I turned slowly.
Not because I was trying to be dramatic.p
Not because I wanted to build suspense.
I was simply terrified.
My heart pounded so hard that I could hear it in my ears.
Slowly, I turned toward the direction the voice had come from.
My hands trembled.
My breathing felt uneven.
And when I finally looked—
There was nothing there.
I froze.
“What…?”
The words barely escaped my lips.
The room was empty.
No figure.
No shadow.
No mysterious stranger standing behind me.
Nothing.
I blinked several times, convinced my eyes were playing tricks on me.
But the result remained the same.
Nobody was there.
For a brief moment, relief washed over me.
Maybe I had imagined it.
Maybe all the stress from the past few days was finally getting to me.
Aurora.
Adrian.
Sylas.
Everything that had happened seemed to be weighing heavily on my mind.
I let out a nervous laugh.
“See, Seraphina?” I muttered to myself.
“You’re losing your mind.”
The lights flickered once more.
My laughter immediately died.
The silence that followed felt strange.
Unnatural.
I looked around the dining room again.
The long table.
The empty chairs.
The chandelier hanging above.
Everything looked normal.
Yet the uneasy feeling in my chest refused to disappear.
Then—
Something caught my eye.
I frowned.
There, near one of the chairs, was something small lying on the floor.
I slowly walked toward it.
My footsteps echoed through the silent room.
When I finally bent down and picked it up, my eyes widened slightly.
An earring.
A gold earring.
I stared at it in confusion.
And said to myself,
“It definitely didn’t belong to me.”
And as far as I knew…
None of the others wore earrings either.
A chill ran down my spine.
If it wasn’t mine…
Then whose was it?
And more importantly…
How had it gotten here?
Just as I was staring at the earring, I heard it again.
Another door somewhere in the palace opened.
My head snapped up instantly.
And then I saw it.
A shadow.
My grip tightened around the earring.
The shadow moved across the floor before disappearing around a corner.
My heart began pounding even harder.
“What is going on…?” I whispered.
Before I could think any further— I felt it.
A hand touched my right shoulder.
My entire body froze.
Every thought inside my head disappeared.
I couldn’t move.
I couldn’t speak.
I couldn’t even breathe properly.
For one terrifying moment, I was convinced that I was about to die.
My mind raced desperately for a solution.
Do I run?
Do I scream?
Do I call for help?
Then suddenly, an idea crossed my mind.
Wait.
Why am I standing here?
Why don’t I defend myself?
Without giving myself time to reconsider, I spun around and threw my right fist forward with all the strength I could muster.
“GET AWAY FROM ME!”
My fist connected directly with someone’s face.
The person stumbled backward in surprise.
For a brief moment, both of us froze.
Then I finally got a good look at who I had punched.
And immediately regretted every decision that had led me to this moment.
“Lucien…
you’re here.”
The words escaped my lips the moment I realized who I had punched.
Lucien stared back at me.
Behind him, I saw the others.
Kael.
Cassian.
Sylas.
Adrian.
All five of them had returned.
For some reason, the moment they realized I was safe, they quietly walked away, leaving Lucien and me alone in the dining room.
An awkward silence followed.
I rubbed the back of my neck nervously.
“Lucien, I…”
I looked away.
“I’m sorry.”
No response.
“I didn’t mean to punch you.”
Still nothing.
“It was an accident.
I swear.”
Lucien’s expression didn’t change.
It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Then suddenly, he stepped closer.
My breath caught.
Too close.
I could feel the cold air clinging to his clothes.
Perhaps it was because of the snow falling outside.
Without a word, he grabbed my arm.
The same arm I had used to punch him.
My heart skipped a beat.
“Lucien?”
His hand felt cold against my skin.
Gently, he held my wrist.
Then he did something that completely shocked me.
He lifted my hand.
And struck his own face with it.
SMACK.
I froze.
My mind went blank.
“What are you doing?”
He didn’t answer.
Instead, he lowered his gaze.
As though he couldn’t bring himself to look at me.
I immediately pulled my hand away.
“Lucien!”
Still nothing.
His silence only made me more anxious.
I quickly called for one of the maids.
“Bring the first aid kit!”
The maid hurried away.
When she returned, I took the box and opened it.
I noticed a small scratch on Lucien’s face.
