After leaving the Trial Hall, I slowly made my way back toward my room.
The palace corridors felt strangely quiet.
Perhaps it was because everyone was still talking about Aurora’s trial.
Or perhaps it was because my mind was too occupied to notice anything else.
I let out a small sigh.
“If only they knew.”
The words escaped my lips before I could stop them.
“If only they knew everything she has done.”
My footsteps echoed softly throughout the hallway.
“If only they knew she tried to kill me.”
I lowered my gaze.
“If only they knew what she did to the Queen Mother.”
Images from the original novel flashed through my mind.
The betrayals.
The manipulation.
The deaths.
The destruction.
I clenched my fists.
“If only they knew how far she was willing to go just to become queen.”
I shook my head.
“And if only they knew why she really stole that scroll…”
Another sigh escaped me.
“Maybe her punishment would have been much worse.”
For a moment, I became lost in my thoughts.
So lost that I failed to notice someone approaching from the opposite direction.
“Seraphina?”
No response.
“Seraphina.”
Still nothing.
The person frowned.
Then suddenly—SNAP!
A hand snapped directly in front of my face.
I jumped.
My eyes widened.
And standing before me was Cassian.
He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.
“Welcome back to reality.”
A playful smile appeared on his face.
“You looked like you were having a conversation with ghosts.”
I ignored him and continued walking.
Cassian sighed and followed after me.
A few moments later, I became lost in my thoughts again.
I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.
So when I accidentally bumped into a small table standing beside the wall, I nearly screamed.
The expensive vase resting on top of it tilted dangerously.
My eyes widened.
“Oh no!”
For a second, I thought it was going to shatter into a thousand pieces.
But before it could fall—
Cassian caught it.
I let out a breath of relief.
Thank goodness.
Because if that vase had broken, I was certain I would have somehow found myself in even more trouble.
Cassian carefully held the vase in his hands.
Then he looked at me.
“Are you alright?”
I nodded automatically.
“Yes, I’m fi—”
“Don’t.”
I blinked.
Cassian raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t even bother lying.”
He handed me the vase.
“I won’t believe you.”
I stared at him.
“Because,” he continued, “you don’t look fine.”
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
I took the vase from his hands and carefully placed it back onto the table.
Then I looked up at the ceiling.
Then at the wall.
Then at absolutely anything that wasn’t Cassian.
Finally, I sighed.
“You’re right.”
My voice was quieter than before.
“I’m not fine.”
Cassian remained silent.
Waiting.
I rubbed the back of my neck.
“In fact…”
I laughed bitterly.
“I’m currently having mixed emotions.”
I lowered my gaze to the floor.
“I don’t know whether I should be happy or sad.”
Cassian tilted his head slightly.
“And why is that?”
I folded my arms.
“Aurora finally got punished.”
My voice was calm, but even I could hear the exhaustion hidden beneath it.
“So part of me is happy.”
I paused.
“But another part of me isn’t.”
I looked away.
“Because none of this should have happened in the first place.”
For a brief moment, the image of the Queen Mother slapping me flashed through my mind.
Then Aurora’s confession.
Then the trial.
Then Aurora screaming as the guards dragged her away.
Everything felt messy.
Complicated.
And exhausting.
I let out another sigh.
“I thought I would feel better after all of this.”
I shook my head.
“But somehow…”
My voice trailed off.
“I just feel tired.”
Cassian stared at me for a moment before frowning.
“Aurora got punished?”
I blinked.
“When?”
I looked at him in confusion.
I had assumed he already knew.
Then it hit me.
Beasts weren’t allowed inside the Trial Hall.
Of course he wouldn’t know.
“Today,” I replied.
Cassian’s eyes widened slightly.
“Today?”
I nodded.
“Yes.”
I glanced around the corridor and noticed an empty room nearby.
The door was already open.
Without saying a word, I grabbed Cassian by the wrist and pulled him inside.
Before he could protest, I shut the door and locked it.
Click.
Cassian stared at me.
“Why did you drag me in here?”
“And why did you lock the door?”
I crossed my arms.
“Because I don’t want anyone hearing what I’m about to tell you.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Anyone?”
I nodded.
“By anyone, I mean Aurora’s beast.”
Cassian immediately understood.
His expression became serious.
“Fair enough.”
I took a deep breath and began explaining everything.
“Aurora was arrested today because she stole a scroll from the Queen Mother’s chambers and framed me for it.”
Cassian remained silent, listening carefully.
“The Queen Mother overheard our conversation.”
I sighed.
“Unfortunately, she didn’t hear everything.”
“She only heard the part about the scroll.”
