The corridors of the imperial wing were different from the rest of the palace.
Here, no gaudy gold or ornamental paintings to impress guests.
Here, polished black marble reflected dim shadows, like a frozen midnight pond.
The walls were lined with ebony panels, pierced with real weapons—chipped swords, scorched spears, shields bearing unhealed battle marks.
This was not decoration.
This was a museum of wars.
And the air… was heavier.
The scent of weapon oil, sharp mountain incense, raw magical energy made my skin crawl.
I felt like I had entered a predator's lair, where every corner bore its mark.
Kaian's hand didn't hurt as he pulled me behind him, yet it was possessive.
He didn't look at me.
He didn't need to.
The tension in his shoulders was visible beneath his military jacket.
His steps were wide, measured, neither hurried nor slow.
Not blind anger… but determination.
Determination to isolate me.
[System Alert: You have entered the "Sovereignty Zone."]
[Warning: Stealth skills reduced by 30%.]
[Note: "Dragon Aura" pierces superficial lies.]
Excellent.
I was now in the lion's den… and the lion was awake.
Stop panicking.
Think.
I am Laila.
I dealt with multi-million-dollar corporate crises.
The only difference now: failure meant the guillotine.
He stopped in front of a massive steel door, carved with a dragon's head breathing fire.
Without hesitation, he opened it.
We entered.
His office.
The walls lined with thick leather-bound books, military maps pinned with silver tacks, a massive table in the center with stone army models, each base holding a colored gem.
This wasn't a reading room.
This was a decision room that killed thousands.
He closed the door behind us.
The metallic click echoed in my ears like a sentence passed.
He turned to me.
His golden eyes shone in candlelight, void of warmth.
Only analysis.
"Sit."
He gestured to a leather chair before his desk.
I didn't move.
"I prefer to stand, Your Highness."
A calculated mistake.
In less than a blink, he was in front of me.
I didn't see him move—
I only felt his presence envelop me.
His hands rested on the chair's backrests behind me, trapping me with his body.
The heat of his breath brushed my face.
The scent of sandalwood and steel.
"Evelyn von Rosefeld."
He whispered my name slowly.
"The woman who once wept in jealousy of Isabella… who couldn't tell dagger from decoration… how do you wield the purple spark?"
An invisible pressure swept my chest.
[Warning: Activate "Soul Pressure" skill.]
[Current resistance level: 62%]
So he was testing me.
I looked directly into his eyes.
Do not break eye contact.
"People change when they see the guillotine up close."
Silence.
I added calmly:
"As for magic… perhaps Rosefeld blood hides secrets even the palace does not know."
[Alert: High probability of lying.]
[Suggested option: Activate "Feign Weakness Moment."]
[Cost: 5 Charm Points.]
[Result: Suspicion reduced by 10%.]
Do it.
Suddenly, I felt my strength break.
I stepped back, as if the floor had betrayed me, collapsing into the chair.
Real tears began to form—not entirely an act.
The pressure was real.
"Kaian…"
My voice cracked.
"I lived under my father's shadow… a man who saw me only as a tool.
He taught me things a noblewoman should never know."
His face stiffened at the mention of the Duke.
Good.
"Magic wasn't my choice."
I lifted my gaze to him; a tear slid slowly.
"It awoke in the forest… when Isabella tried to kill me."
The silence that followed was dense.
His hand no longer pressed on the chair.
But he didn't step back.
"Isabella… tried to kill you?"
Mockery was evident, but not full denial.
"Didn't you see what happened in the hall?" I whispered.
"Magic doesn't lie. It intertwined with my energy as if it knew it."
I didn't accuse her directly.
I planted doubt.
And that was stronger.
I stepped back.
He walked slowly through the room.
For the first time, he wasn't predatory… he was thinking.
[Sub-mission completed: Seeded doubt.]
[+10 Charm Points.]
[Suspicion level reduced to 27%.]
[New status: "Dangerous Enigma."]
Better than "confirmed enemy."
He stopped by the window.
"If there is a hand behind the Shadow Guild…" he said slowly,
"it is a hand with power beyond the temple."
