Chapter 63 – Ashes of Deception

The scent of burning parchment lingered in the chamber, a whisper of smoke curling into the air. Seraphina watched the flames consume the last remnants of her father's letter, but its words remained seared into her mind.

"Not even the Duke."

Adrian stood beside her, his gaze unreadable. He had let her burn the letter, but she knew better than to think he would simply let the matter rest. He was patient—too patient. He would wait, observe, and strike when she least expected.

She turned away from the fireplace, schooling her features into impassivity. "It's late. We should retire."

Adrian's smirk was slow, deliberate. "A convenient deflection."

Seraphina ignored the comment, crossing the room to the vanity where the remnants of her past had first landed in her hands. The broken wax seal lay discarded on the polished wood, the Everhart crest staring back at her.

"You hesitate," Adrian murmured behind her.

She met his gaze in the mirror. "I do not hesitate. I calculate."

His expression darkened with something unreadable. "Then calculate this, wife—your father left that letter for a reason. And given that Laurent ensured his ruin, I highly doubt it was meant to soothe you."

Laurent.

The name alone sent ice through her veins.

She turned to face Adrian fully. "Laurent is already exposed. His crimes are written in the ledger we took from the Old Archives—his involvement in your mother's murder is no longer a question. Whatever my father knew, it does not change that fact."

Adrian's jaw tensed at the mention of his mother, but he remained composed. "No, it does not. But it might explain why Laurent had such a vested interest in his downfall."

Seraphina frowned. "We already know why. Laurent sought to eliminate his enemies and secure power. My father was merely collateral damage in his ambitions."

Adrian's silence was deafening.

Something about it unsettled her more than any argument would have.

"What aren't you saying?" she pressed.

Adrian moved then, stepping closer, his presence a weight in the dimly lit room. "What if your father's downfall wasn't collateral at all?"

Seraphina stiffened.

"What are you suggesting?" she asked, voice cool.

Adrian exhaled slowly. "Laurent's crimes against your father were thorough—too thorough. He not only bribed judges and witnesses but erased every shred of evidence that could prove his innocence. That level of destruction wasn't just about removing a political rival."

Seraphina frowned. "You believe it was personal?"

Adrian held her gaze. "I believe Laurent knew something we don't. And your father was a threat not just to him—but to whatever secrets he buried alongside my mother's murder."

The room felt colder suddenly.

Seraphina crossed her arms. "You think my father had something to do with your mother's death?"

Adrian's eyes darkened. "I think your father knew something about her death. Something that made him dangerous enough to be silenced completely."

She turned away, her mind racing. Could it be possible?

Her father had been many things—a man of strategy, of influence, but he had never seemed reckless. And yet, his letter… You must listen carefully. Trust no one. Not even the Duke.

Her throat tightened.

Adrian took another step toward her, lowering his voice. "There was an entry in the ledger we retrieved—one that never made sense to me until now. A record of a private meeting between your father and Evelyne Valemont. A meeting that took place just days before she was murdered."

Seraphina froze.

Impossible.

"My father never spoke of your mother," she whispered.

Adrian's smirk was humorless. "And yet, the ledger says otherwise."

Seraphina's heartbeat pounded in her ears. "Why would they have met?"

"That's what I intend to find out." Adrian's voice was steady, but she could hear the restrained fury beneath it.

Laurent had ensured Everhart's destruction, but if her father had known something about Evelyne's murder—if he had been involved in any way—then it was not just Laurent's crime that had ruined their families.

It was something bigger.

And Adrian had known this. Or at least, he had suspected.

Seraphina met his gaze, anger simmering beneath her skin. "You've known this for how long?"

Adrian didn't flinch. "Long enough to know you weren't ready to hear it."

Her fingers curled into fists. "You had no right to decide that for me."

Adrian's lips pressed into a thin line. "Perhaps not. But I needed proof. And now, with this letter…" He gestured to the fireplace where the last embers of her father's words still smoldered. "It seems your father left you a warning. The question is—what was he warning you from?"

Seraphina exhaled sharply, trying to steady the storm inside her. "Then we find out."

Adrian's expression remained unreadable for a moment, then he inclined his head. "We do."

The weight of the past pressed between them, thick and unrelenting.

Laurent's crimes had already been exposed.

But now, it was Everhart's secrets that threatened to rise from the ashes.