026 | The Invitation

The card sat on Aria’s desk like a loaded weapon.

She had read the message so many times that the words no longer felt separate from her thoughts.

If you want the truth about Serena, come alone.

Dominic had forbidden her from attending the gathering. Silas had reinforced the order. Every logical part of her understood why. She was not ready to walk into a room full of power players and remain invisible. Especially not when Serena of the Northern Bloodline would be there.

But the card offered something Dominic’s protection could not.

Answers.

Aria stood by the window with her arms crossed, watching the early light stretch across the estate grounds. The patrols had not lessened. If anything, they had grown more precise since Lucien’s arrival.

Everything was tightening at once.

* * *

She found Dominic in his study just after breakfast.

He was signing documents when she entered. He did not look up immediately.

“You’re here early,” he said.

“I need to speak with you about the gathering.”

That made him set the pen down.

Dominic leaned back in his chair and studied her.

“I already gave you my decision.”

“I know.”

“Then there is nothing further to discuss.”

Aria remained standing in front of the desk.

“Someone is sending me information. Photographs. Messages. Now an invitation. They are not doing this without purpose. If I ignore it completely, I stay blind.”

Dominic’s expression hardened slightly.

“And if you walk into that gathering, you risk exposing yourself before you are ready. I will not allow it.”

“I’m not asking to announce myself,” Aria said. “I’m asking whether there is any way to observe without being seen.”

Silence stretched between them.

Dominic rose from his chair and walked to the window. For a long moment he said nothing.

When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter.

“You remind me of someone I used to know. She also believed that seeing the danger for herself was better than waiting for it to arrive.”

He turned back toward her.

“She was wrong.”

Aria held his gaze.

“And she paid for it?”

Dominic’s eyes flickered.

“We both did.”

The admission sat heavily in the room.

After another stretch of silence, Dominic returned to his desk.

“The answer remains no. You will not attend. If information about Serena surfaces, Silas will bring it to you. That is final.”

Aria lowered her head a fraction.

“Understood.”

But as she left the study, the weight of the invitation in her pocket felt heavier than before.

* * *

Training that afternoon was tense.

Lucien did not join the session. Silas worked her harder than usual, as if he could sense the restlessness under her skin. Every drill demanded sharper focus. Every mistake earned immediate correction.

By the end, Aria’s body was exhausted, but her mind was still turning.

As she unwrapped her hands, Silas spoke.

“You’re planning something.”

Aria did not look up.

“I’m following orders.”

“That wasn’t what I said.”

She finished with the wraps and set them aside.

Silas watched her carefully.

“Whatever is pushing you toward that gathering, weigh it against what you stand to lose. Mr. Vale is not protecting you out of convenience. He is protecting an investment. And investments that ignore structure tend to get cut off.”

Aria met his eyes.

“I’ll remember that.”

Silas did not look convinced.

* * *

Evening fell with a low, restless wind.

Aria returned to her room and locked the door. She took the invitation out again and placed it on the desk beside Serena’s photograph.

Two paths sat in front of her.

Obedience kept her safe inside Dominic’s walls. But safety had never stopped the knife in her first life. Safety had only made her easier to corner.

The invitation offered risk… and information.

She was still staring at the card when a knock sounded at her door.

Not soft.

Not hesitant.

Aria opened it carefully.

Lucien stood in the hallway.

He looked at her for a moment, then at the room behind her, before speaking.

“You’re considering going.”

It was not a question.

Aria kept her expression controlled.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

Lucien’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“The gathering. The Northern woman. The messages you’ve been receiving.”

Her pulse shifted.

“You’ve been watching me.”

“I’ve been watching this house,” he corrected. “You’re part of it.”

He stepped closer, lowering his voice.

“If you walk into that place alone, you’re making a mistake.”

Aria lifted her chin.

“And if I don’t, I remain exactly where someone wants me — uninformed and dependent.”

Lucien studied her face in silence.

For a moment, something almost like conflict moved behind his eyes.

Then he spoke again, quieter than before.

“If you decide to ignore your father’s order… don’t do it alone.”

Before Aria could respond, he turned and walked away down the hall.

She stood in the doorway, the weight of his words settling over her like a second invitation — one far more dangerous than the card on her desk.