Chapter 45 – A Game of Shadows

Seraphina held Adrian's gaze, his words lingering in the charged silence between them. Now that's the woman I married.

It wasn't a compliment—it was a provocation. A challenge.

And she would rise to meet it.

She turned her attention back to the documents sprawled across his desk. Each parchment felt like a relic of a crime long buried, the inked betrayals whispering of stolen years and shattered legacies. Laurent had orchestrated her father's fall with such precision that no one had questioned it. No one had dared.

Until now.

Seraphina straightened, her fingers skimming the edge of the parchment bearing her father's name. "If we move first," she said, voice firm, "then we need to strike where it will hurt Laurent the most."

Adrian leaned against the desk, arms crossing over his chest. "Which is?"

"The court." She lifted her chin. "The man thrives on influence. Power. He has built his reputation on cunning and manipulation, but if we expose him publicly, before the right people, his empire will crumble."

Adrian studied her, his dark eyes unreadable. Then, after a beat, he smirked. "I was right about you."

She narrowed her gaze. "You are insufferable."

His smirk deepened, but he said nothing, merely pushing away from the desk and moving to a cabinet along the wall. He pulled out a crystal decanter and poured himself a measure of dark liquor. The amber liquid caught the firelight as he swirled it in his glass.

"You want to strike at Laurent's reputation," he mused, taking a slow sip. "That will require evidence beyond what's on this desk. Something undeniable."

Seraphina tapped her fingers against the desk, her mind already racing. "You said witnesses were silenced or bought. But there must be someone left. Someone who knows the truth and hasn't been entirely erased."

Adrian exhaled sharply. "There was one."

She stilled. "Who?"

His gaze flickered toward the fire. "Edric Vaudin."

The name sent a shiver down her spine. Even she had heard of him—once a prominent merchant with ties to noble families, he had disappeared from court life years ago, vanishing into obscurity.

She frowned. "He vanished."

Adrian's jaw tightened. "He was made to disappear. But he's still alive."

Seraphina's heartbeat quickened. "And you know where to find him."

A slow nod. "A hunting lodge in the northern woods, far from prying eyes."

She stepped closer. "Then we go to him."

Adrian set his glass down with a quiet clink. "It's not that simple. He's a ghost, Seraphina. A man who has spent years looking over his shoulder. He will not trust easily—if at all."

"Then we make him trust us," she said, steel in her voice.

Adrian let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "You make it sound easy."

"I didn't say it would be easy," she countered. "But if he has the answers we need, we're not leaving him to rot in obscurity."

A pause.

Then, with a resigned sigh, Adrian nodded. "Fine. We leave at first light."

Seraphina's stomach coiled with anticipation. This was it—the first real step toward reclaiming her father's honor, toward tearing Laurent from his throne of deceit.

But as she turned toward the door, Adrian's voice stopped her.

"Seraphina."

She glanced back.

He was watching her, his expression inscrutable. "You understand that this is dangerous."

Her pulse thrummed. "So is staying silent."

He studied her a moment longer before exhaling and running a hand through his dark hair. "Then get some rest."

She nodded once, then left the study, her thoughts a storm of strategies and shadows.

---

The Journey Begins

The morning was gray with the promise of rain as Seraphina tightened her cloak around her shoulders. The manor's courtyard was eerily quiet at this hour, save for the occasional snort from the horses waiting to be saddled.

Adrian was already there, speaking in low tones to a man she recognized as one of his trusted guards. He was dressed in black riding attire, the sword at his hip a silent reminder of the dangers ahead.

When he noticed her, his gaze swept over her traveling cloak before settling on her face. "Ready?"

Seraphina nodded. "Let's go."

They rode out before the rest of the estate awoke, taking the northern road that wound through the dense woodlands beyond Valemont's lands. The rhythmic thud of hooves against damp earth was the only sound for miles, save for the occasional rustle of wind through the trees.

Seraphina remained alert, her fingers resting lightly on the dagger hidden beneath her cloak.

Adrian glanced at her. "You've held a blade before."

She met his gaze. "You sound surprised."

His lips curled slightly. "Not surprised. Intrigued."

She huffed. "Women of noble birth are not all helpless creatures, despite what men like Laurent believe."

Adrian's expression darkened at the mention of Laurent, but he said nothing. Instead, he spurred his horse forward, picking up the pace.

By midday, the sky had turned slate gray, and a light drizzle began to fall. The hunting lodge loomed ahead—a weathered structure tucked into the thick embrace of the forest, nearly swallowed by ivy and time.

Adrian dismounted first, scanning the area with the sharp wariness of a man who trusted nothing. Seraphina followed, her boots sinking slightly into the damp earth.

She could feel the weight of unseen eyes, the tension in the air thick with unspoken warnings.

Adrian knocked on the heavy wooden door.

Silence.

Then—a rustle.

Seraphina stiffened as a figure appeared in the doorway.

Edric Vaudin.

The years had not been kind to him. His once-proud frame had withered, his hair streaked with silver, his eyes shadowed with ghosts of the past.

He took one look at Adrian and paled. "No."

Adrian remained still. "Edric—"

"No." Edric's voice was hoarse. "You shouldn't be here. She shouldn't be here."

Seraphina stepped forward. "We need your help."

Edric's gaze snapped to her, and for a moment, something like recognition flickered in his eyes. "You're Everhart's daughter."

She swallowed. "Yes."

A bitter laugh escaped him. "Then you should have stayed far away from this."

Adrian's voice was cold. "You know why we're here."

Edric gripped the doorframe, his knuckles white. "Laurent will kill you both if you dig too deep."

Seraphina lifted her chin. "Then let him try."

The old man stared at her for a long moment. Then, with a heavy sigh, he stepped back and opened the door wider.

"Come inside."

The hunt for the truth had begun.