Chapter 27: An Uncommon Alliance

The weight of Adrian's words settled over Seraphina like an iron shroud.

The Montverre family.

Her pulse thrummed against her throat, but she kept her expression carefully neutral. She had spent years hunting in the shadows, following every whisper, every half-truth that might lead her to the architects of her father's ruin. And now, Adrian Valemont, the very man she had once sworn to destroy, had laid the answer before her.

She should have felt victorious. Instead, a cold dread coiled in her chest.

Adrian watched her with quiet intensity, waiting for her reaction. But she would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her shaken.

She inhaled slowly, composing herself. "And what exactly do you intend to do with this revelation?"

A smirk ghosted over Adrian's lips, as if he had expected her to ask. "The better question, Seraphina, is what we intend to do."

There it was again—that word. We.

She leaned forward, her fingers tightening over the arms of the chair. "You assume too much. You think because you've tangled me in your games, I will simply align myself with you?"

He regarded her with maddening calm. "I think," he said smoothly, "that you are intelligent enough to know when a common enemy requires an uncommon alliance."

Her jaw clenched. He was right, of course. The Montverre family was a force far more dangerous than Laurent alone. If they were backing him, it meant this was no longer just about her father's downfall. It was about power. Influence. Control of the very kingdom itself.

She exhaled slowly. "What do you know?"

Adrian's smirk deepened. "Enough to be dangerous."

"Then start talking."

He moved to the desk, retrieving a sealed letter. With deliberate precision, he slid it across to her. "This arrived two days ago. An invitation."

Seraphina's eyes flicked down to the wax seal. The crest of Montverre.

"An invitation to what?" she asked, though she already suspected the answer.

Adrian's voice was almost amused. "A gathering. An exclusive one. Only the most influential players are invited. And, conveniently, Laurent has ensured your name is on the list."

A slow realization dawned. "He means to test me."

"More than that," Adrian murmured, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. "He means to draw you in. To see if you are worth keeping close—or eliminating."

Seraphina's fingers hovered over the letter. A trap, clearly. But one she could not afford to ignore.

She met Adrian's gaze. "And what do you gain from this?"

His smirk faded, his expression turning unreadable. "The same thing you do, Seraphina. Revenge."

Silence stretched between them, thick with the weight of things unspoken.

She should refuse. She should not let him pull her further into his web.

But she had come too far to turn back now.

With measured grace, she took the letter and rose to her feet.

"Then I suppose," she said coolly, "we have a gathering to attend.