Chapter 18: Whispers in the Dark

Chapter 18: Whispers in the Dark

The grand ballroom was alive with music and laughter, but Seraphina heard none of it. The weight of Adrian's parting words settled over her like a shroud.

"Before you uncover truths you cannot handle."

A warning? Or a threat?

She would not wait to find out.

As soon as Adrian was drawn into conversation with a group of noblemen, she slipped away, her golden gown whispering against the marble floors. The corridors beyond the ballroom were dimly lit, the sconces casting long, shifting shadows. Each step she took felt heavier, as if the manor itself was aware of her trespass.

She moved quickly, her pulse drumming in her ears. Tonight, she would learn not just that Evelyne was murdered—but who had killed her and why Adrian had kept it hidden.

The eastern wing loomed ahead—the part of the manor Adrian had forbidden her from entering. No explanation, no reason, only a quiet command never to set foot beyond those doors.

But Seraphina had never been one to obey blindly.

The heavy wooden doors stood before her, their iron handles cool beneath her fingertips. She hesitated only a moment before pushing them open.

The air inside was thick with dust and memories. Time had abandoned this place, leaving it untouched yet eerily preserved. The scent of lavender lingered, faded but still present, as if Evelyne herself had just been here.

Seraphina's eyes swept the room. A grand mirror stood against the far wall, its surface hidden beneath a draped cloth. Her fingers trembled as she reached for the fabric and pulled it away.

Her own reflection stared back at her.

And then she saw it—scratches, faint but deliberate, along the mirror's ornate frame. A desperate attempt at communication.

A message lost to time.

A floorboard creaked behind her.

She spun around, her pulse a wild drumbeat in her chest.

A shadow loomed in the doorway.

"You should not be here, ma chérie."

Adrian's voice was calm, but there was an edge to it, something unreadable in his silver gaze.

Seraphina's grip tightened on the edge of the mirror. "You told me Evelyne was murdered. What you didn't tell me is why this room was sealed away."

Adrian stepped forward, slow and deliberate. "Because some ghosts are best left buried."

She took a step closer, her voice unwavering. "She left something behind, didn't she? Something someone didn't want found."

Adrian exhaled sharply, running a hand through his dark hair. "She uncovered a truth that was never meant to surface. She thought it would save her. It did the opposite."

Seraphina's heart pounded. "Then tell me what she discovered."

Silence.

A muscle ticked in Adrian's jaw. The air between them grew taut, charged with unspoken truths.

Seraphina refused to back down. "You have been protecting me from the wrong danger, Adrian."

His expression darkened, and for the first time, she saw something that almost resembled regret.

Then, in a voice softer than a whisper, he said—

"You don't know what you've just begun, Seraphina."

But Seraphina had already made her choice.

She would not leave it alone.

Not until she uncovered everything.