The First Thread Unraveled

Kaelith had no intention of forcing Seraphine into a confession.

She was too careful. Too skilled.

Instead, he turned his attention elsewhere—to the people who surrounded her.

Servants. Attendants. Messengers.

No one carried secrets alone. And if Seraphine was hiding something, someone in her inner circle would eventually slip.

Kaelith summoned his most trusted spies to his war room.

"Trace the movements of every servant close to the princess," he ordered. "Focus on those who have been with her the longest. Watch them. Follow them."

His spies bowed and disappeared into the shadows.

Days passed. And then, the first crack appeared.

A chambermaid—a young girl named Lyria—was seen sneaking a sealed letter out of Seraphine's chambers late in the night.

The letter never reached its destination.

Kaelith held the intercepted parchment in his hands, his pulse steady. The seal had been carefully broken, revealing words that meant nothing outright treasonous—but they were coded.

A meeting. A message. A promise of loyalty.

His lips curled.

So. She had secrets after all.

But Kaelith did not act—not yet.

He wanted to see how far this web stretched before he tore it apart.

Seraphine thought she was safe.

She was wrong.