The Hollow crown

Chapter 6: The Hollow Crown

The streets of Elderglen murmured of a fallen reverend, a holy man disgraced. Dorian watched it unfold from the shadows, wrapped in his long black coat, the night air brushing against his pale skin like silk spun from sorrow.

He should have felt victorious.

Instead, there was only silence inside.

He thought of Evelyn. Of her voice like a hymn he no longer deserved. Her belief in the boy buried under the mask he wore.

Could he ever return to that boy?

But as his doubts grew… so did danger.

That evening, a raven landed on his windowsill, bearing a message tied in red string—his old code. The name etched on the parchment made his heart stutter.

Cassian.

A childhood friend. One of the few he thought had perished in the fire that swallowed his family whole. One of the few he trusted.

And now—alive. Thriving. And responsible for feeding his family's secrets to the very people who destroyed them.

Dorian's hands trembled as he read the confession. Cassian had betrayed them all for power. For status. And now he sat in a castle carved from their bones.

The storm Inside Dorian rose again, but this time, it clashed with a quieter voice.

Evelyn's.

"Not everyone who breaks you deserves to be broken."

But Cassian had been his brother in all but blood.

And he had watched Dorian burn.

That night, Dorian entered Cassian's estate dressed in noble silk, a mask of elegance on his face, and vengeance stitched into every step. The masquerade ball was the perfect cover.

Cassian didn't recognize him at first.

Until Dorian whispered, "Do you still remember the fire?"

Cassian froze.

"I thought you died," he stammered.

"I did," Dorian replied, smile razor-sharp. "But you helped kill me first."

The next morning, Cassian's fortune was gone. His title revoked. Letters and proof of his betrayal spread across the city like wildfire.

But Dorian spared his life.

Let him live in ruins, with the shame of what he had done. A punishment far crueler than death.

And when Dorian walked back to Evelyn, dirt on his hands and guilt in his eyes—he found the garden empty.

No note. No goodbye.

Just the rose she once tucked behind her ear, now wilted at the base of the tree.