Chapter 6

No kingdom fell in a day.

It crumbled slowly.

Brick by brick.

Until, one morning, the people looked around and realized the world was no longer what it used to be.

Seraphina du Lys was starting to understand that feeling.

She had always believed in fate.

That things would unfold as they were meant to.

That if she remained kind, patient, and strong, everything would align in her favor.

That people would see her as the rightful heroine.

But now—

Now, she wasn't so sure.

Because something had changed.

Not in the world.

In her.

And she didn't know how to stop it.

---

The Academy's afternoon tea gathering was in full bloom.

Students sat in elegant circles beneath the stone pavilion, their conversations light and measured.

It was a world of controlled expressions and carefully chosen words, a place where reputations could be elevated or ruined over something as simple as a misplaced comment.

Seraphina had always excelled in these moments.

Her laughter soft but not too delicate.

Her posture perfect but not rigid.

Her presence inviting yet dignified.

She had never had to fight for attention.

It had always been given.

But today, something was off.

She sat at the center of a small group of noble ladies, smiling as they spoke.

But the smiles they gave her in return?

They were different.

Polite. Yes.

But not the same as before.

She could feel it—a distance.

A shift in how they saw her.

And for the first time, Seraphina felt something she had never felt before.

Something cold.

Something sharp.

Doubt.

---

She didn't let it show.

She never did.

Instead, she took a slow sip of her tea, breathing in the scent of honey and chamomile, and allowed herself to observe.

Her gaze drifted across the pavilion, searching for something—for someone.

And then she saw him.

Cassius.

Sitting beneath the ivy-covered archway, speaking to a group of young noblemen.

He was relaxed, composed, unreadable.

Nothing about him had changed.

And yet—

The way he looked at her had.

Because he wasn't looking at her at all.

Seraphina's chest tightened.

No.

She refused to let this continue.

She set down her teacup and rose gracefully, brushing invisible creases from her gown.

The other ladies glanced up in mild surprise.

"Seraphina?" one of them asked.

She smiled gently. "Pardon me. I need a word with His Highness."

She turned, her steps smooth and purposeful as she made her way toward Cassius.

If she could just remind him.

Remind him of who she was to him.

Of the way it had always been.

Then everything would return to how it was meant to be.

---

Cassius knew she was approaching before she even spoke.

She could tell by the way his shoulders tensed ever so slightly.

But he didn't look up.

Not at first.

Not until she finally stood before him and said—

"Your Highness."

His blue eyes flickered toward her.

Cool. Controlled.

And completely indifferent.

Seraphina smiled, tilting her head slightly. "May I join you?"

Cassius didn't answer right away.

He let the pause stretch.

Then, finally—

"If you wish."

There was nothing in his tone.

No warmth.

No interest.

No recognition.

Seraphina swallowed, lowering herself onto the seat across from him.

She had always known Cassius was not an easy man.

His heart was not something given freely.

But this—

This was something else entirely.

"…You seem troubled," she said carefully, smoothing a hand over her skirts. "Has something been on your mind?"

Cassius exhaled slowly.

And then, in a tone carefully neutral, he said—

"Lady Evelina has changed."

The world tilted.

For a moment, Seraphina couldn't breathe.

The words hung in the air, heavy and deliberate.

She had expected him to be confused by Evelina's change.

Perhaps even suspicious.

But this?

This was something worse.

Cassius wasn't thinking about her.

He was thinking about Evelina.

And Seraphina knew.

She had already lost.

---

The city streets blurred past the carriage window, but Evelina wasn't looking at them.

She had left the Academy early.

Not because she was avoiding anything.

But because she had already done enough.

The pieces were moving.

Seraphina was unraveling.

Cassius was watching.

And the nobility?

They were adjusting.

To her.

To the new power structure.

But Evelina wasn't foolish.

She had won a battle.

Not the war.

Seraphina wasn't going to disappear quietly.

She was going to fight back.

And Evelina needed to be ready for whatever came next.

A soft knock against the carriage frame pulled her from her thoughts.

She turned—

And found herself looking at Adrian Everhart.

He leaned lazily against the carriage, his silver-gray eyes gleaming with something undeniably amused.

"Leaving early, Lady Evelina?"

Evelina smiled faintly.

"Are you keeping track of my schedule, Lord Adrian?"

Adrian smirked.

"I keep track of interesting things," he mused. "And lately, you've been very interesting."

Evelina tilted her head.

"Should I be flattered?"

Adrian's expression didn't change.

"I haven't decided yet."

A pause.

Then—

"The Queen is watching you now."

Evelina's fingers stilled.

A single heartbeat of silence.

Then—

She exhaled, fingers tapping lightly against the seat.

"I would be disappointed if she wasn't."

Adrian chuckled softly.

"You say that now."

He leaned slightly closer.

"But Evelina—" His voice dropped to a murmur.

"You're walking into a battlefield you don't control."

Evelina smiled.

Slow. Unreadable.

"Let her watch," she said.

She met his gaze, unwavering.

"I have no intention of losing."

Adrian tilted his head slightly, as if considering something.

Then, after a pause, he said—

"Good."

And with that, he stepped back.

Allowing the carriage door to close behind him.

As the carriage began to move, Evelina turned toward the setting sun.

Seraphina had been easy.

Cassius had been expected.

But the Queen?

Ah.

So the real war was about to begin.

And Evelina?

She was ready.