Clara's POV
I slowly opened my eyes. The room was dim, and for a moment, I thought I saw Ciel beside me—but the space was empty.
I groaned softly and pressed my hand to the back of my head, wincing as pain shot through me. My body ached, every movement reminding me of what had happened.
Where… where was he? I whispered to myself, scanning the room, but Ciel was nowhere to be found. A sinking feeling settled in my chest.
I saw a bell on the table beside the bed and rang it slowly. Soon, a soft knock echoed through the door.
"Your Majesty, it's me—Auriel," came the voice.
"Come in," I replied.
She stepped into the room, moving toward me with cautious grace. "Your Majesty, how are you feeling?" she asked.
"I'm feeling fine," I said, trying to steady my voice.
"That's good," she replied softly.
"Where is Ciel?" I asked, a tight knot forming in my stomach.
Auriel went silent for a moment. "His Majesty went out for a moment to attend to some business," she said curtly.
"What business?" I pressed, unease creeping in.
She hesitated. "His Majesty," she started, then paused. "He went out to war."
My heart sank. "What… what do you mean—war?" I whispered.
"I can't share the details, Your Majesty," Auriel said gently. "But you shouldn't concern yourself too much. I'll fetch you something to eat; you've been asleep for a long time."
"What do you mean?" I asked, panic bubbling.
"Tell me!" I pleaded.
"I don't know the full details myself," she admitted quietly, "but he went out to war with his army hours ago."
I stared at her, stunned, unable to breathe.
"I'll go get you some food, Your Majesty," she said, turning to leave.
And then she was gone, leaving me alone with the weight of my fear and shock.
War. He had gone to war.
Oh, please… let him be alright. I thought, clutching my chest, my mind swirling. All this time, I had been wishing him away, keeping my distance—but now, here I was, hoping, praying that he would return to me safely. I didn't care about anger, distrust, or anything else—please, let him come back safely. Please… come back to me.
Ciel's POV
"We're almost there," I told my army, voice low and steady as we cut through the night. Each beat of wing and rustle of armor felt like a drum counting down to blood.
My mind kept drifting back to Serena. I tightened my grip on the reins of command and whispered to the dark, "I promise I'll make them pay. I'll protect you. Wait for me, my love—I'll come back."
Ahead, the enemy's stronghold loomed, shadowed and waiting like a wound. With every breath we drew closer, my resolve hardened. Tonight we will finish what we started. Tonight we would destroy them.
Lucien's POV
I was stammering, words tripping over my tongue. How the hell was I supposed to prove my innocence? That guy had a point—I did look suspicious as hell. But I didn't do this!
"Well, Lucien?" Asriel's voice was low and dangerous as he loomed over me. "What do you have to say to that accusation?"
"I—I…" I froze. My mind spun in panic. How did Ciel even find us? Did he track us somehow? But how? What could he have used—
Then it hit me.
"The documents!" I shouted. "I know how!"
Asriel's eyes narrowed. "How?"
I fumbled through my things and pulled out the papers Malvrik had stolen. "These," I said. "I had a bad feeling about them," I muttered a spell, forcing out the enchantment. Faint red sigils flared across the page.
"I knew it," I breathed. "There's a tracking spell—Ciel must've used this to find us!"
Asriel took the papers from my hands, inspecting the faint glow. His expression hardened. "So this is all Malvrik's fault," he said, his voice ice-cold. "Not only did you nearly ruin our plans, but you also led Ciel straight to us."
Then he turned to Malvrik, his glare deadly serious. I could almost feel the rage simmering off him.
I just stood there, my heart pounding but my breath finally steady. I'd done it—I'd saved myself from a world of trouble.