My nails must have caught him when I punched him earlier.
I reached for some cotton wool.
Then turned toward the table to grab a small knife to open the package.
Before I could do so, Lucien grabbed my wrist again.
The knife slipped from my hand and clattered onto the floor.
“Lucien, stop.”
He didn’t.
Slowly, he raised my hand again.
And struck himself a second time.
Harder.
SMACK.
“Lucien!”
My voice echoed through the room.
But he ignored me.
As if he believed this was something he deserved.
Then he tried to do it again.
That was enough.
Anger surged through me.
I yanked my hand free.
Before he could react—
SLAP.
I struck him across the face.
The room fell silent.
I glared at him.
“What is wrong with you?”
My chest rose and fell rapidly.
“If you’re angry, then say it.”
My voice trembled.
“But stop hurting yourself.”
Without waiting for an answer, I turned around and walked away.
While leaving, I bumped into one of the maids.
She immediately recognized me and quickly bowed.
I handed her the first aid box.
“Please take care of Lucien’s injury,” I said.
“And keep the first aid kit with you.”
She nodded quickly.
“Yes, my lady.”
Then I turned and left.
By the time I reached my room, everything finally felt quiet.
Too quiet.
But my mind wasn’t.
The moment I lay down, everything replayed itself again and again.
Like I had no control over it.
Kael getting jealous just because I was with Lucien.
Cassian kissing me out of nowhere.
Sylas interrogating me like I was a criminal.
Adrian being forced to attack me… and then begging for punishment.
And then—
Me punching Lucien.
Lucien using my own hand to hurt himself.
I sat up slowly, placing a hand on my forehead.
“Seriously…” I muttered under my breath.
“So much happened in one day.”
I let out a loud and long sigh.
“And now I have a headache.”
Just as I was talking to myself, the lights in the hallway began to flicker again.
My breath caught instantly.
Fear crept back into my chest.
At first, I didn’t know what to do.
Then something crossed my mind.
One word.
“Run.”
I didn’t hesitate.
I turned and started running.
Faster than I thought I could.
My footsteps echoed loudly through the palace corridors.
The lights above me continued to flicker on and off, casting strange shadows across the walls.
I didn’t stop.
Even if I wanted to.
I couldn’t stop.
The more I ran, the more the flickering followed me.
It felt like the palace itself was chasing me.
My heart pounded violently in my chest.
I refused to look back.
I couldn’t.
Because what if the moment I turned Something was right behind me?
While running, I passed the corridor near the Queen Mother’s room.
And that was when I saw it.
A figure.
Lurking in the darkness.
I froze for half a second.
My breath hitched.
Whoever it was… I couldn’t tell.
Could it be a thief?
Or maybe Aurora?
Or something worse?
My body moved before my mind could fully process it.
Slowly, I reached for the door handle.
My fingers trembled as I gripped it.
At first I hesitated.
Every instinct screamed at me to run away.
But my body wasn’t listening anymore.
It felt like I had lost control of myself.
The door creaked open slowly.
Creeeak…
With every inch it opened, my hands shook more violently.
Sweat dripped down my skin and fell onto the floor.
My breathing became uneven, it became heavy it felt like I couldn’t breathe.
And my mind kept repeating one thing over and over again.
“Run away… you idiot… move.”
But I couldn’t.
I just stood there.
Watching the door open wider and wider into the darkness.
Just as I stood there, frozen in fear, the door creaked wider.
Creeeak…
And then,
It finally opened.
But the moment I stepped inside the room, a strange feeling washed over me.
Something wasn’t right.
My chest tightened instantly.
I swallowed hard and muttered under my breath.
“W…w… who’s there?”
Silence.
No response.
The room felt heavy… almost suffocating.
I slowly took another step forward, my eyes scanning the dim space.
And that was when I saw it.
The Queen Mother’s desk.
One of the drawers was slightly open.
My breath hitched.
Why would it be open at this time?
Slowly, I began walking toward it.
Each step felt louder than the last.
Closer.
Closer.
Until I finally reached out my hand.
Just as my fingers were about to touch the drawer—BANG!
The door behind me slammed shut violently.
Please let me know how much you like my story, and your honest opinion about it.
Your feedback, will help me in improve in my writing.