Chapter 4
The sun was setting in gold and rose, casting long shadows across the courtyard of House Vale. Seraphina stood by the window, watching the servants string lanterns between the trees. Preparations were already beginning for the banquet.
In her first life, she had been nervous. Excited. Naive.
Now? She was calculating.
Elira brushed her hair in silence, her small hands gentle but clumsy with nervous energy. "My lady, may I ask something... strange?"
Seraphina met her eyes in the mirror. "Go ahead."
"You seem... different. Since yesterday. Not in a bad way. Just..." The maid paused. "Older."
Seraphina smiled faintly. "Maybe I finally opened my eyes."
That evening, she asked for a walk in the garden. Her father permitted it with a distracted wave, more focused on politics than his daughter. As she strolled past blooming night jasmine, she stopped at the marble fountain at the center. The water shimmered.
And then she heard him.
Kaelron. His voice, smooth and careless, speaking with a young noble by the hedge. She knew this moment. In her first life, they had met here for the first time.
But this time… she listened from the shadows.
"I heard she's quiet," the noble said. "Shy."
Kaelron chuckled. "Perfectly moldable, if you ask me. The Vale girl is just a pawn for her father's power game."
Seraphina's breath didn't hitch. Her heart didn't sting.
She stepped into view.
"Then perhaps you should be careful, Lord Kaelron," she said, her voice clear and calm, "because pawns often go unnoticed until they take the king."
Both men turned, startled.
Kaelron recovered first. "Lady Seraphina," he said with a dazzling smile. "You walk with the grace of moonlight itself."
"Do I?" she replied, eyes unblinking. "Then I suppose you should watch your steps."
His smile faltered for a moment just a flicker. Then returned.
But she had seen it.
The first crack.
As they walked back toward the manor, Kaelron offered his arm. She took it without hesitation. But her fingers pressed lightly against his wrist—the same place she had once felt the sting of betrayal.
And she thought....