- Abandoned Warehouse -
The moonlight was a single, silver coin dropped into the absolute darkness of the abandoned warehouse. It was here, in this forgotten space, that I began to assemble the pieces of the puzzle found at the evening party.
The man in the chair was an open book of fear, his whimpers a constant stream of unanswered questions. I walked a slow circle around him, each step an unspoken threat. My knife, a silent, silver tongue, spun idly in my fingers. Kalix was a wall of quiet force, and Sylvia, a librarian of pain, arranged her instruments with unnerving, meticulous care.
"Wake him," I said, the words a command that brooked no debate.
The gag was pulled, and the man's desperate pleas filled the void. "Please! I swear—"
I knelt, a figure cloaked in the shadow of my veil. "You spoke of me," I said, my voice a quiet riddle. "The secret princess. Tell me who gave you this secret… and why you were trading it with the senator's wife."
"They'll kill me," he stammered.
I laughed, a sound as thin as glass. "I am a collector," I purred, and the tip of my blade traced a line of blood on his throat. "And what you have is knowledge. You can choose to surrender it, or I will take it from you, one word at a time."
He looked to Kalix, then Sylvia. Neither offered comfort. Sylvia simply held up a vial, the crimson liquid swirling like a miniature storm. "One drop," she whispered, her voice promising a torment no scream could fully express.
His body went rigid with terror.
"Talk," I commanded.
The man's story was a web of half-truths and terrifying details. "The senator's wife… she's part of a faction plotting to take the throne! The king's assassination was not an accident."
My calm exterior was a thin shield over a burning fury. My family. My throne. They thought it was a game.
"The killer?" I asked, my voice dangerously level.
"I don't know his name," he stammered. "But he's here… 'The Ghost.' No face. Only death."
The name was a key that unlocked a new lock. Even Kalix's quiet composure broke for a moment.
I rose. "A ghost, then," I said, my voice a cold, final thought. "I'll become his nightmare."
"Dispose of him," I said to Kalix.
Kalix's sword answered, a silent, final verdict. I turned away, the man's muted screams swallowed by the night. I walked out, a puzzle solver with a new, much more dangerous puzzle to solve.
"Don't forget to send his head to the senator's house," I called, without looking back.
- The Morning's Calculation and Cover -
A quiet knock pulled me from the mental labyrinth of last night's whispers and blood.
"My lady, may I come in?" Sylvia's voice was a soft, expected chime.
"Yes," I answered.
Sylvia entered, her movements a quiet ballet as she set a silver tray on the table. "Good morning, my lady. Your tea."
I took the cup, inhaling the ghost of jasmine. I sipped, the bitter calmness a balm to a mind far colder. The assassination had been a precise equation. The king was returning from a private meeting with the senators, a move known only to a few.
I swirled the tea, the dark liquid spiralling like a vortex of secrets. Five swordsmen. A valet. A driver. All dead. The silence of the grave was the loudest confession.
"The king's escort… all silenced," I hummed, the sound a low, dangerous note. "That means either a ghost passed through them without a trace, or one of them was the ghost all along."
Sylvia's hands tightened on the tray. "My lady, do you believe the senators… are all involved?"
I set the cup down. "The king went to a meeting with men who wanted him gone. The meeting ended with his death. The question isn't whether they wanted him dead, Sylvia. It's who had the courage to make the first move. And the foolishness to think I wouldn't find them."
I rose and moved to the wide map that covered the wall, a second skin of my world. Pins and strings connected cities and names, a constellation of power and suspicion.
I tied a red string to three pins: Senator Flavian, Senator Severus, and Senator Verrian. They were the most vocal opponents of the late king.
"Last night," I continued, a slow smile curving my lips, "the senator's Flavian wife spoke of a 'secret princess.' They fear the power of a name, the power of a legacy. A power they thought was hidden."
Strategic Detour to the Capital At that moment, the door opened. Kalix entered, his face a mask of grim resolve. "My lady," he said, with a slight bow. "The senator's wife was taken to a private clinic. They say she collapsed after seeing the head of one of her closest allies."
A hush fell over the room. I broke the silence with a soft, breathy laugh.
"How… dramatic," I said. "It's just a head, Kalix. Not an empire burning. Yet."
I rose with a predator's grace. "The clock is ticking," I stated, my tone snapping into command. "We've announced my public debut. Now we establish my cover."
I walked to my wardrobe, discarding the cloak of the investigator. "Mother wants me to visit Zein at the Mansion of Vesperianth. Prince Kaein will be there as well. That is our destination. But we make a detour first."
I turned to my two allies, my eyes sharp. "Before I present myself as the future Queen, the city must know Princess Dravina is a generous, frivolous noble—easy to distract, and easy to fool."
My eyes held Kalix's. "We will visit the capital's most lavish boutique. We will shop for gifts for my brothers and a specific item for the Prince. Our real mission is to project an image that no one will mistake for a ruthless investigator. It must be seen by everyone—from the merchants to the nobles' staff."
I finished with a cold smile. "They must see the bait, not the trap."
Kalix understood instantly, the mission fitting perfectly into the art of war he had taught me. "Understood, my lady. I will inform the carriage of today's shopping agenda."
The House of Silken Dreams
As we rode through the winding streets, the capital had changed—new buildings, new faces, and yet… the grief of the king's death lingered like a stubborn mist.
The moment we stopped outside the House of Silken Dreams, a crowd had gathered, eager to see the noble who commanded an Elyndralis carriage. I wore my veil and dark cloak, allowing the gossip to swirl around my mystery.
I moved through the shop, letting the owner and attendants fawn over me. I selected items designed to reinforce my cover: "These two gem pins for my brothers," I declared loudly enough for nearby nobles to hear, "and this bracelet for the Prince."
My fingers lingered on the bracelet's intricate design. Symbolism is irrelevant, I thought. The gesture is the disguise.
I straightened, adopting my most commanding tone. "These three. Wrap them separately."
As the attendants wrapped the gifts, I took a moment to observe the nobles around me. Their finery seemed dull compared to the glittering threat of the city's underbelly. I was here on a seemingly frivolous mission, but the message was clear: Dravina is focused on fashion and courtship, not politics or vengeance.
When the items were ready, Sylvia carefully gathered the three velvet boxes. The weight of the boxes in her hands felt disproportionate to their size; they held not just trinkets, but a carefully constructed lie.
I merely inclined my head slightly as we stepped out into the sunlit streets. The stage had been set.
- The Road to Vesperianth -
The carriage ride to the Vesperianth Mansion was short, but the anticipation in the small cabin was thick. Kalix sat opposite me, his expression neutral, his presence a steady anchor.
"Sylvia," I said, my voice cutting through the silence. "Relax. They are only pins and a bracelet. Not the Crown Jewels."
"Apologies, My Lady," she murmured. "It's just... the bracelet. I've never seen you select anything quite so... personal for Prince Kaein."
I shrugged, looking out the window as the opulent countryside of the royal estate began to unfold. "Perhaps I felt a sudden burst of goodwill," I lied smoothly. "He is, after all, my future husband."
The carriage slowed, the grand stone archway of the Vesperianth Palace looming ahead.
"The Princess is here!" a guard bellowed, his voice echoing through the vast courtyard.
I took a deep breath, smoothing the skirt of my cloak. The transition was complete. The ruthless investigator of the warehouse was gone. Now, there was only Princess Dravina, the beautiful, composed, and slightly intimidating daughter of the Elyndralis house.
Show them the princess they fear, and keep the killer they should fear hidden. I was ready to play my part.