Sera's POV
The door to Sera's townhouse slammed open so hard it cracked against the wall.
Sera spun from her desk, hand flying to the blade hidden in her sleeve—then stopped when she saw Rhys's face.
He looked terrified.
We have a problem, Rhys said, striding across the room. A massive one.
Sera's stomach dropped. Three days had passed since the masquerade. Three days of waiting for Kaelen's investigation to tighten around her like a noose. Three days of barely sleeping, jumping at every shadow.
What happened? she demanded.
Rhys pulled a folded document from his jacket, spreading it on her desk. My Shadowhand contacts intercepted this from one of Marcellus's couriers. It's a death list.
Sera's hands trembled as she scanned the names. Three nobles—all older men who'd served her father, Emperor Aldric, with absolute loyalty. Men who might remember Princess Cassia fondly. Men who might ask dangerous questions about the new regime if given a chance.
Her blood turned to ice.
They're planning murders, she whispered.
Not just murders. Executions. Rhys pointed to the notes scrawled in the margins. Marcellus has fabricated evidence showing these men embezzled from the Imperial Treasury. He plans to arrest them publicly within the week, then execute them for treason before anyone can verify the charges.
Just like he did to me. Sera's voice was hollow. Fabricated evidence. A rushed trial. Execution before the truth can surface.
Exactly. They're using the same playbook. Rhys's jaw tightened. And it'll work unless someone stops them.
Sera forced herself to keep reading, even though each word felt like a blade. The document detailed forged financial records, bribed witnesses, false testimonies—a complete framework of lies built to murder three innocent men.
Then her eyes caught on one name, and her heart stopped.
Lord Aldwin Hartley.
No, she breathed.
Rhys's expression softened. I'm sorry. I know he was kind to you.
Kind. Such a small word for what Lord Aldwin had been.
Memories flooded Sera's mind. Being eight years old and terrified at her mother's funeral, and Aldwin kneeling beside her to say, Your mother was the bravest person I knew. She taught me that true strength isn't about power—it's about protecting those who can't protect themselves.
Being fifteen and furious about court injustices, and Aldwin teaching her about fair governance over tea. The hardest part of leadership, Princess, is that doing what's right often costs you personally. But that's precisely when it matters most.
Being twenty and arrested for treason, and Aldwin standing up during her trial to say, I've known Princess Cassia her entire life. She is incapable of this crime. Then watching him be dragged from the courtroom for daring to defend her.
He'd risked everything trying to save her.
And she'd failed him.
When? Sera asked, her voice raw. When are they planning the arrests?
Could be any day now. Marcellus is just waiting for the Emperor's signature on the arrest warrants.
Which means Dorian will sign whenever Elara tells him to. Sera's hands clenched into fists. We're running out of time.
Sera. Rhys grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. We can't intervene. I know what you're thinking, but we can't. Warning them would expose us. Marcellus would know someone has inside information about his plans. He'd start hunting for spies, and eventually he'd find you.
So we just let them die? The words tasted like ashes. We watch three innocent men be murdered because it's safer for us?
Yes! Rhys's frustration boiled over. That's exactly what we do. We're not here to save everyone, Sera. We're here to bring down the entire corrupt system. If we blow our cover trying to save three nobles, we lose everything. Five years of preparation. Five years of surviving. All wasted.
Sera pulled away from him, pacing to the window. Outside, the city sprawled beneath a gray sky. Somewhere out there, Lord Aldwin was going about his day, unaware that Lord Chancellor Marcellus was building a coffin of lies around him.
Just like they'd done to her.
I can't, Sera whispered.
Can't what?
Stand by and watch it happen again. She turned, meeting Rhys's eyes. When I was buried alive, I spent seventeen hours suffocating in absolute darkness. And you know what the worst part was? Not the pain. Not the fear. It was knowing that people who could have stopped it chose not to. Chose convenience over courage.
That's different
Is it? Sera's voice sharpened. Lord Aldwin tried to defend me at my trial. He risked his political standing, his reputation, everything—to speak the truth. And I'm supposed to repay that by letting him die when I could warn him?
Rhys ran his hands through his hair, frustration and concern warring on his face. This isn't about repayment. This is about survival.
