Chapter 27: Disruption
Seraphina ran.
Her heart pounded so hard it felt like it might break through her ribs. Her breaths came fast and ragged, her silk skirts twisting around her legs as she fled down the dimly lit corridors of the palace. The golden candlelight flickered wildly as she passed, her own shadow stretching and distorting against the walls.
This isn't right. This isn't how things are supposed to go.
In this world, she ruled. She was the one who set things into motion, who decided the paths. Nothing had ever moved without her choosing it.
But Aldric—he had not followed the rules.
She was supposed to be the one to spark something in him, to make him feel drawn to her, to set the game's romance into motion. Yet in that moment, there had been no spark. No programmed attraction.
Only something foreign. Something unknown.
She felt sick.
Her mind spiraled. Caius. He would give her peace of mind. He was always steadfast, always clear in his devotion to her. If she saw him, she could remind herself that things were still within her grasp.
Then she thought of Elias. He was sharp—he would know what to do. He always understood things faster than others.
Or Lucien. He might have been aloof, but he would protect her, wouldn't he?
She needed to find someone. Anyone. Someone who could remind her that she was still in control, that she hadn't lost her grip on reality.
As she turned a corner, she caught a glimpse of something through the grand archway ahead.
She slowed.
And her breath caught.
All three of them were together.
No. That's not possible.
Seraphina stared in shock.
Her mind reeled. This was wrong.
Just like planets followed their own orbits, they were never supposed to interact with each other outside of their individual routes.
They weren't meant to exist in the same space—except for her.
But now—
Caius had his hand twisted in Elias's collar, amber eyes burning with fury.
"She is mine." His voice was low, dangerous. "If you dare to interfere, you are dead."
Elias glared back at him, violet eyes flashing in defiance.
"You don't get to decide that," he hissed.
Off to the side, Lucien sat at a grand table, fingers lightly curled around a teacup.
He wasn't drinking.
His blue eyes were shadowed, dull. He looked like a man who had already lost everything. Like someone who had given up all hope.
"You two," Lucien's voice was quiet but firm, "don't you ever dare."
The tension in the room was suffocating.
Then—
As if struck by some unseen force, all three men turned their heads.
Staring directly at her.
But she wasn't there.
Seraphina was behind the wall, her hand pressed over her mouth to keep herself from making a sound.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her mind screaming.
What is happening?
Aldric's words echoed in her mind.
"If you want answers, come and find me."
Her breath hitched.
She pressed herself harder against the cold stone wall, heart hammering in her chest. She shouldn't be scared—she was the player, the system's guide. But this… this was no longer following the game's script.
Aldric was wrong. He had to be wrong. She wasn't causing these fractures in the kingdom—she wasn't the one making things spiral out of control.
And yet…
Caius and Elias, locked in a battle of possessive fury. Lucien, staring at them like a man already broken.
All of them were meant to revolve around her.
Not fight. Not fracture.
What's happening?