Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 41 - Chapitre 50

Before lunch, I went to the library with Isolde. We searched the shelf indicated on the note, but we didn't find anything. There were no books or papers—just an empty, dusty shelf.Isolde leaned her back against it and sighed in frustration. "I told you. You're just being messed with," she whispered irritably.I didn’t respond. Part of me refused to believe the girl—whoever she was—had lied. I continued to inspect every inch of the shelf obsessively, running my fingers along the wood and the gaps between the panels. Nothing. No paper, no clue—except..."Wait," I murmured.I squinted at the top corner of the shelf. There was a faint marking there. I turned on my phone's flashlight and brought it closer."What are you doing?" Isolde hissed, her voice low but sharp."Just a minute."Another set of letters and numbers appeared in the corner, faintly scratched into the wood: Z.333.32."Z.333.32," I read aloud.Isolde rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Anna? Don't play detective. Let's get out of

It feels like I’ve lost myself. I keep thinking about Alexei—his words, everything—and it only makes the pain in my chest worse. What I found in the library was Alexei’s plan to create a new ruler.But all those who failed before me must have disappointed him.Slowly, I will end up on that list too, because of my own foolishness.Why didn’t I stick to my original purpose for coming here? To win. Why did I let myself get distracted by other things and start doubting Alexei?My steps halted when Marva blocked my way as I exited the classroom. Her eyes were red, with dark circles underneath. Isolde, who had just come out of class, looked at her suspiciously.“Did you find it?” Marva asked.I glanced at Isolde, who was also looking at me. Her eyes seemed to say, ‘What did I miss? What have you done, Anna?’“Nothing,” I shook my head.“You’re lying,” Marva hissed.“Just stop bothering me.”I brushed past Marva, but she quickly followed. Anxiety lingered on her face, while Isolde walked on

"Did you hear the rumor that Marva's gone missing?" Isolde whispered.I didn’t answer, but I already knew. The rumor said that Marva had tried to escape from Bastorin. Did they just let her go? That can’t be right. Someone like her could easily be found.Something’s not right. My gut tells me so.After everything that’s happened, I can’t shake the feeling that Alexei knows something—maybe he’s even involved.I know I should ignore it. I promised myself I would focus on my goal. But my conscience is screaming at me. What I hate most about myself is the kindness I inherited from my mother."Don't do anything stupid," Isolde warned, as if she could read my mind.I only stared at her in silence."Enough, Anna. If you start digging, everything will fall apart. Please, I’m begging you…” Isolde sighed. "It's better to close your eyes and ears. And your lips, too.”"Okay," I shrugged.I wasn’t planning to investigate anything. Not really. I'd rather confront Alexei directly; he must know the

GABRIEL POVI’d already given up on holding back. I was worried about Anna. My concern for her was too obvious—even Nathaniel could see it. But I couldn’t help it. I had feelings for Anna.Because of Alexei’s order, I feared something might happen to her. It was clear that Alexei wanted to make sure Anna wouldn’t become a threat to him. And I was supposed to make sure everything went according to his wishes. That was Alexei’s goal, right?But his command suffocated me. Something inside me rebelled. I didn’t want to follow that decree. I wanted to protect Anna, not watch her on Alexei’s behalf. I didn’t want her to ever see me as his pawn!“Anna!” I called when she stepped out of the dining hall.She froze for a second, tilting her head slightly and smiling. That little gesture made me blush—she looked so sweet.I hurried to catch up to her. “Hi,” I said with a smile. “Done eating?” I chuckled. “I know you’re just making small talk. We ate at the same time, didn’t we?”Her light

Even though my body felt shattered, I forced myself to get out of bed. Isolde was fast asleep, which made it easier for me to slip out of the room. I stepped outside carefully, making sure not to make a sound.My steps felt painfully slow, despite my efforts to move as quickly as possible. Every motion, every breath, brought me agony. It felt like an endless torment when I went down the stairs. I bit my lip to suppress any sound, letting out only faint hisses through my teeth.Reaching the chapel felt like it took forever. It seemed impossibly far away, or at least it felt that way. Still, I kept walking, glancing at my watch every now and then. Midnight was approaching, yet I was only halfway there.By the time the clock struck five minutes past midnight, I finally arrived at the chapel, drenched in sweat. Tears streamed down my face. God, this hurt so much!I stepped up to the closed door and pushed it open. The creaking echoed through the entire room. Up ahead, near the podium, I s