No one moved after Elara spoke the name.
Seraphine.
A name that, for days, had appeared only in fragments of dreams, ancient writings, and whispers from the past. The name of a queen who had been branded a traitor for a hundred years. The name of a woman whose face was identical to Elara’s.
Adrian stared at the forest beyond the castle grounds, his jaw clenched.
“How do you know?”
Elara herself didn’t know how to answer. The whisper she had just heard still rang clearly in her mind.
‘What you should fear is me.’
“I heard it,” Elara finally replied.
“Heard what?”
“A voice.”
Adrian stepped closer. “Whose voice?”
Elara looked at him. “Seraphine’s.”
Kael, standing a few steps away, immediately lifted his head. “Impossible.”
Elara turned to him. “Why?”
“Because if Seraphine has truly returned in physical form, then the Veyr seal has shattered completely.”
Adrian shot Kael a sharp look. “You said earlier that the seal had only just begun to open.”
“It had.”
“Then why are you saying it’s shattered now?”
Kael was silent for a moment. “Because something changed when you touched Elara.”
Adrian looked at his own arm.
The curse symbol that had been black for years now had golden lines spreading through its cracks.
Kael continued, “Until now, the curse was bound to a single soul. Seraphine’s soul. When she died, the curse became bound to her descendants as well. But now…” His gaze shifted to Elara. “That soul has returned.”
Elara felt the back of her neck prickle. “So I’m…”
“You’re still Elara,” Adrian cut in.
Everyone fell silent.
Adrian looked coldly at Kael. “Don’t say anything that makes her doubt herself.”
Kael raised an eyebrow. “I’m only saying what’s written in the records.”
“Records can be wrong.”
“And memories can lie.”
Adrian was about to reply when footsteps sounded from the direction of the gate. A soldier came running toward them.
“Your Majesty!”
“What is it?”
“The guards sent to the tomb have returned.”
“Where is the woman?”
The soldier hesitated. “We couldn’t find her.”
“You couldn’t find her?”
“No, Your Majesty. But…” He swallowed. “There’s something in the tomb.”
Adrian immediately gestured for him to continue.
“We found footprints leading to the innermost chamber of the tomb. There was a stone door there that had never opened before.”
Kael looked at Adrian. “That door.”
Adrian frowned. “You know it?”
“In the Valmere records, it’s called the Crown Chamber.”
Elara felt her heart begin to pound. “The Crown Chamber?”
Kael nodded. “The last place Seraphine stood before her death.”
Adrian made his decision. “We’re going there.”
Elara immediately followed him. “I’m coming.”
Adrian turned. “No.”
“You can’t keep ordering me to wait in the castle every time something dangerous happens.”
“This is different.”
“Exactly. Because this is about me.”
Adrian fell silent.
Elara continued, “If the woman who came out of that tomb really is Seraphine, I have to see her.”
Several seconds passed. At last, Adrian nodded. “Fine. But you don’t leave my side.”
Elara nodded.
Kael watched the two of them before offering a faint smile.
“Interesting.”
Adrian glanced at him. “What?”
“Nothing.”
“Then be quiet.”
They set out for the tomb with several handpicked soldiers.
The forest felt far darker than before.
Mist hung low between the trees. There was no sound of birds or nocturnal beasts. Even the wind seemed to avoid the place.
When they arrived in front of the tomb, Elara immediately sensed that something had changed.
The stone gate that had previously stood open was now closed. But a massive crack ran across its surface.
Adrian touched the crack. “The seal really has shattered.”
Kael stood beside him. “Don’t touch it for too long.”
“Why?”
“Because you don’t know what’s still sealed inside.”
Adrian ignored him. He pushed against the gate. The massive stone shifted slowly, revealing a dark passage beyond.
Elara walked between Adrian and Kael. The farther they went, the colder the air became.
Ancient paintings covered the walls of the passage.
Elara stopped. “Look.”
One of the paintings depicted a young king standing beside a woman. Adrian. Seraphine.
But something was different. Behind them stood another figure: a man in a black robe, a snake emblem emblazoned on his chest.
Elara stepped closer. “Who is he?”
Kael studied the painting. His expression changed. “I don’t know.”
“You said your family kept records of everything.”
“Not everything.”
Adrian stared at the painting. “That emblem.”
“What about it?”
“I’ve seen it before.”
Elara turned to him at once. “Where?”
Adrian didn’t answer.
He gazed at the figure in the painting as though trying to dig up a memory buried deep within his mind.
Then his expression changed.
“In the palace.”
Kael frowned. “Impossible.”
