Chapter 10
---
The sound of rain echoed through the halls of House Aurelius.
Evelina sat by the window of her private study, watching the droplets slide down the glass. Outside, the city was quiet, but she knew better than to believe in the illusion of peace.
Somewhere in the distance, the pieces were still moving.
She could feel it.
She tapped her fingers lightly against the wooden desk, her mind tracing over every rumor, every shift in behavior, every unspoken threat.
The Queen's whispers had begun to take root.
And soon, they would bloom into something much harder to control.
She exhaled slowly.
It was time to act.
---
The Academy was restless when she arrived.
The moment she stepped through the grand entrance, she felt the difference.
Conversations quieted.
Eyes flickered toward her, lingering just a second too long.
Not with curiosity.
Not with admiration.
With doubt.
The Queen's influence was spreading faster than she had anticipated.
Evelina adjusted her grip on her gloves, smoothing the fabric over her fingers as she walked.
This was what true power looked like.
Not a sword. Not a battle.
A simple shift in perception.
And if she didn't stop it now, it would be too late.
---
She had barely settled into the lecture hall before Leon Valcrest took a seat beside her.
He didn't speak at first.
He simply watched her, his silver-gray eyes studying her the way a swordsman might study an opponent before striking.
Evelina sighed.
"If you have something to say, Sir Leon, I suggest you say it."
Leon exhaled through his nose, fingers tapping idly against the desk.
"They're turning against you."
Evelina lifted a brow.
"And you are telling me this because?"
Leon held her gaze.
"I want to see what you'll do about it."
A test.
Evelina smiled faintly.
"Then I suppose you should watch closely."
Leon chuckled under his breath.
"I intend to."
---
By midday, the whispers had grown louder.
Evelina caught fragments of them as she walked through the courtyard.
"Did you hear? The Queen summoned her again."
"Why would Her Majesty concern herself with Lady Evelina unless there was a reason?"
"Maybe she's being considered for something greater."
"Or maybe she's simply a threat."
A slow, carefully crafted destruction.
She needed to cut it off at the root.
And to do that, she needed an audience.
---
The grand hall was filled with noble students when Evelina entered.
A perfect stage.
She walked to the center of the room, every movement deliberate, slow, commanding.
The whispers did not stop, but they shifted.
They were no longer about her.
They were about what she was going to do next.
And that was exactly what she wanted.
A conversation between noble ladies nearby caught her attention.
Seraphina stood among them, speaking in hushed, careful tones.
Evelina did not interrupt.
She simply stood there.
Watching.
Waiting.
Seraphina hesitated.
Just for a second.
It was all Evelina needed.
She smiled.
The game was still hers.
For now.
---
That evening, she was not surprised when she found Adrian waiting for her outside the Academy gates.
He leaned against the stone pillar, arms crossed, watching her with amusement.
"Busy day?" he mused.
Evelina sighed. "Exhausting."
Adrian smirked.
"And yet, you still look untouchable."
Evelina met his gaze.
"Should I not be?"
Adrian's smirk faded slightly.
"Most people would be panicking by now."
Evelina exhaled.
"I am not most people."
Adrian chuckled.
"No," he murmured. "You're not."
Then—
"The Queen sent another message."
Evelina stilled.
Adrian handed her a sealed letter.
No wax seal this time.
A private message.
Evelina traced the edges before slipping it into her sleeve.
"I see," she said lightly.
Adrian studied her for a moment before speaking again.
"Be careful."
Evelina tilted her head. "Afraid I might fail?"
Adrian's gaze darkened.
"No."
He leaned in slightly, voice lower.
"I'm afraid of what happens if you don't."
---
Across the city, Seraphina sat in a candlelit chamber, listening to Rosamund Lenore speak.
The Duchess swirled her wine glass, watching Seraphina with lazy amusement.
"You have the court's attention now," Rosamund murmured. "But that is not enough."
Seraphina inhaled deeply. "Then what would you suggest?"
Rosamund smiled.
"You must take something Evelina cannot afford to lose."
A pause.
Seraphina's hands tightened.
Then, finally—
She nodded.
---
Evelina stood on her balcony, staring out at the flickering city lights.
She had spent the day countering whispers, shifting conversations, holding her ground.
But she felt it.
The next move was coming.
And this time?
It would not be made in the shadows.
She exhaled slowly, fingers tightening against the railing.
Let them come.
She was ready.
---