The Prince’s Watchful Eye

Kaelith had always been a hunter. On the battlefield, he tracked his enemies with precision—waiting, watching, striking only when he had learned their weaknesses.

Now, his prey was his own wife.

He moved carefully, speaking little, watching everything.

Seraphine did not act guilty. She did not flinch under his gaze, nor did she falter in court. But guilt and innocence were not the same as secrecy.

He began where any man would—with her past.

Late that night, Kaelith sat with Rhys in the war room, a collection of letters and reports spread before them.

"What do we know about Lady Seraphine before the marriage?" Kaelith asked.

Rhys ran a hand over his jaw. "She was raised in House D'Caria. No scandals, no open betrayals. A model noble daughter."

Kaelith scoffed. "No one is that perfect."

Rhys nodded. "Her father, Duke Alistair D'Caria, was a known strategist. He played both diplomacy and war with careful hands. If she learned from him, she knows how to keep secrets."

Kaelith studied a letter from an old informant in D'Caria's court. Seraphine had always been quiet. Controlled. But there were whispers—brief disappearances, meetings behind closed doors.

No proof of betrayal. No proof of loyalty either.

He needed more.

A Test of Loyalties

The next evening, Kaelith set his first trap.

Seraphine sat in the grand hall, speaking with Lady Eleanor, one of the queen's ladies-in-waiting.

Kaelith approached, casual but deliberate. "My lady," he said smoothly. "I have received word that our spies near the Veltros fleet intercepted an important message."

Seraphine turned to him, her expression poised. "Oh?"

Kaelith held her gaze. "Yes. A name. Someone Veltros is searching for. Someone dangerous." He leaned in slightly. "Would you care to guess?"

Seraphine's fingers tensed just slightly against her goblet before she took a measured sip. "Many in the court could be called dangerous."

A careful answer.

Kaelith watched her closely. "Perhaps. But this one is closer than most."

For the first time, he saw something flicker in her eyes—not fear, but calculation.

Seraphine knew something.

The question was: Did she know that he knew?