Whispers in the Dark

Kaelith did not sleep that night.

Instead, he studied the reports Rhys had gathered, the old letters from D'Caria's court, and the quiet movements of his wife.

Seraphine was too careful. Too measured.

She had not asked him a single question about the fleet since their conversation. Most women—most wives—would have pressed for details, feigned concern, or offered more counsel.

Seraphine had simply waited.

Kaelith had seen this kind of patience before. Not in a noble lady, but in spies. In traitors.

If she was one, she was damn good at it.

A Missing Record

Before dawn, Kaelith sent Rhys to search the castle records. If Seraphine had any unknown alliances, there would be traces.

By midday, Rhys returned, his expression grim.

"There's a missing document," he said. "The royal scribes keep copies of all noble family correspondences. But last year, there was a sealed exchange between Seraphine's father and an unknown party. The record of it is gone."

Kaelith's fingers tightened. "Gone?"

"Not misplaced. Removed."

Someone had erased it.

Kaelith exhaled slowly. "Who had access to those records?"

"The king. The scribes. And…" Rhys hesitated. "Lady Seraphine. She requested old letters when she arrived."

Kaelith's blood ran cold. She had covered her tracks.

But she had not hidden them well enough.

A Witness from the Past

That evening, Kaelith took another step.

He found an old servant—one who had served in the D'Caria household before being sent to Veynor's court.

"Tell me about Lady Seraphine," Kaelith said, watching the man's reaction.

The servant hesitated. "She was always… composed, Your Highness. A dutiful daughter."

"But?" Kaelith pressed.

The old man swallowed. "She used to disappear."

Kaelith's eyes narrowed. "Explain."

"Some nights, she would leave the estate, always returning before dawn. Her father never questioned it. He… encouraged it."

Kaelith's jaw clenched. Encouraged it?

"What was she doing?"

The man shook his head. "I never knew. But when she came back, she was always different. Quieter. Colder."

A pause.

"Like she had been somewhere she wasn't meant to be."

Kaelith's heart pounded. Seraphine wasn't just hiding secrets—she had been trained to hide them.

And now, he was closer than ever to learning why.

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