Elara's POV
The secure guest wing was exactly where they'd kept me before my execution.
I recognized the hallway. The same stone walls. The same iron-reinforced doors. Even the same flickering torches casting shadows that used to give me nightmares.
Ironic, isn't it? Zara muttered as imperial guards led us deeper into the wing. They're putting you in prison and calling it hospitality.
Let them, I said quietly. I'm not the helpless girl who was locked here before. Now I have guards, money, and power. They can't touch me.
But my hands were shaking. I hid them in my skirts.
The guards stopped at a suite of rooms, much nicer than the cell I'd occupied three years ago, but still isolated from the main palace. Trapped.
Lady Seraphine. The head guard bowed stiffly. Your quarters. Dinner will be served in the Grand Hall at sunset. His Imperial Highness requests your presence.
Not asks. Requests. Like I had a choice.
How kind, I said with a smile that didn't reach my eyes. Please inform His Highness that I'm delighted to attend.
The guards left. The door closed. The moment we were alone, my knees buckled.
Zara caught me before I hit the floor. Breathe. Just breathe.
I saw him. The words tumbled out. I looked right at him and I Zara, I wanted to scream. To cry. To ask him why.
But you didn't. She guided me to a chair. You were perfect. Cold. Powerful. Everything we practiced.
He knew. I pressed my hands to my face. The second our eyes met, he knew it was me.
Good. Zara knelt in front of me. Let him know. Let him suffer wondering if you're really here or if he's going insane. It's part of the plan.
The plan. Right. The plan to destroy him slowly.
So why did seeing the devastation in his eyes hurt me instead of satisfy me?
Sunset came too quickly.
I dressed in deep emerald silk, the color Cassian once said made my eyes look like storms. I wondered if he'd remember. Then I hated myself for wondering.
Ready? Zara asked.
No, I admitted. But when has that ever stopped us?
The Grand Hall was filled with nobles and merchants, all dressed in their finest, all competing to look important. I'd attended a hundred dinners like this as Crown Princess, smiling until my face hurt while Cassian sat beside me and barely acknowledged my existence.
Tonight would be different.
Tonight, I didn't need him to acknowledge me. I was the one everyone wanted to talk to.
The herald announced me: Lady Seraphine of the Shadow Kingdom!
Every head turned. Conversations stopped. And there, at the head table on a raised platform, Cassian stood so abruptly his chair scraped loudly against stone.
The Empress Dowager grabbed his arm, hissing something I couldn't hear. He shook her off, his eyes locked on me like I was the only person in the room.
I ignored him completely.
Instead, I walked to a table where several wealthy merchants sat, men I'd corresponded with about trade routes. They scrambled to their feet, bowing deeply.
Lady Seraphine! Such an honor
Please, sit. I smiled warmly at them—the smile I never gave Cassian. I'm eager to discuss our potential partnership.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Cassian sink back into his chair, his jaw tight.
Good. Let him watch me charm everyone else. Let him see how little I needed him.
Dinner began. The merchants hung on my every word as I discussed trade routes, profit margins, and market expansion. I was brilliant and I knew it—three years of studying commerce had made me sharper than half the men at this table.
You're remarkable, my lady, Master Feng said, his eyes calculating. Most noblewomen wouldn't understand these complexities.
I'm not most noblewomen, I replied smoothly. I built my empire from nothing. Every gold piece I have, I earned.
Unlike Crown Princesses who married into power, I didn't say. But everyone heard it anyway.
Movement caught my eye. Cassian had stood again, leaving the head table. He was walking toward me, his face set with determination.
My heart lurched. No. Not here. Not in front of everyone.
Lady Seraphine. His voice came from right behind me.
The entire hall went quiet, watching their Crown Prince approach the mysterious merchant queen.
I took a deliberate sip of wine before turning, my expression politely curious. Your Imperial Highness. Is something wrong?
Up close, I could see the desperation in his eyes. The way his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides like he wanted to grab me.
I was hoping we could speak privately, he said, his voice rough. About trade negotiations.
How thoughtful. I smiled that cold smile again. But I prefer to conduct business publicly. Transparency prevents... misunderstandings.
The word hung between us, heavy with meaning. Misunderstandings like false treason accusations. Like public divorces.