“On the night Seraphine died.”
Elara moved closer. “Who is he?”
Adrian shook his head. “I don’t remember his face.”
They continued on. A few yards later, the passage ended in a vast chamber.
A stone throne stood in the center of the room. Behind it was a statue of a woman.
Seraphine.
Elara stood frozen. The statue had the same face as her. But it wasn’t the face that shocked her. It was the inscription beneath the statue.
SERAPHINE VALE — THE LAST QUEEN WHO GUARDED THE SEAL.
Elara read the words over and over. “She wasn’t a traitor.”
Adrian stood beside her. “No.”
“She was a guardian.”
“Yes.”
Kael walked around the chamber. “Then who changed history?”
A voice came from behind them.
“I did.”
They all turned.
A woman stood in the doorway.
Her white gown swept across the stone floor. Long black hair cascaded over her shoulders. Her face was identical to Elara’s, but her eyes were far older.
Elara held her breath.
Seraphine.
The woman smiled.
“Adrian.”
The king froze.
“Seraphine.”
For the first time, Adrian’s voice trembled as he spoke a name. Seraphine walked closer.
“One hundred years.”
She stopped a few steps from Adrian. “And you still recognize me.”
Adrian gripped his sword but did not raise it. “I don’t know if you’re really Seraphine.”
The woman smiled sadly. “Then look at me.”
Adrian met her eyes. In an instant, his body went rigid. Memory after memory stormed through his mind. The palace gardens. Their wedding day. Seraphine laughing. The night they stood on the balcony. The day the war began. And finally… the last night. Seraphine stood before him, tears streaming down her face.
‘If you still love me, do what must be done.’
Adrian closed his eyes. “No…”
Seraphine stepped closer. “Now you remember.”
“I didn’t kill you.”
“I know.”
Adrian opened his eyes. “Then what happened?”
Seraphine’s smile vanished. “You weren’t the one who killed me.”
Elara looked at her. “Then who was?”
Seraphine turned her gaze toward the stone wall. “The person who has been standing at your side all this time.”
Kael turned at once. “Who?”
Seraphine didn’t answer. Instead, she looked at Elara. “And now he has returned.”
Elara felt her heart beating faster. “Who?”
Seraphine stepped closer. “The person who caused you to be reborn.”
“Why?”
“Because he needs you to open the final seal.”
Adrian stepped in front of Elara. “What seal?”
Seraphine looked at him with deep sorrow. “The seal holding back the Dark King.”
The chamber fell silent.
Kael stared at Seraphine, his face pale. “The Dark King is only a legend.”
“No.”
Seraphine shook her head. “He’s real.”
Elara looked at her. “And what does that have to do with me?”
Seraphine offered a faint smile. “Your family’s blood is the key.” She then looked at Adrian. “And Veyr blood is the seal.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened. “Then why did the curse make me unable to…” He stopped.
Seraphine finished the sentence for him. “Unable to produce an heir?”
Adrian fell silent.
Seraphine continued calmly, “Because the curse was never meant to punish you. It was created to ensure that Veyr blood would never mix with any other blood.”
Elara slowly understood. “So the seal wouldn’t change.”
“Exactly.”
Seraphine nodded. “As long as Veyr blood remains within its bloodline, the Dark King will remain asleep.”
Adrian stared at the symbol on his arm. “Then why is my curse beginning to break?”
Seraphine looked at Elara. “Because Vale blood has returned.”
Elara took a step back. “So I’m…”
“You’re the key.” Seraphine looked at her with an unreadable expression. “And someone will do anything to use you.”
Suddenly, a deafening boom sounded from outside the tomb.
The ground shook. Dust rained from the ceiling.
Adrian immediately drew his sword.
“What was that?”
Seraphine turned toward the door. Her expression changed. “He’s here.”
“Who?”
Seraphine looked at Elara. “The man who killed me.”
The tomb door abruptly slammed shut on its own. Footsteps sounded from beyond the passage. One step. Then another. Someone was approaching.
Seraphine whispered, “And this time, he’s here to kill you.”
Adrian stood in front of Elara. But before he could say anything, a man’s voice came from beyond the door.
“Queen Seraphine.” The voice was calm, almost as though spoken by someone who had come for a visit. “At last, you’ve returned.”
Adrian stared at the stone door. The color suddenly drained from his face. Elara watched him.
“Adrian?”
The king didn’t answer.
He only tightened his grip on his sword. Because that voice… belonged to someone he had once trusted.
And someone who, for the past hundred years, had been considered House Veyr’s closest ally.