Chapter 13
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The carriage moved too slowly.
Evelina sat rigid, fingers pressed against her lap, her thoughts a whirlwind of calculations.
The letter had been too vague. Too sudden.
Something was wrong.
The streets blurred past the window, golden lanterns flickering in the dim evening light. The closer they got to House Aurelius, the heavier the air became.
She inhaled deeply.
Then the carriage stopped.
The estate gates were already open.
A bad sign.
Evelina stepped out, her heels clicking against the stone path as she moved toward the grand entrance.
Two guards stood at the doorway, their expressions tense.
She didn't pause.
She didn't hesitate.
She walked through the threshold—
And stopped.
A familiar figure stood in the grand foyer.
Seraphina.
Smiling.
"Ah," Seraphina murmured, tilting her head. "You arrived faster than I expected."
Evelina exhaled, calm despite the storm building in her chest.
"What have you done?"
Seraphina's smile widened.
"Nothing." A pause. "Yet."
Evelina's gaze flickered past her, scanning the room.
Then she saw them.
Her father's advisors.
The estate's stewards.
Noble representatives.
All standing in tight, calculated formation.
Waiting.
Her fingers curled.
Seraphina had brought an audience.
Interesting.
Evelina's lips curled into a slow, sharp smile.
"Then let's not keep them waiting, shall we?"
---
The grand hall was suffocating.
The gathered nobles whispered among themselves, their eyes flickering between Evelina and Seraphina like spectators at a duel.
Her father was absent.
Another bad sign.
Evelina took her seat, posture elegant and composed.
Seraphina stood across from her, the picture of poised confidence.
Duchess Rosamund sat nearby, swirling a glass of wine, watching with thinly veiled amusement.
It was a trap.
A perfectly designed, carefully constructed trap.
And Evelina had walked straight into it.
She smiled.
How predictable.
A noble representative cleared his throat.
"Lady Evelina," he began, voice measured, "House Aurelius is in a… delicate situation."
Evelina said nothing.
She waited.
"The Queen has raised concerns," he continued. "Concerns regarding the future of your family's standing."
There it was.
The opening move.
Evelina tilted her head.
"And what concerns would those be?"
A pause.
Seraphina was watching her too closely.
Waiting.
Testing.
The noble hesitated before answering.
"There have been… rumors."
Evelina's smile didn't waver.
"Rumors?" she echoed. "Surely you wouldn't summon me here over simple gossip."
Seraphina chuckled softly.
"Not gossip, Lady Evelina," she murmured. "Confirmation."
The room tensed.
Ah.
So that was their game.
Evelina exhaled, fingers tapping lightly against the armrest of her chair.
She met Seraphina's gaze.
Held it.
Then—she laughed.
Soft. Amused. Unbothered.
Seraphina's smile faltered.
"I see," Evelina mused. "This isn't an inquiry. This is a performance."
A calculated pause.
She let her gaze sweep over the gathered nobles, her amusement clear.
"Tell me," she continued, "are you all so easily led by a few whispers? How disappointing."
A murmur rippled through the room.
Seraphina's fingers tightened.
Good.
Evelina leaned forward slightly.
"If you wish to challenge my position, Lady Seraphina, do so properly. Not with vague implications and dramatics."
Seraphina's lips parted slightly.
Caught.
Exposed.
Rosamund's eyes flickered with something unreadable.
The nobles hesitated.
Doubt creeping in.
Evelina smiled.
She had turned the game back on them.
But before she could push further—
The doors opened.
A servant entered, expression tense.
"Forgive the interruption," he said, bowing. "But there has been a message from the palace."
The room stilled.
Seraphina straightened.
Evelina's pulse remained steady.
The servant handed over a sealed letter.
Evelina took it.
Broke the wax.
Read the words.
Then—
She laughed again.
Louder this time.
Seraphina stiffened.
Evelina exhaled, folding the letter neatly.
Then, with perfect composure, she rose to her feet.
"It appears," she murmured, "that the Queen has summoned me again."
A beat of silence.
Seraphina's expression cracked.
Rosamund narrowed her eyes.
And the gathered nobles—
Shifted.
Seraphina had expected Evelina to be on the defensive.
Instead, she had been given a weapon.
She stepped past Seraphina without another word, leaving behind only a single whispered thought.
"Your move."
---
The carriage ride back to the palace was silent.
Evelina's fingers traced over the folded letter, her mind already piecing together the next step.
The Queen had forced her into this.
A direct summons. No way to refuse.
A power move.
A test.
She exhaled slowly.
She would play along.
For now.
The carriage stopped.
The palace doors loomed ahead.
She stepped out, the cool evening air pressing against her skin.
A steward waited just beyond the entrance, bowing deeply.
"Her Majesty awaits you in the private court."
Evelina adjusted her gloves.
Then, without hesitation, she stepped forward.
Toward the Queen.
Toward the next game.
Toward whatever came next.
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