Seraphina's POV
I stared at the note until my hands stopped shaking.
"He knows you're innocent."
Who sent this? And who was "he"?
Before I could think more, footsteps thundered down the corridor. Multiple guards. Coming fast.
The door burst open.
"On your feet, traitor," Captain Marcus growled. "The king wants you again."
Again? Why? They'd already sentenced me to die.
They dragged me out of the cell and through the castle. But this time, we didn't go to the throne room. We went somewhere worse.
The Judgment Hall.
My stomach dropped. The Judgment Hall was where they announced death sentences publicly. Where criminals faced the entire kingdom before their execution.
The massive doors opened, and I froze.
Thousands of people packed the hall. Every noble, every soldier, every citizen who could fit inside. They lined the walls, filled the balconies, crowded the aisles.
And they all wanted to see me die.
"Murderer!" someone screamed.
"Traitor!" another voice shouted.
Rotten fruit flew through the air. A tomato hit my shoulder. Eggs splattered against my back. The guards shoved me forward through the crowd as people cursed and spat at me.
I kept my head down, tears streaming down my face.
At the front, King Edward sat on his throne, surrounded by his council. My father stood to his right in full military dress. My stepmother stood behind him, her hand resting on his shoulder like a loving wife.
Prince Daemon stood to the king's left, his crown gleaming.
They all looked so perfect. So righteous.
And I looked like the monster.
The guards threw me down at the base of the throne. My knees cracked against the stone floor. I bit my lip to keep from crying out.
"Seraphina Ashford," King Edward's voice boomed through the hall. "You have been found guilty of high treason against the Kingdom of Aeloria. The penalty for such crimes is death."
The crowd roared with approval.
My heart hammered in my chest. This was it. They were going to kill me right here, right now, in front of everyone.
"However," the king continued, raising his hand for silence, "we are a merciful kingdom. We do not kill our own without just cause."
I lifted my head, confused. Wasn't treason just cause?
"Duke Ashford has made a request," King Edward said, gesturing to my father. "Speak, General."
My father stepped forward, his face grave and serious. He looked at me like I was a stranger.
"Your Majesty," he said loudly, "my daughter's crimes have brought shame upon my family and my name. As her father, I should have seen the darkness in her heart. I failed."
The crowd murmured sympathetically.
"But perhaps," Father continued, "we can turn this tragedy into an opportunity. The Kingdom of Valcrest has been attacking our borders for months. Their king, Cassian Blackwood, started this war. Perhaps... my daughter can help end it."
My blood turned cold.
"What are you suggesting?" King Edward asked, though his tone said he already knew.
"Send her to King Cassian," Father said. "Let him have the spy he paid for. Let him see that we are a kingdom of honor—we deliver what belongs to him. Perhaps this gesture will bring peace."
The hall erupted in shocked whispers.
Send me to the enemy king? To the Iron King himself?
"No," I whispered. "No, Father, please—"
"It's a brilliant idea," Prince Daemon interrupted, stepping forward. His voice carried across the hall. "King Cassian wanted a spy in our court. Now he'll have one—but as our prisoner, not his ally. It sends a strong message."
"It also keeps our hands clean," one of the councilors added. "We don't execute her ourselves, but justice is still served."
They were talking about me like I was a package to ship away. Like I wasn't even human.
"Father!" I screamed, finding my voice. "You can't do this! I'm your daughter! Your blood! I didn't betray anyone!"
He looked down at me with cold, empty eyes. "You stopped being my daughter the moment you sold our kingdom to the enemy. The Seraphina I raised would never commit treason. Therefore, you are not her. You are simply... a traitor wearing her face."
Those words cut deeper than any knife.
"The court agrees," King Edward declared. "Seraphina Ashford will be delivered to King Cassian Blackwood at the border within three days. Let the Iron King decide her fate. This is my final judgment."
He slammed his staff against the floor.
Final. No appeal. No mercy.
"No!" I lurched forward, but the guards grabbed me. "Please! I'm innocent! Someone framed me! You have to investigate—my stepmother, she—"
"Enough!" Captain Marcus backhanded me across the face.
I tasted blood.
The crowd cheered.
"Take her away," King Edward ordered tiredly. "And make sure she's... presentable for her journey. We don't want King Cassian to think we abuse our prisoners."
The irony would have been funny if I wasn't so terrified.
As they dragged me toward the exit, I caught sight of my stepmother's face. She was smiling. Actually smiling.
And beside her, my stepsister Lydia looked sick. Green. Like she might throw up.
Our eyes met for just a second.
Lydia mouthed something: "I'm sorry."
Then she was gone, swallowed by the crowd.
Back in my cell, I collapsed against the wall, my body shaking. Three days. I had three days before they sent me to die.
King Cassian Blackwood—the Iron King. The monster.
Stories about him filled our kingdom. He killed prisoners slowly. He tortured people for information. He drank the blood of his enemies.
In three days, I would belong to him.
I pulled my mother's necklace from under my torn dress and clutched it tightly. It was the only thing I had left. The only thing they hadn't taken.
"Mama," I whispered to the empty cell, "I wish you were here. I wish you could tell me what to do."
But Mama was dead. Had been dead for ten years.
I was alone.
Hours passed. Maybe days. I couldn't tell anymore.
Then, footsteps outside my cell again. But these were different—lighter, quieter.
The small window opened, and a folded paper slipped through, just like before.
My heart pounded as I grabbed it.
I unfolded it with trembling fingers.
Different handwriting this time. Messy. Rushed.
"The Iron King isn't what they say. Trust no one in Aeloria. Your real enemy is closer than you think. Burn this note. —A Friend"
I read it three times, my mind spinning.
The Iron King isn't what they say?
But everyone knew he was a monster. A killer. A demon in human form.
Unless... everything we knew was a lie.
Just like the lies about me.
I looked at the note again. "Your real enemy is closer than you think."
Closer than the Iron King? That meant...
My father? My stepmother? Someone in this very castle?
A sound at the door made me jump.
I quickly shoved the note into my mouth and swallowed it, just as the door opened.
A guard entered with a bowl of soup and bread. He set it down without looking at me.
But as he turned to leave, he paused.
"Three days," he said quietly. "That's not much time."
I stared at him. "Time for what?"
He glanced at the doorway, making sure no one was listening. Then he looked at me, and his eyes were kind. Sad.
"Time to decide if you want to survive," he whispered. "Or if you want revenge."
Before I could respond, he was gone.
I sat frozen, his words echoing in my head.
Survive or revenge?
Could I have both?
And more importantly—who were these people helping me? Why did they care?
I touched my mother's necklace again, and suddenly, something occurred to me.
The note said, "He knows you're innocent."
The guard said, "Three days. That's not much time."
They weren't warning me about King Cassian.
They were preparing me for him.
Which meant...
The Iron King knew I was innocent before I even arrived.
But how?
And what did he want with me?