Accurate analysis.
But suddenly, the system shook.
My vision blurred.
[Red Alert!]
[Detection: Magical assassination in progress.]
[Method: Black Soul Dust.]
[Source: Beyond the door.]
[Spread within 20 seconds.]
I lifted my gaze to the ceiling.
Fine silver dust began trickling from the vents.
Beautiful… like glowing snow.
Deadly.
"Kaian! Don't breathe!"
I didn't wait for explanation.
I grabbed his collar and dragged him down.
[System Store opened.]
[Suggested item: Purification Bubble.]
[Cost: 20 Charm Points.]
[Balance: 15.]
[Optional: Soul Tether.]
Of course.
A stronger violet aura burst from my body than before.
A transparent bubble formed around us just before the dust could touch our skin.
The dust collided with the barrier.
A terrifying sizzle.
Like acid trying to devour glass.
Kaian above me, hands pressing instinctively to shield me.
His eyes widened, reflecting the pulsing violet glow.
For the second time today…
I saved him.
"Evelyn…"
My name left his lips slowly, differently.
Not accusation.
Not disdain.
Something else.
[Bubble will collapse in 60 seconds.]
[Attacker beyond door.]
[Emergency mission: Fight or perish.]
[Reward: +100 days of life.]
[Unlock: Trusted Partner status.]
One hundred days?
This was no small reward.
I glanced at him quickly.
"When I open a gap… go immediately. Don't give him a chance to cast another spell."
He didn't hesitate.
"Do it."
The trust in his voice… startled me for a moment.
I focused my energy toward the door.
The bubble began weakening there.
The air trembled.
Slow footsteps approached from outside.
Then—
A calm laugh.
Deep.
Familiar.
Kaian froze.
"Impossible…"
The voice said coldly:
"You clever snake, Evelyn."
My heart stopped.
No.
Impossible.
"I only wanted to get rid of my son… but it seems I'll have two prizes tonight."
Emperor Marcus.
His father.
The silence that followed his name was heavier than the poisonous dust.
The bubble began cracking.
A thin line of violet light broke.
Kaian stood slowly.
I had never seen him like this.
Not anger.
Not shock.
But… deep betrayal.
"Father."
He spoke low, dangerously.
Beyond the door, a long shadow stretched across the black floor.
"Thrones aren't inherited, son… they are seized."
The dust thickened outside the barrier.
The crack widened.
[Warning: 15 seconds until total collapse.]
[Soul Tether accumulating.]
[Chance of unconsciousness: 38%]
This was no ordinary assassination.
This was a succession war.
And I was in the middle.
I looked at Kaian.
He looked at the door.
At his father.
At the man who raised him.
Then he said in a terrifyingly calm voice:
"Evelyn… when the barrier collapses, do not intervene."
I smiled despite the pain coursing through my veins.
"Sorry."
His eyes turned toward me.
"But I don't work for free."
[Activate skill: Temporary Soul Mark.]
[Cost: Additional Soul Debt.]
[Result: Bind your energy to the target for 3 minutes.]
I extended my hand and touched his back.
The violet glow flowed from my palms, etching a small dragon-shaped mark on his shoulder, then disappeared beneath his clothing.
His body shuddered.
The bubble collapsed.
The dust surged—
But before it reached us, Kaian's body erupted with immense golden light.
Dragon Aura.
The golden energy merged with the violet for a fleeting moment.
A silent explosion.
The dust recoiled as if it were a living thing afraid.
And beyond the door…
Footsteps retreated.
Another laugh.
"Interesting…"
Then silence.
The dust vanished.
The door did not open.
The Emperor… had withdrawn.
My body collapsed to the floor.
[Soul Debt exceeded safe limit.]
[Warning: The price will come due soon.]
My vision began to darken.
The last thing I saw…
Kaian kneeling beside me.
His hand grasping mine.
And the astonishment in his eyes wasn't from his father's magic—
But from the faint violet mark remaining on his chest.
An indelible mark.
A Soul Mark.
Binding our fates.
And he whispered, barely audible:
"What have you done to me… Evelyn?"
Darkness swallowed me.