Chapter 8
The carriage rattled over the cobbled streets, the rhythmic sound of hooves against stone filling the air. Evelina sat still, fingers tracing the edges of the Queen's letter.
The wax seal had been broken, but she had yet to reread the words inside.
There was no need.
The invitation had been clear.
An audience with Her Majesty, Queen Ophelia Lorian.
Not a request. A summons.
Evelina exhaled softly, glancing out the window as the towering silhouette of the royal palace came into view.
The real game had begun.
And she had no intention of losing.
---
The palace doors loomed ahead, flanked by gilded marble columns and royal guards standing at attention.
A steward led her through the main hall, past grand tapestries woven with the history of the kingdom, past nobles who watched her with open curiosity.
She had not stepped foot inside these walls in years.
Not since she was a child, trailing behind her mother at court functions, wide-eyed and clinging to carefully practiced etiquette.
Now, she walked these halls as a player, not a spectator.
She was led through the grand corridors until finally, the doors to the Queen's private receiving chamber were pushed open.
The room was quiet.
A grand space of polished ebony floors, velvet drapes, and chandeliers casting a golden glow.
At the far end of the room, seated with regal poise, was Queen Ophelia.
And beside her—
Cassius.
His blue eyes met hers instantly.
Unflinching.
Evelina kept her expression smooth as she stepped forward, stopping precisely where custom dictated.
She curtsied, slow and graceful.
"Your Majesty."
A pause.
Then, a voice—soft, yet weighted with authority.
"Rise, Lady Evelina."
She did.
The Queen studied her in silence, her gaze sharp enough to cut through bone.
She had the same blue eyes as Cassius, but unlike her son, there was no fire in them.
Only ice.
"You have been making quite an impression," the Queen finally said.
Evelina tilted her head slightly. "I was unaware I had drawn such attention."
The Queen's lips curled in something that was not a smile.
"Do not insult me with false modesty," she said. "We both know you have done more than simply exist."
Evelina did not look away.
She let the silence stretch.
Then—
"I see. Then I shall take it as a compliment, Your Majesty."
Cassius shifted slightly in his seat.
The Queen's gaze flickered.
"You are bold."
"A necessary trait," Evelina replied smoothly, "for survival in noble society."
The Queen leaned back slightly, fingers tapping against the armrest of her throne.
"You have disrupted the balance."
Evelina did not react.
"I have only chosen a different path than the one expected of me."
The Queen's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Indeed," she murmured. "You have."
A pause.
Then—
"Tell me, Lady Evelina."
The air in the room changed.
Cassius tensed.
Evelina kept her spine straight, her breathing even.
The Queen's voice was quiet but absolute.
"Do you intend to take the throne?"
Silence.
Absolute.
Unyielding.
Then—
Evelina smiled.
Slow. Poised.
"I do not recall expressing such an ambition," she said lightly.
The Queen exhaled softly.
"Good."
The word was carefully measured.
Then, just as smoothly—
"But you are not a fool, Lady Evelina. You know how this looks."
Evelina tilted her head.
"And how does it look, Your Majesty?"
The Queen's eyes gleamed.
"Like a girl who does not know when to stop."
A challenge.
A warning.
Evelina met her gaze without flinching.
"On the contrary," she murmured, "I know precisely when to stop."
A long silence stretched between them.
Then, unexpectedly—
The Queen smiled.
It was not warm.
It was not kind.
But it was amused.
"Interesting," she murmured.
The tension in the air remained, thick and coiling.
Then—
The Queen flicked her wrist slightly.
Cassius stood, moving toward Evelina in a slow, deliberate stride.
He stopped before her, his blue eyes searching hers.
Then, in a voice only she could hear—
"You should not have come."
Evelina smiled.
"I did not have a choice."
Cassius exhaled.
And then—
Softly, almost reluctantly—
"I know."
---
The halls of the palace stretched long and endless as Evelina walked, her escort trailing two steps behind.
She could still feel the weight of the Queen's words.
Of Cassius' warning.
But her thoughts were interrupted when she turned a corner—
And found herself facing Adrian Everhart.
He was leaning lazily against a carved pillar, arms crossed, as if he had been waiting for her.
"Eventful meeting?" he mused.
Evelina didn't slow her stride.
"You tell me," she said smoothly. "You seem awfully well-informed these days."
Adrian pushed off the pillar, falling into step beside her.
"I have my ways."
Evelina glanced at him. "Spying on me, Lord Everhart?"
Adrian smirked.
"Would you prefer I didn't?"
She sighed.
"I would prefer fewer interruptions."
Adrian chuckled.
"Well, that's unfortunate."
Then—
A shift in his tone.
"You should be careful."
Evelina raised a brow.
"Of what?"
Adrian smiled, but there was something behind it.
Something not quite amusement.
Something almost like concern.
"Of becoming too good at this game."
Evelina exhaled softly.
"Why? Afraid I might win?"
Adrian tilted his head.
"No," he murmured.
"I'm afraid of what happens if you do."
---
Across the city, in the quiet candlelit chamber of a noble estate, Seraphina sat in silence.
Duchess Rosamund poured a glass of wine, her movements slow and deliberate.
Seraphina had spent the last hour listening.
Listening to every carefully chosen word.
To the offer placed before her.
And now, as Rosamund set the wine glass down, she finally asked—
"Well, Lady Seraphina?"
Seraphina exhaled.
Her fingers curled against her lap.
And then, finally—
She lifted her gaze.
"I accept."
---
Evelina stood on the balcony of House Aurelius, the city lights flickering below.
The Queen had spoken.
The court had shifted.
The war had begun.
And somewhere in the night, the first real move had just been played.
Evelina turned her gaze toward the stars.
A storm was coming.
And she would be at its center.
---