The moment our lips touched, I froze.
I tried to resist it—tried to pull away, to regain control of myself—but my body didn’t listen.
It was like something inside me had gone quiet, leaving only the sensation of him, the closeness, the impossible warmth I didn’t know how to respond to.
Cassian didn’t move either.
For a brief second, everything stopped.
No palace noise.
No voices.
No war.
Just him.
And me.
Then—
Something shifted.
A shadow of movement caught the edge of my vision.
A single raven feather drifted down from above.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Almost graceful.
My breath caught instantly.
My eyes widened as I followed it, watching it fall through the air like it didn’t belong to this world.
And that was when reality snapped back into place.
We weren’t alone.
The moment I realized it, I forced myself to resist Cassian.
I pulled away quickly, stepping back before I could lose control of myself again.
Cassian noticed immediately.
But he didn’t stop me.
He didn’t question me either.
Instead, he just smiled.
That same calm, unreadable smile.
And continued playing gently with my hair like nothing had changed.
Like I wasn’t already slipping away from him.
Like he wasn’t the reason my thoughts were scattered in the first place.
“I should go,” I said quickly.
Cassian didn’t move.
Didn’t argue.
That alone made me more uneasy.
So I did the first thing that came to mind.
I turned slightly and forced a voice into my throat.
“…Someone’s calling me.”
It wasn’t real.
But I hoped he would believe it anyway.
Cassian tilted his head slightly, as if listening.
For a second, I thought he would stop me.
His hand even lifted slightly—like he might reach for me.
But he didn’t.
And that small hesitation was all I needed.
I turned and walked away.
Then I broke into a quick pace.
Down the corridor.
Past the stairs.
Straight toward the kitchen.
My footsteps felt too loud in my ears.
Too obvious.
But I didn’t stop.
Not until I reached the kitchen doorway.
And when I stepped inside—
I froze.
Sylas was there.
Standing in the middle of the kitchen like he had been waiting for a long time.
Too still.
Too calm.
His eyes lifted the moment I entered.
And in that instant, I knew it wasn’t a coincidence.
He wasn’t just there.
He was waiting for me.
I decided to act like I didn’t notice him.
Like I didn’t feel the weight of his presence filling the room.
My eyes briefly moved across the kitchen, pretending to search for something—anything—other than him.
But I could feel it.
His gaze never left me.
Not even for a second.
The silence stretched.
Uncomfortable.
Heavy.
I finally looked back at him.
Still trying to keep my expression neutral.
Still pretending.
“…Why are you here?” I asked slowly.
That was when something in his expression shifted.
Not dramatically.
Not openly.
But enough.
His calm cracked just slightly at the edges.
And somehow, that was worse than anger.
His eyes narrowed.
“You really don’t know?” Sylas said quietly.
His voice wasn’t raised.
But it carried something sharp underneath it.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
The air in the kitchen seemed to tighten.
Like the room itself was holding its breath.
“And here I thought,” he continued, stepping forward just once, “you were starting to understand your situation better.”
My fingers tensed at my sides.
Because now I could feel it clearly.
This wasn’t just annoyance.
He was furious.
Just controlled enough to hide it.
Barely.
He moved back and leaned against the table in the kitchen, completely relaxed, as though the weight of what he was about to say meant nothing to him.
Then he said the words that made me numb.
“I know everything.”
My breath caught instantly.
For a second, I couldn’t respond.
I couldn’t think.
My mind went blank, like someone had wiped it clean.
But my body—
My body betrayed me.
I could feel it.
The heat rising up my neck.
The slight tremble in my fingers.
The way my breathing suddenly turned uneven.
I was sweating.
Like I was standing directly under the sun with no shade, no escape, nowhere to hide.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to speak.
“…W…what are you talking about?” I managed.
My voice cracked.
“W…w…what do you know?
Tell me.”
He didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he reached for the fruit bowl on the table.
Picked up an apple.
Rolled it slowly in his hand like he had all the time in the world.
The silence between us stretched.
Uncomfortable.
Heavy.
Then he took a bite.
Only after chewing did he finally speak again.
“You know,” Sylas said calmly, “the fact that you aren’t the real Seraphina.”
My heart stopped.
“…you’re an imposter.”
And for a moment—Everything inside me went completely still.
At that moment, I began wishing, or hoping, that the ground would just open and swallow me whole and save me from all of this.
He noticed my trembling hands.
The sweat dripping down my face.
The way my eyes refused to meet his.
For a brief moment, he said nothing.
Just watched me.
Like he was waiting for something.
Waiting for me to break.
Then, quietly, he spoke.
“I’m right… aren’t I?”
“You see, for the past few weeks, I’ve been monitoring and observing your every move,” he continued calmly.
My stomach dropped.
“The way you interact with Lucien… Kael… Cassian’s emotions…” His eyes narrowed slightly.
“And I’m sure now your next target is Adrian.”
He dropped the apple back into the bowl with a soft thud.
Then he pushed himself off the table and sat down on its edge instead, completely at ease—like this conversation didn’t carry any weight at all.
