Chapter 108 - A Father's Second Demise, A Deceptive Past

I jolted back to awareness in the royal carriage, Alaric's worried face hovering over mine.

"Isabella?" His voice was tight with concern, his hand gripping mine so hard it almost hurt.

The memories flooded back—the guard's shocking announcement about my father's body being found in the Blackwood crypt. I sat up too quickly, my head spinning.

"My father... how can he be dead twice?" My voice sounded distant to my own ears.

"We're going to find out," Alaric said grimly. "Captain Orion is meeting us at the crypt."

The carriage rattled over cobblestones, royal guards riding alongside us. I stared out the window at the passing shadows, trying to make sense of this impossible situation.

"You killed him," I whispered, turning back to Alaric. "I saw you. That night at my family's estate when he tried to..." I couldn't finish the sentence.

Alaric's jaw clenched. "I thought I did. He wasn't breathing when I left him."

"Then how—"

"Either someone revived him, or..." He hesitated.