THE TRUTH THE ASSASSIN TRIED TO BURY — WHEN THE WOMAN WHO HUNTED THE QUEEN FINALLY REVEALS THE BLOOD THAT CREATED HER WAR
The storm began sometime after midnight.
Raven noticed it first through the faint sound of rain striking the tall windows of the east wing. At first it was gentle—just a soft whisper of droplets against reinforced glass. But as the night deepened, the storm grew stronger. Wind pushed against the mansion walls while thunder rolled across the hills surrounding the estate.
Raven hadn't slept.
Sleep had always been optional for her, something she treated like a tool rather than a necessity. The Covenant trained their operatives to function through exhaustion, to stay alert even when the body begged for rest. Years of that discipline had rewired her instincts.
But tonight the reason wasn't training.
It was Isabella DeLuca.
Raven sat in the darkened sitting room outside her assigned bedroom, watching the storm beyond the windows. Her mind replayed every conversation from the past two days, every word the queen had spoken, every subtle shift in her expression.
Isabella had offered her a choice.
Work for the empire.
Or die.
Simple.
Clear.
And yet Raven hadn't accepted either option.
Because something inside her refused to make the decision yet.
The door behind her opened quietly.
Raven didn't turn.
"You move quietly for someone wearing heels," she said.
Isabella's voice answered from the doorway.
"You hear too much."
Raven leaned back in the chair.
"That's the point."
The queen stepped into the room. She wasn't dressed in formal clothes tonight. Instead she wore something simpler—a dark silk robe loosely tied at the waist, her hair falling freely around her shoulders.
But the relaxed appearance didn't fool Raven.
Isabella still moved like someone fully aware of every possible threat.
"Couldn't sleep?" Isabella asked.
Raven glanced toward the rain.
"I prefer storms."
"Why?"
"They remind me the world isn't under anyone's control."
Isabella stepped closer to the window beside her.
"Interesting."
Raven studied her from the corner of her eye.
"You don't seem like the type who enjoys chaos."
"I don't."
Isabella crossed her arms loosely.
"But chaos is useful."
The thunder outside rumbled again.
Raven sighed quietly.
"You didn't come here to talk about weather."
"No."
Isabella's gaze shifted toward her.
"I came to continue yesterday's conversation."
Raven already knew which conversation.
The Covenant.
Her past.
Her family.
Raven's voice cooled slightly.
"I told you already."
"There's nothing to discuss."
Isabella didn't respond immediately.
Instead she walked across the room slowly, stopping beside a small table where a decanter of whiskey rested. She poured two glasses without asking.
Then she handed one to Raven.
Raven didn't take it.
"I don't drink with enemies."
Isabella lifted an eyebrow.
"You drank coffee yesterday."
"That was different."
"How?"
"Coffee doesn't make you talk."
Isabella smiled faintly.
"Ah."
She set the second glass down on the table.
"Suit yourself."
The queen took a slow sip from her own glass before continuing.
"You said something yesterday."
Raven frowned slightly.
"I say a lot of things."
"You said I was the reason you exist."
Raven's jaw tightened.
Isabella watched her carefully.
"That kind of hatred doesn't appear without history."
Raven stood up slowly.
"I told you already."
"My past isn't your business."
Isabella didn't look offended.
She looked patient.
"On the contrary."
Her voice softened slightly.
"Your past explains why you're here."
Raven turned away toward the window again.
Rain hammered harder against the glass now.
"You're trying to manipulate me again."
"Yes."
The honesty returned.
"But I'm also trying to understand you."
Raven laughed bitterly.
"Why?"
Isabella stepped closer.
"Because people who dedicate their entire lives to revenge usually have interesting stories."
Raven remained silent.
The queen studied her for a moment longer.
Then she asked quietly:
"How old were you when it happened?"
The question landed like a blade.
Raven didn't move.
But Isabella noticed the shift in her shoulders.
"You remember clearly," the queen continued softly.
Raven's voice dropped dangerously.
"Stop."
But Isabella continued.
"Your family died in a mafia conflict."
The words felt like reopening an old wound.
Raven's fists clenched at her sides.
"You don't know anything."
"Then tell me."
The storm outside seemed to grow louder.
Raven stared at the rain for several seconds.
Then she spoke.
Quietly.
"I was eight."
The room fell silent.
Isabella didn't interrupt.
Raven's voice sounded distant now.
Like someone describing memories they had spent years trying to forget.
"We lived in the lower districts."
She swallowed slightly.
"Small apartment."
"Nothing special."
The images returned in fragments.
"Dad owned a repair shop."
"Mom worked nights at a hospital."
Raven closed her eyes briefly.
"We weren't rich."
"But we were happy."
Thunder rolled across the hills again.
Then Raven continued.
"One night everything changed."
She could still smell the smoke.
