The night swallowed me whole as I slipped out of Wynford Mansion, the cold air sharp against my skin. My pulse still thundered from Prince Aetherion's words—
"I know you're here."
Did he truly see me?Or was he challenging the room?
Either way, the Crown was no longer a distant power.It was inside the mansion.Inside the lies.Inside the very pit that had thrown me away.
And now they were the ones trembling.
Good.
But as I moved through the quiet servant path, something disturbed the rhythm in my chest.
Footsteps.
Not heavy.Not rushed.
Controlled.Measured.
…Someone was following me.
I kept walking until trees swallowed the servants' path. The moonlight broke through branches, and my breath clouded the air.
Then—
A tall silhouette detached itself from the darkness.
A figure in a long coat.Boots silent.Presence sharp enough to slice through the night.
Prince Aetherion.
Aetherion in the Shadows
"I was right," he said quietly, silver eyes locking onto mine.
My heart jerked.
No hood, no shadows, nothing in my carefully crafted plan had escaped him.
He stepped closer.
"You're alive."
It wasn't shock.It wasn't relief.It was something deeper… like he had expected — even counted — on me surviving.
I didn't bow.Didn't flinch.
I met his gaze, spine straight. "Does the Crown punish the living now?"
His lips tilted slightly.Not a smile.Not mockery.
Almost… respect.
"You left," he said, his voice low but steady. "Yet your absence feels like a crime scene."
"My family told you I vanished on my own," I said coldly.
"And I believe lies only when told well," he replied.
His eyes were no longer cold — they were sharp. Searching. Calculating.
"You're not here to ask about my well-being," I said.
"No," he admitted. "I'm here because your disappearance affects the Crown… far more than you realize."
The wind stilled.
My fingers curled around my cloak, unsure if I should run or stand my ground.
"Why?" I asked.
Aetherion's expression didn't shift, but his jaw tightened.
"Because you weren't meant to disappear."
That tone… it wasn't about pity.It was about consequences.
Something bigger was tied to me.Something no one had told me.
But before I could question him, twigs snapped behind us.
Aetherion moved instantly—positioning himself between me and the sound.
A guard appeared—breathless.
"Your Highness! Urgent news!"
Aetherion didn't break eye contact with me."Speak."
"It's Lord Cedric, sir… he—he's causing a scene."
Of course he was.
Aetherion's eyes narrowed."Take me to him."
Then — he looked at me again, gaze burning through the darkness.
"This conversation isn't over."
And he vanished into the woods with his guards.
I exhaled the breath I didn't know I was holding.
Prince Aetherion wasn't just a complication.
He was a threat.And possibly… an unexpected weapon.
Cedric's Meltdown
Back in the Wynford mansion, chaos had erupted.
Cedric had apparently locked himself in the study, screaming frantically at anyone who approached.
Perfect.
I crept back toward a window, using the shadows like old friends.Inside the room, Cedric paced like a man losing his mind.
"She's alive," he whispered. "I swear I saw her— like a ghost— behind the pillar…"
Marianne scoffed. "Cedric, you didn't see anything. You're just guilty—"
"Guilty?" he snapped. "Why would I feel guilty?! She left on her—"
Even he didn't believe the lie.
"Cedric," Lady Wynford hissed, "pull yourself together! Prince Aetherion is here. If he senses something—"
Cedric turned on them, hair disheveled, eyes wild.
"You two said Elara agreed! You said she wanted to leave! You said she'd never come back!"
Lady Wynford went pale.
Oh.So they tricked him too.
Delicious.
Marianne crossed her arms, irritated."We did what we had to do. You wanted her gone too. Don't act innocent now."
Cedric shook his head violently."I never wanted her dead!"
Dead?
My breath hitched.
Marianne shrugged."She's out there somewhere alone. If she dies, it's not our fault."
Cedric looked horrified now.
"You—you told me she'd be safe! That she'd be 'sent somewhere comfortable.' That you arranged everything—"
Marianne's expression cracked for the first time.
"You… believed that?"
Cedric stared at her like she'd turned into a demon.
Lady Wynford grabbed his arm."Cedric, listen. You're panicking. If the prince thinks something happened to Elara—"
Cedric ripped his arm away.
"No. You don't understand. If Elara is alive, she'll destroy us. All of us."
Marianne laughed bitterly."She's too weak."
Cedric whispered, "No… she's different."
Finally.Someone noticed.
Then Cedric's voice dropped to a terrified whisper:
"She looked at me like— like she wasn't even human anymore."
Marianne blinked.Lady Wynford stiffened.
I smiled in the shadows.
Good.
Fear is a beautiful beginning.
The Plot to Frame Someone
But the Wynfords weren't done.
Lady Wynford leaned close to Marianne and whispered sharply,
"We need a scapegoat. Immediately."
Marianne nodded."What about the old maid? The one who liked Elara?"
"No," Lady Wynford hissed. "Too obvious."
Cedric paced harder."My father is arriving tonight. If he finds out—"
His tone revealed a new fear.
THE DUKE.
His father, Duke Raviel—one of the kingdom's most influential men.
He couldn't know Cedric helped ruin a noblewoman's life.
Lady Wynford snapped her fingers.
"We will blame a servant. Or an outsider. Someone invisible."
Marianne smirked."Oh… what about the man who was seen near the forest last week?"
My heart skipped.
They were talking about him—my mysterious ally.
I clenched my fists.
No.I wouldn't let them drag him into this.
Marianne giggled."Yes! We'll say he kidnapped Elara."
Cedric swallowed hard."And if she comes back?"
Lady Wynford gave the coldest smile of the night.
"Then she will be the liar — not us."
The level of wickedness gave even me pause.
But the night wasn't over.
And I wasn't done listening.
Reunion in the Woods
I returned to the forest path, fury humming like electricity under my skin.
They were going to frame him.
The one who saved me.Fed me.Sheltered me.Looked at me like I wasn't worthless.
I couldn't allow it.
A rustle came from behind the oak.
He stepped out.
Black coat.Lazy, cold eyes.A faint smirk like he already knew what chaos I witnessed.
My mysterious ally.
"You're late," he said lightly.
"You're being framed," I snapped.
He blinked once.
Then shrugged.
"Ah. Again?"
"Again—?!"Rage flared. "Are you not taking this seriously?! The prince—"
"I know."
He stepped closer, voice dropping to a murmur.
"The prince is here for you. Not them. Not me."
My breath hitched.
"How do you know that?"
His smirk deepened.
"I know everything that threatens you."
His words weren't flirtation.
They were a vow.
"So," he continued, brushing a leaf off my shoulder,"did you enjoy your little family circus?"
A dark laugh escaped me."I enjoyed their fear."
"Good," he said softly. "Hold onto that."
I looked up at him.
"Prince Aetherion saw me."
His eyes sharpened instantly.
"Did he touch you? Threaten you?"
"No."
"Then it's fine," he said. "Let him look. Let him suspect. It will only make your revenge louder."
My voice softened.
"They want to blame you."
"Let them try," he said with a hint of danger."It'll be fun."
A chill ran through me.
He wasn't normal.He wasn't average.
He wasn't safe.
But for now — he was mine.
He tilted his head.
"Ready for your next move?"
I took a breath.
"Yes."
And then, distant but unmistakable—
A scream tore through Wynford Mansion.
A woman's scream.
Marianne.
He smirked.
"Perfect timing."