The white queen chess piece sat on Seraphina's desk, untouched, unmoved.
She hadn't slept. Not after reading that note.
> "Checkmate is sooner than you think."
Was it a threat? A warning? Or an invitation?
Seraphina stared at the piece, recalling how many games she had lost in her previous life without realizing she'd been a pawn all along.
Not this time.
She reached for the piece and set it upright on the board. "Then let's play."
---
Scene Break – Chancellor Verren's Office
A flurry of documents lay across the Chancellor's wide desk. Elegant, pristine. A man of logic, order, and terrifying control.
When Seraphina entered the outer chambers, his secretary stammered, surprised by her unannounced visit.
"I'm here for a private audience," Seraphina said smoothly, wearing a neutral smile. "Tell him it's regarding the prince's future."
That got her in.
Chancellor Verren rose politely when she entered. "Lady Seraphina. This is… unexpected."
"You of all people should know how unpredictable I've become."
He motioned for her to sit. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Seraphina offered him a tight smile. "Your guidance, of course. I've recently returned to court and find myself… out of touch. I hear you've become quite the kingmaker."
His eyes flickered—only slightly. "I serve the empire."
"Ah," she said, "but who does the empire serve?"
He stilled.
"I'd be cautious with that question," he said quietly. "Innocent people disappear for less."
Her smile didn't falter.
"I stopped being innocent the moment I survived."
---
Scene Break – The Prince's Training Yard
Kaelith Draven's sword arced through the air with precision, sweat glinting along his jaw. He trained with fury lately—his soldiers said nothing, but they knew.
He was angry. Distracted.
Haunted.
He had not slept since the ballroom. Since the look in Seraphina's eyes when she faced him—unflinching. Knowing.
She was planning something. And that made her dangerous.
But it wasn't fear that tightened in his chest when he thought of her. It was regret. Confusion. Something far more dangerous.
"You've been reckless lately, Your Highness," said Aldric, approaching from the edge of the yard.
Kaelith wiped his blade clean. "Do you report on my swordplay now?"
"I report on anything that could get you killed," the guard replied flatly. "Including the women who used to love you."
Kaelith froze.
Aldric lowered his voice. "She visited the Chancellor today. Unannounced."
Kaelith's eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
"She said it was about your future."
Scene Break – Velora Manor
Back at the manor, Seraphina opened the hidden compartment beneath her bedframe—one she'd remembered existed only because she had found it years too late in her previous life.
Inside were letters, old court records… and something she had stashed there as a child: her mother's journal.
Seraphina flipped through the fragile pages.
A single entry caught her eye:
> "They warned me once—when I married into House Velora—that loyalty to the wrong crown can cost you everything."
Her mother had died young. Mysteriously.
Now, Seraphina wondered if it had truly been illness… or something else.
A knock.
Marianne slipped in, holding a torn envelope.
"This arrived, my lady. No sender."
Seraphina opened it with trembling fingers.
Inside: a single phrase scrawled in blood-red ink—
> "Don't trust the man in silver."
Her stomach dropped.
The Chancellor always wore silver-trimmed robes.
Final Scene – The Palace Observation Tower
Far above the city, behind enchanted glass, Kaelith stood looking out across the moonlit rooftops.
A flicker of movement caught his eye—a lone rider leaving the Velora estate at speed.
He couldn't be sure… but he thought it was her.
He clenched his jaw.
"Seraphina," he whispered, "what are you chasing?"
Or worse…
Who's chasing you?