Still hear the shouting in the streets.
"There was gunfire outside."
"At first my parents thought it was just another gang fight."
"But it wasn't."
Raven's voice tightened.
"It was a mafia war."
Isabella said nothing.
Raven kept staring at the rain.
"I remember the men."
Her fingers curled slowly into fists.
"Tattoos on their necks."
"Black jackets."
"Guns."
"They kicked the door down."
The memory flashed through her mind vividly.
Her mother screaming.
Her father trying to fight back.
Gunshots.
So many gunshots.
"I hid in the hallway closet."
Her voice cracked slightly.
"They didn't see me."
Silence.
"When it was over…"
Raven swallowed.
"My parents were dead."
The words felt heavier than she expected.
Even after all these years.
Even after all the training meant to turn grief into anger.
"They left the building burning."
"Everyone was running."
"Police never showed up."
She laughed bitterly.
"Not that it would have mattered."
Isabella watched her quietly.
Raven turned toward her finally.
"That's when the Covenant found me."
Her eyes burned slightly.
"They told me what happened."
"That criminals like you destroyed my life."
"That monsters controlled the city."
"And that someone had to stop them."
Isabella's expression didn't change.
Raven stepped closer.
"So they trained me."
Her voice hardened again.
"They gave me purpose."
"They gave me weapons."
"And they taught me exactly what people like you deserve."
The tension in the room thickened.
Raven stopped directly in front of Isabella.
"Now you understand."
Isabella tilted her head slightly.
"Yes."
Raven frowned.
"Yes?"
"Yes."
The queen's voice remained calm.
"I understand why you hate me."
Raven waited.
But Isabella's next words weren't what she expected.
"But there's one problem with your story."
Raven's eyes narrowed.
"What problem?"
Isabella stepped toward the window.
"You said the men had tattoos."
"Yes."
"Black jackets."
"Yes."
"And they burned the building afterward."
Raven frowned.
"Yes."
Isabella looked back at her.
"That wasn't my organization."
The words struck Raven like a slap.
"That's impossible."
Isabella shrugged slightly.
"My syndicate doesn't operate in the lower districts."
"You're lying."
"I'm not."
Raven's voice sharpened.
"The Covenant investigated it."
"Did they?"
"Yes."
Isabella studied her carefully.
"And they told you it was my people."
Raven hesitated.
"They said it was the mafia."
"Which mafia?"
Raven froze.
Because suddenly she realized something.
The Covenant had never actually told her which family was responsible.
They simply said mafia.
Isabella watched the realization form.
"There are dozens of syndicates in this city."
Her voice remained quiet.
"You assumed it was mine."
Raven shook her head.
"No."
But doubt had already begun creeping into her mind.
Isabella stepped closer again.
"Do you remember the tattoos clearly?"
Raven nodded slowly.
"A snake."
Silence.
Isabella sighed softly.
"That wasn't us."
Raven's heart began beating faster.
"You're lying."
"The Serpente Cartel uses snake tattoos."
The name meant nothing to Raven.
But Isabella continued.
"They controlled the lower districts fifteen years ago."
"Before my family took power."
Raven stared at her.
"That's convenient."
"It's history."
Isabella walked toward the whiskey table again.
She poured another drink calmly.
"You should ask yourself something."
Raven's voice turned cold again.
"What?"
"Why didn't the Covenant tell you that detail?"
The question echoed in Raven's mind.
Because she had never asked.
She had simply accepted the explanation given to her.
Raven clenched her fists again.
"You're trying to break my loyalty."
"Yes."
The honesty returned.
"But that doesn't make me wrong."
The storm outside raged harder.
Lightning flashed across the sky.
Raven's mind raced through memories of her training.
Every lesson.
Every mission.
Every target she had eliminated.
Had she been fighting the wrong enemy?
The thought made her stomach twist.
"No," she said quietly.
Isabella watched her.
"You're not ready to accept that possibility yet."
Raven glared at her.
"I've spent my entire life hunting people like you."
"And you're very good at it."
"But you're still missing the bigger picture."
Raven turned away again.
She hated how uncertain her thoughts suddenly felt.
For the first time since childhood…
Her certainty had cracks in it.
Isabella walked toward the door.
Then she paused.
"Get some rest."
Raven looked back at her.
"That's it?"
"For tonight."
Raven frowned.
"You're just going to leave after dropping something like that?"
Isabella glanced over her shoulder.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because doubt grows better in silence."
The queen opened the door.
But before leaving she added one final sentence.
"Tomorrow I'll show you something."
Raven's voice followed her.
"What?"
Isabella's lips curved slightly.
"The truth."
Then she disappeared into the hallway.
The door closed quietly behind her.
Raven stood alone in the storm-lit room.
And for the first time in her life…
She didn't know who the real enemy was anymore.
[TO BE CONTINUED]