Chapter 46 – Whispers of the Past

The air inside Edric Vaudin's lodge was thick with the scent of aged wood and damp parchment. A single candle flickered on the rough-hewn table, casting long shadows against the stone walls.

Seraphina took in the space with a swift, assessing glance. It was a far cry from the lavish halls of Valemont Manor, but it had the feel of a man who had built himself a sanctuary from the world. A prison, perhaps, but a chosen one.

Edric leaned heavily against a chair, watching them with a wary expression. His gaze flicked from Adrian to Seraphina before settling on the latter.

"You have your father's eyes," he murmured.

Seraphina straightened at the mention of her father, her pulse thrumming. "And yet his legacy was stolen from him."

A bitter chuckle left Edric's lips. "Legacy is a fragile thing, my lady. A single whisper in the right ear can tear it apart."

Adrian moved closer, the steady weight of his presence pressing against Seraphina's awareness. He didn't speak, but his silence was just as effective—measured, deliberate. He was waiting.

Seraphina wouldn't wait. She stepped forward, the firelight casting sharp angles across her face. "Laurent was behind it all, wasn't he?"

Edric exhaled slowly, his fingers tightening around the chair's back. "You already know the answer to that."

"I want to hear you say it."

A long silence. Then, finally, Edric gave a slow nod. "Yes."

The confirmation sent a pulse of grim satisfaction through her. But it wasn't enough. "He forged evidence against my father. Bribed the court. Ensured every witness either disappeared or was bought."

Edric's expression darkened. "Not just witnesses." His voice dropped lower. "Judges. Nobles. Even the king's advisors."

A slow, creeping anger burned through Seraphina's veins. "And yet you lived."

Edric's gaze flickered to Adrian for the briefest moment. It was quick—so quick that had she not been watching him closely, she might have missed it. But she had been watching.

Seraphina turned to Adrian, her heartbeat quickening. "You knew."

He met her eyes, and instead of answering, he smirked. "You're quick, but not quick enough."

Her breath hitched. She had suspected for some time that Adrian knew more than he let on about Laurent's dealings, but to have it confirmed in this way, with that maddeningly cryptic response—it was infuriating.

Before she could press further, Edric spoke again. "If you're here for a confession, you'll have to be more convincing. I buried this truth long ago."

Seraphina forced herself to push past the firestorm brewing inside her. There would be time to dissect Adrian's secrets later. For now, she had to focus on Edric.

"We don't need a confession," she said, voice steady. "We need proof. Something that cannot be ignored."

Edric's lips pressed into a thin line. "There is something."

Adrian tensed beside her, his attention sharpening. "What?"

Edric hesitated, then shook his head. "Not here. If you're serious about this, we need to move carefully. Laurent has eyes everywhere."

Seraphina's pulse quickened. This was it—the path to unraveling Laurent's power. "Where?"

Edric exhaled. "A ledger. One that details every bribe, every transaction. It's hidden in the old archives beneath the royal court."

The royal court.

Adrian cursed under his breath. "That place is a damned fortress."

"Then we find a way inside," Seraphina said firmly.

Edric looked at her with something resembling pity. "You truly are your father's daughter."

Seraphina lifted her chin. "I take that as a compliment."

Edric's mouth twisted into something that wasn't quite a smile. "You shouldn't."

Before Seraphina could respond, Adrian's fingers brushed against the small of her back—subtle, yet enough to make her aware of the space between them. "We've lingered long enough," he murmured.

Seraphina shot him a look but said nothing.

Edric hesitated, then finally sighed. "There's an old smuggler's tunnel beneath the court. If you truly wish to find the ledger, that's your best way in."

Adrian nodded once. "Then that's where we go."

As they turned to leave, Seraphina felt the weight of Edric's stare on her back.

"You'll have to choose, my lady," he called out.

She paused in the doorway, glancing over her shoulder. "Choose?"

Edric's eyes flickered to Adrian, then back to her. "Between love and vengeance. Because the closer you get to the truth, the harder it will be to tell them apart."

His words followed her into the night, curling around her like a whisper of things yet to come.

An Unspoken Battle

The drizzle had turned into a steady rain by the time they reached their horses. The ride back was silent, but charged.

Seraphina replayed every detail in her mind—Edric's warning, the ledger, Adrian's maddening evasion. She tightened her grip on the reins, frustration simmering beneath her skin.

When they reached a clearing, Adrian suddenly pulled his horse to a stop.

Seraphina reined in beside him, water dripping from the brim of her hood. "What is it?"

Adrian turned to face her fully, rainwater darkening the strands of his hair. "You're upset."

She let out a sharp laugh. "I wonder why."

He studied her, then sighed. "There are things I can't tell you yet."

"Yet." She latched onto the word. "Which means you will tell me."

His lips twitched. "Eventually."

Seraphina exhaled harshly. "You are insufferable."

He tilted his head, his gaze flicking over her in a way that sent a slow, unwelcome heat curling in her stomach. "So you've said."

For a moment, neither of them moved. The rain fell in steady sheets around them, yet the space between them was unbearably warm.

Seraphina's pulse betrayed her, quickening under his gaze. She was suddenly too aware of how close they were, of the way the storm had turned his usually sharp features softer, of the heat emanating from his body despite the cold.

She forced herself to break the moment, shifting in her saddle. "Let's go."

Adrian watched her for a beat longer before nudging his horse forward.

Seraphina exhaled, gripping her reins tightly as they rode into the night.

The truth was within reach.

And so was danger.