No. This is about who I choose to be. Sera moved back to the desk, staring at the death list. Five years ago, I was helpless. I couldn't save myself or anyone else. But I'm not helpless anymore. I have power now. Information. The ability to act.
And if acting gets you killed?
Then at least I'll die knowing I tried to prevent an injustice instead of hiding from it.
Rhys was silent for a long moment. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter. Resigned. You're the most stubborn person I've ever met.
I learned from the best. Sera managed a small smile. Lord Aldwin taught me that doing what's right often costs you personally. But that's precisely when it matters most.
You're really going to do this.
Yes.
Even though Duke Kaelen is investigating you? Even though one wrong move means exposure?
Especially because of that. Sera's jaw set. If Kaelen discovers who I am, I want it to be because I was trying to save an innocent man. Not because I was too afraid to act.
Rhys sighed deeply. Fine. But we do this carefully. Smartly. You don't just walk up to Lord Aldwin's house—that would draw too much attention. We need somewhere private.
The palace gardens, Sera said immediately. The eastern section has a fountain that's rarely used at dusk. I can send him a coded message requesting a meeting there. Make it seem like it's from an old friend.
The palace gardens? Rhys looked at her like she'd lost her mind. That's incredibly risky. There are guards everywhere. And if Kaelen catches you sneaking around
He won't. He's too busy investigating my background to be wandering the gardens. Sera pulled out parchment and ink. Besides, the gardens are the last place anyone would expect me to go. Which makes it perfect.
She wrote quickly, using a code she and Lord Aldwin had developed years ago when she was young. A system for passing secret messages about court politics. He'd probably forgotten it, but seeing the familiar pattern would tell him this was from someone who knew Princess Cassia.
A ghost seeks old wisdom at sunset's fountain. Come alone.
When? Rhys asked.
Tonight. The longer we wait, the more chance Marcellus moves first.
Rhys took the message reluctantly. I'll use one of my Shadowhand contacts to deliver this discreetly. But Sera—if this goes wrong, if you're caught—
I know the risks.
Do you? Because you're not just risking exposure. You're risking everything we've worked for. And for what? To save one old man?
Sera thought about Lord Aldwin kneeling beside eight-year-old Cassia at her mother's funeral. About him teaching her that true leadership meant protecting the powerless. About him standing up during her trial even though it destroyed him politically.
He's not just one old man, she said softly. He's proof that good people existed in that court. That not everyone chose convenience over courage. If I let him die without trying to save him, then I'm no better than the people who let me die.
Rhys studied her face, then nodded slowly. I'll deliver the message. But promise me you'll be careful.
I promise.
After he left, Sera stood alone in her townhouse as afternoon shadows lengthened across the floor.
Tonight, she would return to the palace gardens where Princess Cassia used to walk. Where she'd laughed and studied and dreamed of a future that would never come.
Tonight, she would risk everything to save a man who'd once tried to save her.
And if Duke Kaelen Nightraven discovered her there—if his investigation led him to the gardens at exactly the wrong moment—then five years of careful planning would shatter.
But some things were worth the risk.
Some debts demanded payment, even when the cost was everything.
Sera changed into a dark cloak as twilight approached. Tucked a small blade into her sleeve. Reviewed the palace garden layout she'd memorized long ago.
Her hands shook as she prepared, but her resolve stayed firm.
At dusk, she slipped out of her townhouse and headed toward the palace.
Toward danger.
Toward a meeting that could save an innocent man or destroy everything she'd survived to build.
And somewhere in those same palace halls, Duke Kaelen Nightraven was hunting for the truth about Lady Sera Ashwood—getting closer with every passing hour.
Sera walked through the darkening streets, her heart pounding with each step.
She was about to walk straight into the palace where her enemies ruled.
Where the man investigating her secrets worked.
Where one wrong move meant death.
But Lord Aldwin had once taught her that courage wasn't the absence of fear.
It was doing what was right even when you were terrified.
So Sera kept walking.
Toward the palace gardens.
Toward mercy that might cost her everything.
Toward a confrontation she couldn't possibly predict.
Because in the shadows of those same gardens, waiting with suspicious gray eyes and questions that wouldn't stop, Duke Kaelen Nightraven had been following her all along.