Marco and Colden sat in silence.
The pie dish was empty. Their heads were heavy. Their hearts… off.
"I don't feel like myself," Marco murmured, rubbing his temples.
Colden nodded, his voice low. "It's like… my emotions are too loud. And yours are too quiet."
They looked at each other — not with fear, but with a shared confusion. Something had shifted. Something deep.
And they didn't know how to fix it.
At the palace, chaos reigned.
The kitchens were cold. The tables were bare. The nobles were murmuring, confused and irritated.
"Where is Carmine?"
"Where's Lady Elaine?"
The maids gathered in the hallway, whispering. Gina stood among them, arms folded, a smirk playing on her lips.
"You'll know soon enough," she said.
In the basement, Elaine stirred.
Her hair was a mess, her limbs stiff. She blinked against the dim light and saw Carmine lying on the floor, unmoving.
"Carmine?" she whispered, crawling to her side.
No response.
Elaine shook her gently. Nothing.
She stood, searching the basement for anything — a key, a crack, a way out. That's when she heard it.
"Hello…"
A fragile voice.
She turned.
Viremont stood in the corner, arms wrapped around herself, eyes wide with fear.
Elaine's breath caught. "Mom?"
Viremont nodded slowly. "I was half-awake when they brought us here. I… I can't process it."
Elaine stepped closer. "We have to wake Carmine."
They tried everything — clapping, stomping, shaking her hands. Nothing worked.
Then Viremont said softly, "There's one thing we haven't tried."
Elaine looked up.
"The lullaby," Viremont said. "The one I used to sing to you."
Elaine blinked. A memory stirred — soft arms, warm light, a melody hummed against her ear.
She nodded.
Together, they sang.
The tune was simple, sweet, and a little off-key. They laughed between verses, smiling at how silly it felt — but also how right.
For a moment, Elaine saw the mother she remembered.
Not the sharp-tongued noble.
But the woman who once braided her hair and kissed her forehead.
Then — the door creaked open.
They turned.
Gina stepped inside, her silhouette framed by the flickering torchlight.
Elaine stiffened. She didn't recognize her.
But Viremont did.
She stepped in front of Elaine, voice firm. "You won't hurt my daughter."
Gina scoffed. "Oh? Now you care?"
She lunged.
Viremont shoved Elaine back. "Run!"
Elaine froze.
Gina slammed Viremont against the wall, her eyes wild.
It was chaos. It was betrayal. It was blasphemy.
Upstairs, the palace gates creaked open.
Colden and Marco stepped inside, their steps unsteady, their minds still fogged.
But something was wrong.
They could feel it.
And they were already too late.
To be continued…