The doctor lowered her head immediately, bowing with careful respect the moment my father stepped closer.
"My Lord," she said quietly, "if punishment is necessary, then direct it toward me."
My father's expression didn't soften.
The corridor remained painfully silent.
The doctor continued carefully, her tone calm and apologetic.
"Lady Seraphina was only searching for you."
A brief pause.
"She appeared distressed, and I could not ignore it."
I blinked once, startled.
"She was worried something had happened to you," the doctor added softly. "I merely accompanied her here."
A lie.
A smooth one.
For half a second, I stared at her in surprise before quickly forcing my expression to settle.
She was protecting me.
No— protecting the file.
My father's eyes narrowed slightly.
He still looked unconvinced.
Dangerously unconvinced.
So before he could question further, I stepped forward quickly and wrapped my arms lightly around him.
"Father…"
The word came quieter than I intended.
I could feel the black file pressed tightly beneath the folds of my skirt, hidden carefully against my side.
One wrong movement and it would fall.
My pulse hammered painfully.
"I was scared," I admitted softly. "You disappeared after the meeting and no one knew where you were."
That part, at least, wasn't entirely a lie.
Slowly, his hands settled against my shoulders.
Not affectionate. Assessing.
Even while holding me, he was suspicious.
"I'm fine," he said at last, though his gaze remained sharp. "You shouldn't wander through restricted areas alone."
Restricted.
So it truly was his secret room.
I lowered my gaze obediently.
"I apologize."
His hands tightened faintly on my shoulders before he finally began guiding me away from the corridor.
Carefully.
Too carefully.
As though he still wasn't certain whether to trust what he had just seen.
Before we turned the corner completely, my father glanced back once toward the doctor.
The warning in his eyes was unmistakable.
Do not let this happen again.
The doctor lowered her head immediately.
"Yes, my Lord."
Then— just before I looked away—
her gaze lifted briefly toward me.
Quiet. Urgent.
A silent reminder.
Don't forget our deal.
As my father guided me down the corridor, my thoughts stayed trapped inside that hidden room.
Inside the black file hidden beneath my skirt.
Inside the doctor's words.
The kingdom's native doctor had served this family for years—long before I ever entered this world.
No.
Not my world.
This novel's world.
A strange feeling settled in my chest at the thought.
If Seraphina was twenty-two now, then the doctor had probably been present the day she was born.
She had watched the real Seraphina grow up. Watched her become the spoiled, tragic woman described in the novel I once stayed awake reading late into the night.
And now…
I was living inside her body.
The thought still felt surreal sometimes.
Especially during moments like this.
Because this wasn't fiction anymore.
The hidden room.
The black file. The political trap against the South. Draven.
All of it was real now.
My fingers tightened slightly against the file beneath my skirt.
If this evidence truly exposed the North's plans against the South House…
Then maybe I could change the story completely.
Maybe Draven would never discover the "betrayal" that originally destroyed Seraphina in the novel.
Maybe he would never look at me with that cold hatred described in the final chapters.
And maybe—
I wouldn't die the same way she did.
Execution.
The memory of that scene from the novel still made my chest tighten sometimes.
Seraphina kneeling beneath the snow while the entire South watched her downfall.
Back then, while reading, Melanie had pitied her.
Now the fear belonged to me.
But things were changing.
The story was changing.
And the biggest proof was—
the system still hadn't appeared.
No warning. No punishment. No sharp voice echoing inside my head.
Nothing.
Which meant I was still safe.
Still following the correct route.
A small wave of relief eased some of the tension pressing against my chest.
At least for now.
My thoughts snapped apart when my father suddenly spoke beside me.
"So," he said calmly, "what exactly did the doctor tell you?"
I nearly stiffened.
Then quickly remembered something important.
The original Seraphina had apparently talked far too much.
Because my father sounded almost expectant, as though he fully believed I would immediately reveal every single thing the doctor said without thinking twice.
I forced myself to stay calm.
Then smiled faintly.
"She was praising you."
That earned a slight pause from him.
I continued before suspicion could settle again.
"She said very few rulers could've maintained the North the way you did during my absence."
A lie.
But an effective one.
Especially for a man like him.
My father's expression eased slightly.
"She spoke highly of your leadership," I added carefully. "She said the North remained stable because of you."
That seemed to satisfy him more than I expected.
His grip against my shoulder loosened faintly as we continued walking down the corridor.
And silently—
I tightened my hold against the dangerous black file hidden beneath my skirt.
Hours passed before I finally managed to excuse myself.
The discussions had become exhausting long before then— endless political debates, council opinions, military concerns, alliance negotiations.
Every minute felt heavier than the last.
And through all of it, one thought kept circling in my head:
Where was Draven?
I found myself glancing toward the doors constantly, almost expecting him to appear and somehow pull me away from the suffocating room.
He never did.
By the time I finally stood, my patience had worn dangerously thin.
"I need a moment," I said softly, forcing an awkward expression onto my face. "I… need to use the restroom."
No one stopped me.
Thankfully.
The moment I stepped out of the chamber, I lifted my skirts and hurried through the corridors as quickly as dignity allowed.
