The tunnels beneath Lady Evelina's estate were older than the house above them.
Much older.
The walls were carved with symbols I did not recognize, though something inside me reacted whenever my fingers brushed against the stone. A strange warmth traveled through my palm, as if the walls remembered me.
Or perhaps they remembered my blood.
I followed Lady Evelina through the narrow passage while the sounds of battle faded behind us.
For several minutes, neither of us spoke.
My mind was filled with questions.
Too many questions.
My mother.
The Hollow Sun.
The memories I was never supposed to recover.
And the one question that kept returning.
Why was everyone so afraid of me?
Finally, I stopped walking.
"Tell me the truth."
Lady Evelina turned.
"I have been telling you the truth."
"No."
My voice echoed through the tunnel.
"You have been telling me pieces."
Her expression changed.
Because she knew I was right.
"Why did my mother hide me?"
"Because there were people who wanted to use you."
"Use me for what?"
Silence.
That silence was an answer.
My stomach twisted.
"Tell me."
Lady Evelina looked away.
"The Crimson Bloodline has always been considered rare."
"Rare?"
"Powerful."
She continued walking.
"Your bloodline carries abilities that other families have spent centuries trying to obtain. Strength. Longevity. The ability to sense and influence blood itself."
I stared at her.
"So they want my power."
"Yes."
The answer was immediate.
"But that is not all."
We reached a large underground chamber.
Unlike the rest of the tunnels, this room was decorated with ancient paintings.
Families.
Generations.
Names written in gold.
At the center of the room was a large portrait.
A woman with silver hair and violet eyes.
My mother.
I stepped closer.
"She was beautiful."
Lady Evelina nodded.
"She was also one of the strongest people I ever knew."
I looked at the portrait.
"Then why did she die?"
Lady Evelina's face became distant.
"Because she refused to become a symbol for others to control."
A bitter feeling rose in my chest.
A symbol.
That was what everyone wanted.
Not Scarlet.
Not a person.
A bloodline.
A weapon.
A solution.
"There is something else you need to know."
I turned.
Lady Evelina looked uncomfortable.
"After your mother's death, the remaining members of the Crimson Council searched for you."
"The Crimson Council?"
"Those who protect ancient bloodlines."
Her expression hardened.
"They did not want to protect you."
My hands curled into fists.
"What did they want?"
She hesitated.
"They wanted to assign you a life partner."
The words confused me.
"A partner?"
"Someone from another powerful bloodline."
I frowned.
"Why?"
Lady Evelina looked at the portrait.
"Because they believed combining two exceptional bloodlines would create children stronger than either family alone."
The room became painfully quiet.
"They wanted to decide my future."
"Yes."
"They wanted to choose who I belonged with."
"Yes."
Anger burned through the fear.
My entire life, someone had been deciding everything for me.
Where I worked.
Where I slept.
What I was allowed to show.
And now they wanted to decide what my future family would be.
"Did my mother know?"
Lady Evelina nodded.
"That was one of the reasons she ran."
A strange sadness filled me.
My mother had fought against the same cage I had been trapped inside.
She had just fought a much larger one.
"The council called it the Crimson Covenant," Lady Evelina explained.
"A tradition created centuries ago. They believed the strongest bloodlines had a responsibility to continue themselves."
I looked down.
"And if I refused?"
Lady Evelina's eyes darkened.
"They would have called you a threat."
Of course.
A threat.
A monster.
A danger.
Every answer led back to the same thing.
People were afraid of what they could not control.
A sudden noise echoed from the tunnel entrance.
Both of us turned.
The silver-haired warrior stepped into the room.
"Lady Evelina."
His expression was serious.
"They found the old records."
She looked at him.
"Which records?"
"The ones about Scarlet's assigned match."
My heart stopped.
Assigned match.
Even hearing the words made my skin crawl.
"Who?"
The warrior looked at me.
For a moment, he seemed unsure whether he should answer.
Then he spoke.
"Prince Adrian Vale."
The name meant nothing to me.
But the way they said it told me everything.
Important.
Powerful.
Dangerous.
"What family is he from?"
The warrior answered quietly.
"The Vale family controls the northern territories. Their bloodline is known for unusual abilities."
"And they agreed to this?"
Lady Evelina's expression hardened.
"They requested it."
A cold feeling settled over me.
Requested.
Like I was an object waiting to be claimed.
"Where is he?"
No one answered.
That frightened me more.
Finally, Lady Evelina spoke.
"The last message from the Vale family arrived this morning."
She looked toward the entrance.
"They know you survived."
The candles flickered.
"And they are coming to collect what they believe belongs to them."
I stared at my reflection in the polished stone wall.
A girl with dark hair.
A servant's dress.
A monster's blood.
A forgotten past.
A future chosen by strangers.
For years, I had thought my greatest fear was becoming a monster.
I was wrong.
My greatest fear was becoming something that belonged to someone else.
I turned away from my reflection.
"Then they will learn something."
Lady Evelina watched me carefully.
"What?"
I looked toward the tunnel where the enemy waited.
"My blood may belong to my ancestors."
My hands tightened.
"But my life belongs to me."