you?
Lady Raven Blackwood. The false name tastes bitter on my tongue. Recently arrived from the Neutral Territories.
The Neutral Territories. His mouth curves into something that's not quite a smile. Land of outcasts and criminals. What brings someone like you to my father's court?
Your father is a monster, and you're his perfect weapon, I want to scream. Instead, I step closer, letting my own smile sharpen. I heard the Blood Prince throws excellent parties. I had to see for myself.
Something flickers in his eyes, surprise? Amusement? Most people are terrified to speak my nickname to my face.
Should I be terrified? I challenge, even though my heart is racing. Even though every instinct screams that I'm too close to the man who destroyed me.
He looks at me like he's trying to solve a puzzle. They say I murdered my wife. Is it true?
The question hits me like a physical blow. For a second, I can't think, can't breathe, can't do anything but remember the axe falling toward my neck.
But I've trained for this. I've prepared for every possible conversation. I force my voice to stay steady, almost playful. They say many things about you, Your Highness.
But I signed the execution order. His voice drops, and there's something raw in it. Something that sounds almost like pain. That much isn't rumor.
I should walk away. This is too dangerous. I'm too close, and he's looking at me too carefully, and any second he might see through my disguise and recognize
Who are you really? he asks quietly.
Your dead wife. Your victim. Your worst mistake.
Someone who knows what it's like to lose everything to politics and power, I say instead. It's the truest thing I've told him yet.
His eyes search mine, and for one terrifying moment, I think he knows. I think he sees right through the magical disguise to the girl who begged him for mercy three years ago.
Then the moment breaks. He takes a long drink of wine and turns back to the gardens. The Neutral Territories. Dangerous place for a woman alone.
I can handle danger. I move to stand beside him at the railing, close enough to smell his cologne. It's the same scent from our wedding night. The memory makes my stomach twist.
Can you handle information? He glances sideways at me. You said you had something I need.
This is it. The opening I've been waiting for. I have intelligence about Crown Prince Adrian of Celestria. About what he's really planning.
Damien's entire body goes rigid. What do you know about Adrian?
I know he's not the peaceful king-in-waiting everyone believes. I know
Prince Damien! A messenger bursts onto the balcony, panting and wild-eyed. Your Highness, urgent news from Celestria!
The glass slips from my hand.
I know. Somehow, I already know what he's going to say. My body knows before my mind catches up. My mother. My mother whom I haven't seen in three years. My mother who thinks I'm dead.
No. No, please no.
Queen Isadora has died, the messenger gasps. Crown Prince Adrian will be crowned king within the month.
The world tilts sideways. The balcony spins. Somewhere far away, I hear Damien asking if I'm alright, his hand suddenly on my elbow, steadying me.
But all I can think is: Adrian killed her. My brother murdered our mother, and I wasn't there to stop it.
Lady Raven? Damien's voice sounds concerned. Why does he sound concerned? He doesn't care about anyone. You've gone pale. Did you know Queen Isadora?
I force myself to look at him. Force myself to lie through the tears burning behind my eyes. Only by reputation. She was said to be a good ruler.
She was. His jaw tightens, and his voice drops to something bitter and cold. Unlike her son.
I stare at him, my carefully constructed plan crumbling. What?
Adrian Valeheart is a snake wearing a crown. Damien's fingers grip the balcony railing so hard his knuckles turn white. And if I had any proof, I'd say he just murdered his own mother to take her throne.
My mind goes blank. Empty. Broken.
Damien suspects Adrian. Damien knows my brother is a monster.
Which means everything I thought about the conspiracy, everything I came here believing, might be completely wrong.
Tomorrow, Damien says, turning to face me fully. His eyes are intense, burning. Meet me tomorrow. Tell me everything you know about Adrian's plans. And Lady Raven?
He steps closer, so close I can see the gold flecks in his gray eyes. So close I could reach out and touch the face of my killer.
I don't trust easily, he murmurs. But something about you feels... familiar. Like you're someone I should know. Someone I've been waiting for.
My heart stops. Completely stops.
He releases my arm and walks away, leaving me alone on the balcony with my shattered assumptions and the ghost of his touch burning my skin.
I watch him disappear into the crowd, and one thought screams through my mind louder than anything else:
What if I've been hunting the wrong enemy all along?