The Chains of the Past

Evelyne's breath was still unsteady as she left the chamber.

The vision of the last queen's lifeless body refused to leave her mind.

Azrael had killed her.

Not in a fit of rage. Not in the heat of battle.

But with cold, deliberate judgment.

And now, Evelyne was in that same queen's place.

The corridors of the fortress felt suffocating as she walked, her thoughts tangled. The demons who passed her kept their distance, but she barely noticed them.

She needed air.

She needed to think.

She pushed open a massive iron door and stepped onto one of the castle's many open balconies. The air was crisp, laced with the scent of the strange flowers that bloomed in the Underworld. Below her, the dark kingdom stretched endlessly, its rivers of molten fire glowing beneath the black sky.

The realm was beautiful in its own haunting way.

But she still felt trapped.

The sound of approaching footsteps made her tense.

She didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

"You're still shaken," Azrael said.

His voice was unreadable.

Evelyne scoffed, gripping the stone railing. "What gave it away?"

Azrael was silent for a moment. Then, he stepped beside her, gazing over the balcony's edge. "You think I was cruel."

Evelyne turned to him, anger flaring in her chest. "You were cruel."

Azrael met her gaze. "She sent letters to my enemies, Evelyne."

"She didn't mean for them to be used against you," Evelyne argued. "She was trying to stop a war."

Azrael exhaled slowly. "Intentions do not erase consequences."

His words made her stomach tighten.

She had been raised to believe in duty, in sacrifice for the greater good. But standing here now, facing the truth of what happened to the last queen, she wasn't sure she believed it anymore.

"You expect me to trust you," she said. "But how can I? You killed the last human queen. What makes me any different?"

Azrael's golden eyes flickered.

He stepped closer.

"You tell me," he said softly.

Evelyne held her breath.

He was close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from him, the dangerous pull of his presence.

She hated how it made her pulse quicken.

"I am not her," Evelyne said firmly.

Azrael studied her, his expression unreadable. "No," he agreed. "You are not."

There was something strange in his voice. Something Evelyne couldn't quite decipher.

Before she could question it, another voice cut through the moment.

"My king."

Lyria stood at the entrance to the balcony, her violet eyes sharp.

Azrael didn't turn. "What is it?"

"There's been an… incident," Lyria said carefully. "A rogue faction. They ambushed one of our supply caravans near the border."

Azrael's expression darkened.

Evelyne frowned. "A rogue faction?"

Lyria hesitated before answering. "Not all demons support the peace treaty."

Evelyne's heart sank. She had assumed the resistance would come from humans, not demons.

Azrael's jaw tightened. "How many casualties?"

"Three dead. Five injured."

Evelyne swallowed hard. "Who were they?"

Lyria's gaze flicked to her. "A radical group that believes the Underworld should never bow to a human queen."

Evelyne's stomach twisted.

So she wasn't just unwelcome among humans. There were demons who wanted her dead too.

Azrael turned to her, his expression unreadable. "Now do you understand?"

Evelyne clenched her fists.

Yes.

She understood now.

She wasn't just fighting for survival in a foreign kingdom.

She was standing at the center of a war waiting to ignite.