The moment Liana pressed her palm against the hidden panel behind the tapestry, the stone gave way with a soft groan. Dust clouded the narrow passageway, choking her throat with centuries of silence. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as she stepped into the shadows, the flickering torch she'd stolen from the guards barely illuminating the carved walls.
She shouldn't be here.
She should have run—escaped the palace the moment Leonidas looked at her like a stranger, like a threat.
But something had kept her tethered.
Not duty. Not loyalty.
Truth.
And it was buried somewhere within the catacombs of the royal archives, untouched and sealed for generations.
The walls grew colder as she descended, the air thick with mildew and secrets. She reached the bottom, facing a vast iron door marked with symbols she didn't understand. But one symbol stood out—a single raven feather etched in gold.
Her mother had worn that emblem once.
Without knowing how she knew, Liana pressed her fingers to the feather, and the door creaked open with a sound that felt more like a warning than an invitation.
Inside was a circular chamber lit by blue flames that hovered in midair, illuminating rows of scrolls, tomes, and ancient parchments. At the center of the room sat a stone pedestal. Upon it, a massive leather-bound ledger.
Liana approached.
Her fingers trembled as she opened it.
The first pages were records—names of royal bloodlines, matched with death dates, causes, and... symbols. Some marked with crowns. Some with daggers. Some with both.
She flipped faster.
Until she found her mother's name:
Seraphina Elenora Raventhorn – Dagger. No crown.
Murdered.
No title.
The page had a second entry beneath it, written in newer ink.
Liana Evangeline Raventhorn – [Blank]
Her breath hitched.
She was on the ledger. But her fate hadn't been decided. Not yet.
A creak echoed behind her.
Liana turned, hand going instinctively to the dagger she had hidden in her corset. But it wasn't a guard.
A figure cloaked in midnight stepped forward. Masked. Silent. Watching.
"You shouldn't be here," the stranger said, voice distorted.
"And yet… here I am," Liana replied, steadying her voice.
The figure tilted its head. "You're her daughter. The blood they failed to purge."
Liana's stomach clenched. "You knew my mother?"
The masked stranger stepped closer. "I knew what she died for. And I know what they want to do to you."
Liana swallowed. "What is this place?"
"The royal registry of blood," the figure whispered. "Every heir. Every traitor. Every threat. This is where the crown keeps track of those born with power… and those born to destroy it."
"Why am I in it?"
"Because you're both."
A chill ran down her spine.
The figure reached into their cloak and handed her a scroll. "The king plans to name Leonidas his successor. He will demand your loyalty—your silence. If you refuse, he will strike first."
Liana took the scroll. "Why are you helping me?"
A pause. Then: "Because the war your mother started didn't end with her death. It waits for you."
The figure vanished into the shadows.
Liana stared at the ledger one last time before racing back up the corridor, heart hammering with revelations too heavy to carry.
---
Back in the palace, Leonidas stood before the king's council, his jaw set with restraint. His father's decree had been absolute:
> "You will cut her loose, Leonidas. She is not one of us. Her blood is a threat."
But Leonidas couldn't forget the way Liana had looked at him before vanishing.
Not with hatred.
But heartbreak.
He clenched his fist as his father raised a toast to his future kingship.
"To Leonidas, soon to be crowned Sovereign of Eldharyn!"
The chamber roared with applause.
But Leonidas barely heard it. His eyes were on the shadows. His mind on the girl who had stolen both his trust and the truth.
---
Liana didn't sleep that night.
She studied the scroll the masked stranger had given her. It was a royal command—signed by the king himself—ordering a covert execution. Her name. A dagger next to it. No trial. No charges. Just… removal.
She paced the room until dawn broke across the window.
And then she made a decision.
---
By midday, the palace was buzzing with preparation for the public announcement of Leonidas's succession. Banners were hung. Nobles gathered. Trumpets echoed in every hall.
Liana slipped into the hall unnoticed, cloaked in a plain servant's dress.
The king stood tall at the dais, Leonidas by his side.
"My people," the king began, "it is time for Eldharyn to look to its future. A future ruled with strength, order, and honor. Today, I present to you your future king—my son, Prince Leonidas Alaric—"
"—Who will begin his reign by committing murder!"
The crowd gasped.
Liana stepped forward, ripping off her hood.
"She dares!" one of the nobles exclaimed.
Guards surged forward, but Leonidas raised a hand. "Let her speak."
The king's face turned red with fury. "Seize her!"
Leonidas stepped between her and the guards. "Touch her, and I will spill blood before the crown ever touches my head."
The king growled, "She is a traitor!"
"No," Liana said, voice unwavering. "I am the daughter of Seraphina Raventhorn, who was silenced for knowing the truth about this throne."
She lifted the scroll.
"This decree bears your seal. It calls for my death without trial. You wish to silence me the same way you did my mother."
The crowd stirred. The nobles whispered. The cracks in the illusion were forming.
"You think your blood grants you power?" the king hissed.
"No," Liana said. "But it grants me truth. And if I must bleed to reveal it, then so be it."
Leonidas turned to his father. "You lied to me."
The king sneered. "You are too weak to rule."
Leonidas met his gaze. "Then let's see who the people follow."
---
The chamber erupted into chaos.
And in that chaos, Liana smiled—not because she was safe, but because for the first time since she entered the palace… she wasn't running.
She was fighting.
And war was coming.
---