Episode 10: A lion's Attention
"In a court of monsters, the worst fate is not being hated. It is being noticed."
Seraphina Elyssar had been playing a delicate game.
She had entered this palace as nothing more than a pawn, a woman forced into a political marriage, a prisoner under the guise of an empress.
She was meant to be ignored. Forgotten.
But she had learned something crucial about Xavien Draethis.
He did not ignore things that intrigued him.
And now—
She had his attention.
The morning after their dinner, the palace was alive with whispers.
"The emperor dined with her alone?"
"He summoned her to his private hall?"
"What does this mean?"
Some looked at her with suspicion.
Others with curiosity.
And a few—
A few with hatred.
Seraphina felt their stares as she walked through the halls, but she did not react.
She had learned long ago that showing weakness in a den of predators was a death sentence.
She kept her posture poised, her expression neutral, her steps light but firm.
Still, she felt the weight of it.
The change.
The way the air shifted when she entered a room.
She had been invisible before.
But now?
She was something more.
Something they were trying to figure out.
And in this court, curiosity was just as deadly as contempt.
Xavien Draethis sat upon his grand throne, watching.
Listening.
The court droned on about politics, trade routes, treaties.
Things that normally held his interest.
But today—
His golden eyes were drawn elsewhere.
To her.
Seraphina Elyssar.
The woman he had expected to be meek, obedient.
A decoration for his empire, nothing more.
But she was proving to be something else entirely.
She did not demand attention, yet she commanded it.
And that—
That was interesting.
Too interesting.
"You are watching her too closely."
Xavien did not move as Valen spoke quietly beside him.
"And the court is watching you."
Xavien exhaled slowly, resting his chin on his hand.
"Let them watch."
Valen hesitated.
"They are already speculating."
"Speculating about what?" Xavien asked, though he already knew the answer.
"That she is more than just your political bride."
There was silence.
Then Xavien smirked.
"Then let them wonder."
Because that was the key, wasn't it?
To keep the court uncertain.
To make them question, hesitate.
Because the moment they thought they had figured out his intentions—
He had already won.
Seraphina was still deep in thought when she returned to her chambers later that night.
She closed the heavy door behind her, letting out a quiet breath.
But just as she turned—
She noticed it.
A slip of parchment on the floor.
A note.
No name. No seal.
Just a single sentence written in sharp, hurried ink.
"You are being watched."
Seraphina's heart pounded as she stared at the words.
Her fingers tightened around the parchment.
Of course, she was being watched.
The moment Xavien had looked at her—**truly looked at her—**she had become a target.
But this note—
This wasn't a warning about the emperor.
This was a warning about someone else.
A cold shiver ran down her spine.
Because whoever had sent this—
They weren't trying to threaten her.
They were trying to protect her.
And that meant—
She was already in more danger than she had realized.
Outside her window, the moon cast a pale glow over the palace.
Somewhere in the shadows, someone was watching.
Waiting.
And the game she had tried so hard to avoid?
It had just begun.