All Chapters of REVENGE AFTER REBIRTH-THE LORD'S FORSAKEN BRIBE: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The Prime Minister’s summons came at dawn.Serina arrived at the war council chamber to find the long table crowded with generals in heavy cloaks, ministers with frost clinging to their boots, Damien seated at the far end in his immaculate dark coat.And at the head of the table, the Prime Minister himself.He was older than she remembered from her first life, the streaks of white at his temples more pronounced. But his eyes were the same sharp, cold, and utterly without warmth.“Lady Serina,” he said smoothly as she took her seat. “Your reputation precedes you.”“Then I hope it’s a useful one.”A ripple of amusement moved through the room, but it didn’t touch the Prime Minister’s expression.The meeting began with troop report numbers, provisions, and maps, but soon enough, the subject shifted.“The northern borders are vulnerable,” the Prime Minister said. “We need decisive action, not hesitation.”One of the generals cleared his throat. “That would require moving forces from the we

The night air was flaky with frost when Serina stepped into the palace gardens. Lanterns glowed faintly along the winding paths, their light swallowed by the dense hedges and looming marble statues. The echoes of the poisoned noble’s death still clung to her, trailing her like a phantom.She needed space. Space to think, to breathe, to sharpen her fury into resolve.But she wasn’t alone.Cassian emerged from between the columns, his cloak brushing the gravel. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes those storm-grey eyes fixed on her with an intensity that made her pause.“You shouldn’t be wandering here at night,” he said softly, his voice a low rumble against the hush of the garden.Serina gave a cold laugh. “And yet here you are, wandering too.”He stepped closer. “I came to warn you.”Something in his tone made her stiffen. She searched his face, the sharp lines, the quiet restraint in his bearing. He wasn’t jesting.“Warn me of what?” she asked.“The serpent faction,” he said.

The council chamber was a place of stone and steel cold walls lined with banners, polished floors echoing with every step, a long table stretched beneath the weight of ledgers and scrolls.Serina sat near Damien’s side, her hands folded neatly in her lap. Every noble present stole glances at her when they thought she wouldn’t notice. Some faces were blank masks, others poorly hidden sneers. The cursed bride. The title clung to her like smoke.Damien leaned back in his chair, silent, unreadable, as though the poisoned noble had been nothing more than a minor inconvenience. His silence was a blade too daring them all to speak.The doors creaked open, and the Prime Minister entered.Clad in deep navy robes embroidered with gold, he walked with the quiet confidence of a man who needed no crown to command authority. His gaze swept the room once, and every mutter, every shuffle of papers stilled.“Shall we begin?” His voice was smooth, silken, but there was iron beneath it.The meeting comm

The evening air was heavy, still thick with the echo of Damien’s cold words in the courtyard. Serina sat alone in her chambers, the firelight casting restless shadows against the walls.A knock came. Soft. Uneven.She frowned. “Enter.”A young servant shuffled inside, his eyes lowered, his hands trembling as he held out a sealed bundle. “Th-this was left for you, my lady. No sender gave their name.”Her pulse quickened. She dismissed him with a nod, waiting until the door clicked shut before breaking the seal.Inside lay a slim ledger bound in worn leather, its pages thick with cramped handwriting. She flipped it open, and her blood ran cold.Names. Dozens of them. Some circled, others crossed out. Margins filled with numbers payments, debts, coded symbols she did not yet understand. But one detail struck sharper than any blade: several names belonged to men who had sat in the council chamber that very morning.The serpent faction’s reach… this deep?Her fingers tightened around the l

The assassin’s final word clung to Serina like poison in her veins.Lira.Every time she blinked, she saw the girl’s face the maid who had once betrayed her in another lifetime, the maid who now lingered at Damien’s side with innocent eyes and soft smiles.Serina sat in her chambers long after the dungeon’s screams had faded, her hands trembling in her lap. She wanted to storm to Lira’s quarters, to seize her by the throat and demand the truth. But Damien’s warning echoed in her mind, as sharp as his grip had been on her wrist earlier that night: You will not move against my household without my command.So she sat still, fury bottled tight, her mind a storm she could not unleash.The fire burned low when the knock came.A single rap against the door, followed by silence.Serina rose cautiously. No servants announced themselves. No guard shifted outside.On the threshold lay a folded piece of parchment, sealed not with wax but with a small insignia pressed in dark ink the curling sigi