Chapter 42: A Friend’s Betrayal

Chapter 42: A Friend's Betrayal

The halls of Valemont Manor felt colder in Adrian's absence. The heavy silence pressed against Seraphina, wrapping around her like unseen chains, a reminder of the fracture between them. She had told herself she needed space, but now, standing alone in the dimly lit corridor, she felt only the echo of something slipping through her fingers.

She forced herself to move, retreating into the sanctuary of the Duchess's chambers. The moment she stepped inside, she pressed the door shut and inhaled deeply. The gilded room, once a place of quiet refuge, now felt suffocating. The fire flickered, casting restless shadows across the walls, mirroring the turmoil within her.

Then came the knock.

Sharp. Insistent.

Her heart lurched. For a fleeting moment, she thought Adrian had returned, but the weight behind the sound was different—less commanding, more desperate.

She hesitated before pulling the door open.

Genevieve stood there, her emerald gown flowing like liquid dusk around her. The sight of her childhood friend sent a ripple of familiarity through Seraphina, but something was off. Genevieve's eyes, always bright with mischief, now held something else entirely—urgency.

"Finally," Genevieve exhaled, slipping inside without waiting for an invitation. "I was beginning to think Adrian had locked you away entirely."

Seraphina stiffened. "What are you doing here?"

Genevieve shut the door behind her and turned, scanning Seraphina's face with an intensity that sent a chill through her. "I came because you need to hear the truth."

Seraphina folded her arms. "The truth?"

Genevieve's expression darkened. "Do you even know what Adrian is hiding?"

Seraphina felt the first stirrings of unease. "And you do?"

Genevieve nodded. "I've been searching for answers—because no one else will give them to you."

Seraphina's breath came slow and measured, but her pulse betrayed her. "Where have you been looking?"

A beat of silence. Then, softly—

"Laurent."

The name was a knife to her ribs.

Seraphina stepped back as if burned. "You've been speaking to him?"

Genevieve held her ground. "I had to."

Seraphina's fingers curled into fists. Laurent, the man who had already tried to poison her mind against Adrian. The man who had whispered warnings and half-truths, manipulating shadows to his advantage. And now, Genevieve had let herself be ensnared in his web?

"You trust him?" Seraphina's voice was barely above a whisper.

"I don't trust anyone," Genevieve shot back. "But I do know this—if you keep pretending Adrian is innocent, you will be the one who suffers."

Seraphina's heart pounded. "What lies did he feed you?"

Genevieve took a step forward. "Are they lies?"

The quiet question struck deeper than it should have.

Seraphina wanted to dismiss it, to cut Genevieve down with cold indifference. But Laurent's words from the library still echoed in her mind. The man who had the most to gain from your father's fall… is standing beside you.

Her throat tightened. "Why are you telling me this?"

Genevieve's gaze softened, just for a moment. "Because I care about you. I don't want you to get hurt"

Seraphina swallowed hard, torn between the warmth of nostalgia and the bitter sting of betrayal. Genevieve had been her dearest friend—the girl who once dared the world with her, who laughed with reckless abandon at courtly expectations. But the woman standing before her now was someone else entirely—someone who had walked willingly into Laurent's grasp.

She forced herself to speak, her voice quieter, but no less firm. "You shouldn't have come here."

Genevieve lifted her chin. "Adrian won't tolerate interference, is that it?"

Seraphina's gaze sharpened. "No. I won't tolerate betrayal."

Genevieve flinched, but the defiance in her eyes remained. "Then you've already made your choice."

A heavy silence stretched between them, thick with the weight of things that could never be undone.

Then, without another word, Genevieve turned and left.

As the door clicked shut, Seraphina exhaled shakily, staring at the empty space where her friend had stood.

She had always known war was coming.

She just never thought she'd have to fight it alone.