They should've locked her in the tower.
After the poisoning attempt, Seraphina was "confined for safety." A soft, pretty lie wrapped in gold bars. But the only reason she played along was because she knew something no one else did—
The castle had secrets.
Lila's letter mentioned a door behind the library wall. One only a blood heir could open. Seraphina waited until the palace fell asleep, slipped from her guarded bedroom, and moved like a ghost through the west wing.
She found the library easily.It was the click behind the sixth bookshelf that made her heart race.
The wall slid open.
A stairwell descended into dark.
She didn't hesitate.
The passage felt ancient. Dust clung to her throat, and cobwebs kissed her skin like whispers. Her fingers grazed stone as she followed the path down, down, until—
A door.No handle.Just a crest a shattered crown with a serpent wrapped around it.
She pressed her palm to it.
The lock hissed.
And the door opened.
Inside: files. Photographs. Medical charts. Surveillance.
Lila's entire life, documented like a case study.
Seraphina stumbled back. This wasn't just a secret. It was a cover-up. Her sister hadn't vanished.
She'd been taken.
"You shouldn't be here."The voice froze her.
Levi stood in the doorway, jaw tight, eyes blazing.
"How did you find me?"
He stepped inside, eyes sweeping the room. "You talk in your sleep."
She flinched. "You were watching me?"
"Protecting you."
"You're not supposed to"
"I don't care what I'm supposed to do." He took another step toward her. "You could've been killed."
She turned, fire rising. "So what? I sit around and wait while someone poisons me and erases my family?"
His hands gripped her arms. "You don't get it, Sera. This isn't a game. People disappear for less than what you just found."
"I'm not scared."
"You should be."
Their faces were inches apart.
Breaths shallow. Rage turning to something else. Something dangerous.
Then he kissed her.
It wasn't soft. It was wild, like the fire they'd both been choking down finally exploded.
She kissed him back. For one heartbeat.
Then she shoved him away.
"This doesn't fix anything," she whispered.
"No," he said, his voice low. "But it proves it's real."
And that terrified her more than poison ever could.