“You must be a spy,” he said.
My breath hitched.
My mind spiraled instantly.
No, no… no… no… why is this happening now?
I have to think of something—anything—just to get out of this… Oh Lord, what do I do?
My hands wouldn’t stay still.
They moved without permission, twitching at my sides like they belonged to someone else.
My eyes kept darting around the kitchen–toward the door, the counters, the window
—anywhere but him.
I couldn’t focus.
I couldn’t breathe properly.
It felt like my own body had stopped obeying me completely.
Then it suddenly came to me.
An idea.
Something—anything—that could save me from digging myself even deeper into trouble.
My breathing was still uneven, but I forced myself to move.
Slowly, I raised my hand and wiped the sweat from my face, as if that simple action could erase the panic building inside me.
It didn’t.
But I needed control.
I needed to look like I had control.
I swallowed hard.
It’s fine… it’s fine… just think.
Just think.
My mind repeated it like a broken mantra.
I straightened my posture slightly, forcing my trembling hands to stay still.
A quiet breath left my lips.
I gave myself a small, silent pep talk.
You’re okay.
You’re going to be okay.
Just answer carefully.
Don’t panic.
Don’t give him anything suspicious.
Slowly, I lifted my gaze back toward Sylas.
Trying—desperately—to look normal.
Trying—desperately—to survive.
I turned toward Sylas and forced myself to stay calm.
“Why do you think I’m a spy?” I asked.
Sylas pushed himself off the table and began walking slowly around the kitchen.
His fingers brushed lightly across the wooden surface as he spoke.
“Well, you see…”
He paused for a moment.
“First, you made Lucien and Kael fall in love with you.”
I blinked.
“What?”
But Sylas continued as if he hadn’t heard me.
“Then you turned them against each other.”
His hand continued tracing the edge of the table.
“You constantly put them in situations where they compete for your attention.
They’re always trying to prove themselves to you.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“And in the process, they’re neglecting everything else.”
I stared at him in disbelief.
Where was he even getting this from?
Sylas continued walking.
“After that, you moved on to Cassian.”
My face immediately grew warm.
“You made him fall completely for you.”
His gaze sharpened.
“In fact, I’m almost convinced you used some sort of spell on him.”
My stomach dropped.
“A spell?” I repeated.
Sylas nodded once.
“What other explanation is there?”
Then he added calmly,
“Especially after what happened earlier.”
My heart skipped a beat.
“What happened earlier?” I asked, even though I already knew.
Sylas folded his arms.
“The kiss.”
Everything inside me froze.
For a second, I couldn’t even breathe.
The kiss.
He saw it.
My mind immediately flashed back to the raven feather drifting from the sky.
The feeling that someone had been watching us.
And suddenly it all made sense.
I stared at him.
Then quietly, almost to myself, I muttered,
“So that means…”
My voice trailed off.
Sylas raised an eyebrow.
I swallowed hard.
“So that means you really were spying on me.”
Sylas smirked slightly before continuing.
“But before Cassian, you tried your luck with me.”
I stared at him.
For a second, I genuinely thought I might burst out laughing.
What?
Why on earth would I want anything to do with a nosy and annoying guy like you?
I kept the thoughts to myself.
I have standards, thank you very much.
And I think it’s pretty obvious that you aren’t my type.
I’d rather lick a toilet than spend my time trying to make you fall in love with me.
Sylas continued speaking, completely unaware of the argument I was having with him inside my head.
“I mean, you constantly tried to convince me that you weren’t an imposter.”
He folded his arms.
“It’s a good thing I didn’t fall for your trap.”
I rolled my eyes.
Of course he thought that.
“And now your next target is Adrian.”
He pointed at me dramatically.
“But you see, I won’t let you succeed in your evil plans.”
Then his expression became serious again.
“Now tell me, imposter.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Where are you hiding the real Seraphina?”
I stared at him.
Speechless.
Completely speechless.
“I mean,” Sylas continued, “how do I know you aren’t working with Aurora?”
My expression froze.
“What if you’re one of her spies?”
Something inside me snapped.
Completely.
I was done.
Done with the accusations.
Done with the ridiculous theories.
Done with Sylas acting like he had solved some grand mystery.
Before I could stop myself, I marched straight toward him.
And slapped him.
The sound echoed through the kitchen.
Sylas’s head turned slightly from the impact.
Silence filled the room.
I pointed a finger at him.
“How dare you say something like that?”
My voice shook with anger.
“Watch your mouth, Sylas.”
I took another step back.
“And think before you speak.”
For once, Sylas looked genuinely surprised.
Good.
Maybe now he would stop asking stupid questions.
I turned and headed toward the door.
A strange feeling settled inside me.
Part of me was angry.
But another part felt victorious.
Because I had finally escaped his endless accusations.
Or so I thought.
My hand reached for the door.
One more step.
Then—I froze.
Something cold pressed against my throat.
My breath caught.
Slowly, I looked down.
A dagger.
Its blade rested against my skin.
A thin line of blood slid down my neck.
Then another drop.
And another.
Falling silently onto the floor below.
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