Cassian's POV
"The King is cursed?" Seraphina's voice shook. "How is that possible?"
I couldn't answer. My mind was racing. Father had been fine yesterday. Healthy. Strong. Curses didn't just appear out of nowhere—they required powerful magic, specific rituals, and always... always a reason.
"Cassian." Seraphina touched my arm. "What does this mean?"
"It means war," I said quietly. "If the King is cursed and can't rule, Theron becomes regent. He'll have complete power over the kingdom."
"But that's what he wants, isn't it?"
I met her eyes. "Yes. Which makes me wonder if he's the one who cursed Father in the first place."
Her face went pale. "Your own brother would curse your father?"
"My brother already helped curse me," I said bitterly. "Why not add Father to the list?"
Before she could respond, my door burst open again. But this time it wasn't Theron—it was Elias, and he looked panicked.
"We have a problem," he gasped. "A big one."
"The King—" I started.
"Not just the King." Elias slammed the door shut and locked it. "Theron just declared martial law. He's sealing the palace. No one in, no one out. And he's ordered a full search of every room, including the Forbidden Wing."
My blood ran cold. "When?"
"They're starting now. We have maybe ten minutes before guards reach this corridor."
Seraphina grabbed my arm. "Where can I hide? The wardrobe didn't work last time, they'll check it again."
"There's nowhere," I said, my mind racing through options. The room was large but simple. No secret passages. No hidden doors. "Unless..."
"Unless what?" Elias demanded.
I looked at Seraphina. At this girl who'd stumbled into my cursed life just hours ago. This girl who could touch me without dying. This girl who might be the key to everything.
And I made a decision that would change both our lives forever.
"Unless she becomes officially assigned here," I said.
"What?" both Seraphina and Elias said together.
"Think about it," I said quickly. "Theron wants to find her and eliminate her before she can tell anyone about being disowned at his ball. But if she's already here, officially, with documentation..."
"He can't touch her without revealing he knew where she was all along," Elias finished, understanding dawning on his face. "It's brilliant. But how do we make it official in ten minutes?"
"You're the King's knight," I said. "You have authority to assign servants to the Forbidden Wing. Write the order. Backdate it to yesterday morning—before the ball even happened."
Elias pulled out parchment from his coat. "This is insane."
"Do you have a better idea?"
He didn't. His pen flew across the paper, writing in official script. "By order of Sir Elias Greythorne, Knight of the Realm, one Seraphina Ashford is hereby assigned as personal attendant to Prince Cassian Thornhart, effective immediately..."
"Wait," Seraphina interrupted. "Won't my father recognize my name?"
"Your father disowned you," I said. "You're not an Ashford anymore, remember? We'll use a different name."
"What name?" she asked.
I looked at her. Really looked at her. Those green eyes filled with fear but also courage. Brown hair that caught the candlelight. A girl who'd touched stone and brought warmth.
"Sera," I said. "Just Sera. A common servant with no family name. No past. No one important."
"No one important," she repeated softly. Something flickered in her eyes—hurt, maybe. But then she straightened her shoulders. "Fine. I've been called worse."
Elias finished writing and signed it with his seal. "Done. As of yesterday morning, Sera the servant has been working in the Forbidden Wing. There's even a reason—she's testing whether proximity to the curse affects normal people."
"That's actually clever," I admitted.
"I have my moments." Elias handed me the document. "Now we need to make this look real. Sera, you need to act like you've been here for a day already. Know where things are. Act comfortable."
"I don't know where anything is," she protested.
"Then learn fast," Elias said. "Those are guards' footsteps I hear."
We all froze. He was right. Heavy boots marching down the corridor, getting closer.
"Kitchen is through that door," I said quickly, pointing. "Bedroom is there. Bathroom there. Books are organized by subject. I take my meals at noon and sunset. I hate small talk. I prefer silence. Got it?"
"Got it," she said, though she looked overwhelmed.
The footsteps stopped outside my door.
"One more thing," I said quietly, meeting her eyes. "From now on, you work for me. Not as a favor. Not as charity. You earn your keep. I'll treat you fairly, but I won't treat you soft. Understood?"
She lifted her chin. "I've worked my whole life, Your Highness. I'm not afraid of hard work."
"Good. Then we have a deal."
The door handle rattled. Someone was unlocking it from outside.