My pulse hammered the entire way back.
The file hidden beneath my clothes felt heavier with every step.
When I finally reached the room, I shut the door quickly behind me and locked it.
Then another lock.
Just to be safe.
Only then did I pull the black file out from beneath my skirt.
My hands were trembling slightly.
I crossed the room quickly toward the wardrobe, pushing aside folded gowns before hiding the file deep beneath them.
Then I locked the compartment immediately.
Click.
Only after hearing the lock settle did I finally breathe properly again.
I sat heavily onto the edge of the bed, pressing my palms together.
What was I supposed to tell Draven first?
The evidence?
Or Stephen's threat?
My chest tightened again.
Both were dangerous.
But the file…
No.
That came first.
It had to.
I leaned back slightly against the bedpost, waiting.
Minutes passed slowly.
Then—
A knock sounded at the door.
I stiffened briefly before forcing myself to relax.
This was still Seraphina's home.
At least for now.
When I opened the door, two maids stood outside holding trays of dinner.
"My Lady."
I nodded faintly and allowed them inside.
The smell of warm soup and roasted meat filled the room quickly as they arranged everything neatly before bowing and leaving again.
I barely touched the food.
Instead, I sat there waiting.
Listening.
Then finally—
The door opened again.
I stood immediately.
And the moment I saw him—
relief hit me so suddenly it almost startled me.
Draven stepped inside calmly, removing the dark mask from his face as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
Before I could stop myself, a smile had already reached my lips.
A real one.
The kind I hadn't realized was there until his eyes lifted toward me.
One brow raised slightly.
That instantly made me clear my throat and look away.
"What took you so long?" I asked quickly.
As though I hadn't been waiting for him.
Draven removed his coat slowly before dropping into the chair near the fire.
"Tours," he replied dryly.
He reached toward the tray, taking one of the wine glasses without ceremony.
"Apparently," he continued after a sip, "news about Raphael has spread across the estate already."
I blinked.
His mouth curved faintly.
"Everyone keeps calling for him like he's some wandering common mercenary."
That made a small laugh escape me before I could stop it.
Draven set the glass down lightly.
"More importantly," he added casually, "I overheard discussions about kidnapping the Duke of the South tomorrow."
Silence.
Then he chuckled softly.
"Which is amusing," he said. "Considering they were discussing kidnapping me."
I stared at him for a second before laughing quietly despite myself.
"That's insane."
"Yes," he agreed calmly. "Very."
But the humor faded quickly from my chest as I remembered the file.
Right.
I stood immediately and crossed toward the wardrobe.
Draven watched silently as I unlocked it and pulled the black file from beneath the gowns.
The moment his eyes landed on it—
something in his expression changed.
I walked back toward him carefully before handing it over.
"This was hidden inside a secret room," I explained quietly. "The kingdom's native doctor gave it to me."
Draven took the file without a word.
Then opened it.
Silence filled the room almost instantly.
I watched his face carefully while he read.
At first— nothing.
Then slowly—
his brows creased.
The air shifted.
His fingers tightened slightly against the pages.
And suddenly—
he slammed the file shut hard enough to make me jerk.
The sharp sound echoed through the room.
A curse left him immediately under his breath.
Then he looked away sharply, jaw tight.
I stared at him, startled.
"Did you read this?" he asked suddenly.
"No," I answered quickly. "I waited for you."
"Good."
The answer came instantly.
Too instantly.
"Don't read it."
There was something dangerous in his voice now.
Something colder than before.
Before I could ask anything, he stood abruptly and crossed toward the cabinet near the desk.
He locked the file inside immediately and kept the key.
Then he sat back down.
His fingers began tapping continuously against the armrest.
Once. Twice. Again.
Thinking.
Calculating.
Worried.
And for the first time since I met him—
Draven looked genuinely unsettled.
I swallowed carefully.
"Draven…" I began quietly. "There's something else I needed to tell you. About Stephen—"
"I'm not in the mood right now."
The interruption came flat.
Not harsh. But distracted.
His gaze remained fixed toward the fire.
I fell silent immediately.
Because he clearly wasn't listening anymore.
He looked troubled.
Deeply troubled.
He paced once across the room before sitting again, biting lightly against his finger in thought while staring into the flames.
What was inside that file?
Did he already know?
Was he angry because it leaked?
Or because someone else had discovered it?
My heartbeat quickened.
Time was slipping away again.
And somehow—
I still hadn't managed to tell him about Stephen.
Then suddenly, Draven looked toward me.
His eyes held mine for several long seconds.
"Who else knows about the file?" he asked quietly.
I hesitated only briefly.
"The kingdom's native doctor."
The moment the words left my mouth—
he stood.
Immediately.
Draven grabbed his coat in one swift movement.
My chest tightened.
"Where are you going?"
"To meet her."
The answer came while he was already moving toward the door.
Fast.
Too fast.
Panic rose instantly inside me.
If he met her like this— would he reveal himself?
Would it ruin everything?
What if this entire thing was a trap?
And more importantly—
what exactly was inside that file?