Chapter 15: The Last Duchess

Seraphina's breath caught in her throat.

The flickering candlelight cast eerie shadows on Lady Eleanor's face, making her warning feel even heavier.

"The last Duchess?" Seraphina echoed, gripping the book tighter. "You mean Evelyne?"

Eleanor's gaze darted toward the open doorway as if she feared unseen ears. "Yes. And she was not the only one."

A chill crawled down Seraphina's spine.

"How did she die?"

Eleanor exhaled slowly, stepping closer. "No one truly knows. She was found in her chambers—lifeless. The official story was an accident, but those who served her… they whispered otherwise."

Seraphina swallowed hard. "What did they whisper?"

"That she was murdered."

Silence fell between them, heavy and suffocating.

Seraphina's thoughts raced. Murdered? And now she, the new Duchess, was receiving anonymous warnings?

"Who would have wanted her dead?" she pressed.

Eleanor hesitated, then her lips parted—but before she could answer, a sound echoed through the corridor.

Footsteps.

Slow and deliberate.

Seraphina's pulse spiked. Eleanor paled.

"Go," Eleanor whispered urgently. "If they find you here, asking questions, it will not end well."

Seraphina didn't argue. She quickly closed the book and slipped it back onto the shelf. Without another word, she turned and moved swiftly down the corridor, keeping to the shadows.

As she reached the end of the hallway, she risked one glance back.

Eleanor stood frozen in place as a dark figure entered the library.

Adrian.

His silver eyes flickered toward Eleanor, his expression unreadable.

Seraphina clenched her fists and forced herself to keep moving.

Tonight, she had learned something crucial—Evelyne had searched for answers, just as she was doing now. And it had cost the woman her life.

But Seraphina would not make the same mistake.

If there was a killer lurking in Valemont Manor…

She would uncover the truth.

And this time, the Duchess would not fall.