Mira’s POVHis arms were heavy, his movements sluggish, and his usual sharp glare was dulled by something… distant. I held him by the shoulders, my brows knitted in concern.“What’s wrong with you?” I asked, trying to search his eyes. “Are you hurt?”He didn’t answer immediately. His breath was uneven, and when he finally looked at me, his gaze was unfocused, like he was staring through me instead of at me.“I… I don’t know,” he muttered. “I feel… wrecked. Inside.”I guided him gently toward a bench nestled between two rose bushes. The air smelled faintly of night-blooming flowers, and I hoped the peace of the garden would help ease whatever storm he was drowning in.“Sit down. Talk to me.”He lowered himself, slowly, and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his hands gripping his head. I sat beside him, placing a hand on his back.“I’m losing my mind,” he said, voice raw. “I’ve always had a temper—you know that. But lately… it’s like something else takes over. Like I’m
Mira POV The moment I saw Serena standing in the doorway, I nearly lost it. Her posture was casual, almost smug, as though she belonged there—like she hadn’t been cast out in disgrace. I sat up, narrowing my eyes at her in disbelief.“What are you doing here again?” I demanded sharply, already feeling my blood begin to simmer.She didn’t answer me. She just stared, calm and unreadable, as if I were an afterthought.“Kai,” I called out, twisting slightly to look at him.He was already sitting up behind me, a scowl spreading across his face. “Serena,” he said, voice low with irritation. “You were told not to come near my chambers. What do you want?”“I need to speak with you,” she said, her voice light but persistent.I stood from the edge of the bed, pulling my robe tighter around myself. “You have no privilege walking into a King’s chamber,” I snapped. “Especially not after everything you’ve done. Guards!”She didn’t flinch. “It’s urgent,” she pressed, still speaking only to Kai, a
Kai POV I stepped out of the courtroom, running a hand through my hair as the large doors shut behind me with a dull thud. The meeting with the general had stretched far longer than I anticipated. Hours of reviewing blueprints, debating patrol patterns, and drawing possible infiltration routes on maps had left my head throbbing. The general had been meticulous as always—suggesting walls here, barriers there—but I needed more than just strong borders. I needed eyes and ears. I needed clarity.We had finally agreed on the strategy: checkpoints across the clan, stationed in such a way that no movement within our territory would go unnoticed. Every resident would be documented, every visitor tracked. I had ordered the captain to begin identifying and cataloguing the clansfolk. Some would protest, of course—they always did when things changed—but this was no longer about convenience. It was about survival.When I arrived at my chamber, Mira was already there, seated on the cushioned
Serena POVI waited silently in the narrow closet section of one of the maids’ chambers. The air was stuffy in here—smelled like soap and sweat, mixed with the faint perfume of dried roses. My back ached from crouching for so long, but I didn’t make a sound. I had done worse. Endured far more discomfort than this. And if this plan of mine was going to work, patience was essential.I had been slipping into the shadows of the castle these past few days, hunting like a snake in the tall grass, approaching a few of my former loyalists—maids, footmen, guards. One by one. And so far? Nothing.They turned their backs on me. Pretended they didn’t know me. And those that did recognize me… wouldn’t speak. It was as though Mira’s presence had erased all memory of the woman who once ruled as queen beside the Kings. Or maybe it was fear. Fear of what I might still be capable of. That was power. A different kind of power, but power nonetheless.The door creaked open.I tensed slightly in the c
Mira POV It had been three long days since Lucian was brought back to the castle, and not a single moment had passed that I hadn’t thought about him.I was in his chamber again, seated on a cushioned stool beside his bed. The early morning light filtered through the high arched windows, casting soft shadows over his sleeping form. He looked so peaceful, yet so pale—still and silent like a statue carved from fine marble. If not for the rise and fall of his chest, I might’ve believed he was gone.Sheila, the special healer, moved silently beside me. Her hands were gentle but practiced, her movements precise as she mixed and administered the concoction of herbs she had brought with her. She had been coming here every day since we brought Lucian back from the shrine. Every visit, she carried a new blend of natural remedies she claimed would strengthen his core and cleanse the poison the witches left in his system.Today’s concoction was particularly pungent.“What’s in that one?” I
Serena POV I descended the stairs slowly, forcing a calm, even rhythm in my steps, but inside, my mind was spinning. That corridor. That sealed chamber. The whispers, the guarded tension in the air—none of it sat right with me. Something was happening in this castle, and they were all keeping it from me.I knew it. I knew it had to do with Lucian.Ever since I returned, not once had I laid eyes on him. He hadn’t shown up during any gathering, hadn’t walked through the halls once. Not even his scent lingered. No one spoke of him. It was as though he’d simply… vanished.Mira was hiding something. That little speech she gave me about staying away from the healer’s room? She wasn’t being protective. She was being territorial—of a secret. And I was done being left in the dark.If no one would tell me the truth, I’d find out myself.That evening, after most of the castle had quieted and the usual dinner chaos had faded into murmurs, I slipped out. Dressed in a plain gown with a veil