Seraphina quickly grabbed a stack of books and carried them to a shelf, pretending to organize. Elias positioned himself near the window, casual. I sat in my chair, picking up a book like I'd been reading all morning.
The door opened.
Six guards entered, led by a captain I didn't recognize. Young. Ambitious-looking. Probably one of Theron's new appointments.
"Prince Cassian," the captain said, not bothering with proper respect. "We're searching all rooms by order of Crown Prince Theron."
"So I heard," I said, not looking up from my book. "Make it quick. Some of us have curses to suffer through."
The guards spread out, checking everything. One approached Seraphina.
"You there," he barked. "Who are you?"
My heart stopped. This was it. The moment that would either save her or condemn us both.
Seraphina turned, and I was shocked by how calm she looked. "Sera, sir. Servant assigned to Prince Cassian."
"Since when?"
"Yesterday morning." She gestured to the document on my desk. "Sir Elias arranged it. I'm part of a study on curse proximity."
The guard grabbed the document, reading it carefully. My pulse hammered. Would he notice anything wrong?
"This says you've been here since before the ball last night," the guard said suspiciously.
"That's right," Seraphina said smoothly. "I was here all evening. Missed the whole thing, actually. Heard it was quite dramatic."
The guard studied her face. "You look familiar."
"I have one of those faces," she said with a slight shrug. "Common, you know."
He didn't look convinced. He turned to Elias. "You assigned her?"
"I did," Elias said firmly. "We're trying to understand the curse better. Having someone in close proximity helps us monitor changes."
"And you didn't think to report this to Crown Prince Theron?"
"The cursed prince isn't exactly high on anyone's priority list," Elias said coldly. "Including, I assume, Theron's. Why would he care about one more servant in the Forbidden Wing?"
The logic seemed to satisfy him. He tossed the document back on my desk. "Fine. Continue your search," he told the other guards.
They tore through my room for fifteen minutes. Opened every drawer. Checked every corner. Found nothing suspicious.
Finally, the captain signaled them to leave. "If we find out you're hiding anything, there will be consequences," he warned.
"There always are," I replied dryly.
They left, slamming the door behind them.
For a long moment, none of us moved. Then Seraphina collapsed into a chair, her calm facade cracking.
"I thought he recognized me," she whispered. "I thought—"
"But he didn't," Elias said gently. "You did well. Very well."
"We're not safe yet," I warned. "Theron will keep looking. He's thorough when he wants something."
"What does he want?" Seraphina asked. "Why does it matter so much if I'm found?"
"Because you're a witness," Elias said. "You saw how he treated you at that ball. How he allowed your humiliation. If you ever testified about it—"
"Who would believe a disowned servant?" Seraphina interrupted.
"Someone might," I said quietly. "Especially if that servant turned out to be important somehow." I looked at her meaningfully. "Especially if that servant could break curses."
Understanding dawned in her eyes. "You think that's why he wants me gone. Not because of the ball. Because of what I can do."
"I think," I said carefully, "that my brother knows more about curses than he's letting on. And I think he's very interested in anyone who can affect them."
"But how would he know what I can do?" she asked. "I didn't even know until last night."
That was the question, wasn't it? How did Theron know?
Before I could answer, a new sound echoed through the palace. Bells. Loud, urgent bells that meant only one thing.
"Oh no," Elias breathed.
"What?" Seraphina asked. "What do those bells mean?"
I stood up, my chest tight with dread. "They mean someone has died."
We rushed to the window. In the courtyard below, servants were gathering, crying. Guards stood at attention, their faces grim.
A herald stepped forward, unrolling a scroll.
"By order of Crown Prince Theron," the herald's voice carried up to us, "it is with great sorrow that I announce the death of King Edmund Thornhart. The curse proved too strong. The King passed at dawn."
Seraphina gasped. "But that means—"
"That means Theron is King now," I finished, my voice hollow. "And he's only been regent for four hours. Father was cursed last night and dead by morning."
The implications hung in the air, heavy and terrible.
"Cassian," Elias said slowly. "If Theron can curse and kill the King that quickly..."
"Then I'm next," I said quietly. "And so is anyone who knows too much."
I turned to Seraphina. This girl who'd survived one night in my prison. This girl who could touch stone and bring warmth.
"I'm sorry," I told her. "You thought you'd found a safe place. But you just walked into the most dangerous prison in the kingdom. And now, there's no way out."