His jaw tightched. Please. Just five minutes
I'm afraid I'm quite busy, Your Highness. I turned back to the merchants, dismissing him like a servant. Master Feng was just explaining the spice trade situation. Fascinating stuff.
I felt rather than saw Cassian's shock. A Crown Prince, dismissed. Ignored. Treated like he didn't matter.
For several seconds, he just stood there. Then Lord Adrian appeared at his elbow, murmuring something urgent. Cassian let himself be led away, but his eyes never left me.
The merchants stared, stunned. No one dismissed the Crown Prince. Ever.
My lady, Master Feng whispered. That was incredibly dangerous.
Was it? I met his eyes. He's just a man. I'm a queen. Why should I bend to him?
The merchant's respect visibly increased.
The rest of dinner passed in a blur. I laughed with nobles who used to sneer at me. I charmed merchants who would've ignored the barren Crown Princess. I was the center of attention, powerful and untouchable.
And across the hall, Cassian sat at his throne-like chair, not eating, not speaking, just watching me with eyes that looked dead inside.
When dinner finally ended, I stood to leave. Immediately, Cassian rose too, clearly planning to intercept me.
I turned the opposite direction, letting my guards surround me as we headed for the exit.
Lady Seraphine! His voice carried across the hall.
I paused, looking back over my shoulder. Yes, Your Highness?
He pushed through the crowd, stopping a few feet away. Up close, I could see he was trembling.
We need to talk, he said quietly, desperately. Please.
About trade? I tilted my head. I'm sure we'll have plenty of opportunity during the Summit.
You know that's not— He lowered his voice further. Elara. Please.
My name from his lips was a knife to the heart. But I didn't let it show.
I'm sorry, Your Highness, but you must have me confused with someone else. My voice was ice. My name is Seraphine. We've never met before today.
Don't do this. His voice cracked. I know it's you. Your eyes
Many people have gray eyes, I interrupted. It's quite common, actually.
I turned to leave, but his hand shot out, grabbing my wrist. The touch sent electricity through me—three years apart and my body still remembered his.
My guards moved instantly, weapons half-drawn.
Don't. Touch. Me. Each word was a shard of ice.
Cassian released me like I'd burned him, his face devastated. I'm sorry. I justI thought you were dead. For three years, I thought
How tragic for you, I said flatly. Excuse me, Your Highness. It's been a long day.
I walked away, my head high, my guards flanking me.
Behind me, I heard Lord Adrian's urgent whisper: Is that...?
And Cassian's broken response, barely audible: Yes.
One word. But it carried the weight of three years of guilt, grief, and desperate hope.
I should have felt triumphant. Victorious. This was exactly what I'd planned—make him see me, make him suffer, make him realize what he'd lost.
Instead, I felt hollow.
Because somewhere in that exchange, I'd seen something in Cassian's eyes that I hadn't expected.
He hadn't just recognized me. He'd looked at me like I was his salvation. Like my being alive was the answer to every prayer he'd whispered in three years of darkness.
And the most terrifying part?
A tiny, stupid piece of my heart had wanted to reach back.
Back in my quarters, Zara found me standing at the window, staring at nothing.
You were perfect tonight, she said. He's already falling apart.
Good, I whispered. But my hand was pressed against the place where Cassian had grabbed my wrist. Where I could still feel the ghost of his touch.
Elara. Zara's voice was gentle. Are you sure you can do this?
I have to. I turned from the window. I have to make him pay.
Even if it destroys you too?
Before I could answer, a knock echoed through the room. One of my guards opened the door.
A palace servant stood there, trembling, holding an envelope sealed with the Crown Prince's personal crest.
A letter for Lady Seraphine, he stammered. From His Imperial Highness. He said it was urgent.
My hands shook as I took it. The servant fled.
I stared at the envelope, Cassian's handwriting stark across the front: Please. Just read this.
Don't open it, Zara warned. It's a trap. He'll try to manipulate you
But I was already breaking the seal.
Inside, one sentence. Seven words that made my carefully built walls crack:
I know you're alive. Thank God. —C
Not I'm sorry. Not forgive me. Just pure relief that I was breathing.
And underneath, in smaller script, three more words that stopped my heart:
I never stopped searching.