I leaned against the wall.
“After that, she dragged Aurora to the Trial Hall.”
I couldn’t help smiling a little at the memory.
“For the first time in my life, I actually saw Aurora speechless.”
Cassian chuckled quietly.
I continued.
“The judges found her guilty.”
“And her punishment was five years in prison.”
The moment I finished speaking, Cassian shot to his feet.
His chair scraped loudly against the floor.
I frowned.
“Cassian?”
He looked genuinely alarmed.
“Aurora stole the scroll?”
I blinked.
“Yes.”
His reaction confused me.
Why was he acting like that was the most important part of the story?
He paced back and forth.
Then he stopped and looked directly at me.
“Do you have any idea what this means?”
I shook my head.
“No.”
Cassian ran a hand through his hair.
For the first time since entering the room, he looked worried.
Not surprised.
Not shocked.
Worried.
A feeling of unease settled in my stomach.
Slowly, I straightened up.
Then I asked the question that had been bothering me from the beginning.
“Cassian…”
I swallowed nervously.
“What exactly is so important about that scroll?”
Cassian leaned against the wall and folded his arms.
“The scroll is one of the oldest and most powerful treasures in the kingdom.”
His voice had lost its usual playful tone.
“It has been passed down from ruler to ruler for generations.”
I stared at him in surprise.
The more he spoke, the more curious I became.
“If it’s that important,” I asked, “then what exactly is written inside it?”
Cassian shook his head.
“No one knows.”
I blinked.
“No one?”
He nodded.
“Only the ruler of the kingdom is allowed to read it.”
I frowned.
“Not even the nobles?”
“No.”
“The judges?”
“No.”
“The Queen Mother’s advisors?”
“No.”
I stared at him.
“Then how do people know it’s important?”
Cassian let out a small sigh.
“Because of the legends.”
That immediately caught my attention.
“Legends?”
He nodded once more.
“Legend has it that the scroll contains the kingdom’s greatest secrets.”
His expression became serious.
“The strengths of the kingdom.”
“The weaknesses of the kingdom.”
“The truth behind the royal family.”
“And secrets that have been hidden from the world for centuries.”
A chill ran down my spine.
For some reason, I didn’t like where this conversation was going.
Cassian continued.
“Some people even believe the scroll contains information powerful enough to destroy the kingdom if it falls into the wrong hands.”
The room fell silent.
I looked down at the floor.
Destroy the kingdom?
The words echoed in my mind.
Suddenly, memories from the original novel flashed before my eyes.
The burning palace.
The ruined capital.
The bodies.
The screams.
The Villainess Seraphina.
I quickly pushed those thoughts away.
No.
That wasn’t going to happen.
Not this time.
Right?
I swallowed nervously.
“Then why would Aurora want it?”
Cassian remained silent for a moment.
Then he answered.
“Power.”
His response was immediate.
“People have killed for far less.”
He looked directly at me.
“If Aurora truly stole that scroll, then five years in prison might be the least of her worries.”
Just then, the door to the room opened.
A maid stepped inside carrying a tray of food.
She immediately bowed.
“Your Highness.”
I looked at her.
“Yes?”
“The Queen Mother has ordered me to deliver this message.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“What message?”
The maid carefully placed the tray on a nearby table.
“Her Majesty wishes for you to take this meal to Princess Aurora.”
I stared at her.
For a moment, I thought I had misheard.
“You want me to do what?”
The maid lowered her head.
“The Queen Mother wishes for you to deliver the food to Princess Aurora.”
I frowned.
“Why?”
I pointed toward the hallway.
“That’s what the maids are for.”
“Why should I be the one delivering food?”
The maid shifted nervously.
“Her Majesty wishes for you to take care of your younger sister.”
I nearly laughed.
“My younger sister?”
The maid nodded.
“She also wishes for you to speak with her.”
I crossed my arms.
The entire thing sounded suspicious.
Then the maid spoke again.
“Her Majesty said she feels ashamed of what Princess Aurora has done.”
That made me pause.
The maid continued.
“She cannot bring herself to look Princess Aurora in the eyes right now.”
For the first time, I found myself believing her.
Then she added one final thing.
“Her Majesty also said that you cannot refuse.”
I sighed.
“Why not?”
The maid answered immediately.
“Because according to kingdom law, only members of the royal family and authorized guards may enter the dungeon.”
I rubbed my temples.
Of course.
The Queen Mother had already planned for every argument.
Reluctantly, I picked up the tray.
“Fine.”
The maid bowed.
I left the room shortly afterward.
As I walked toward the dungeon, my mind remained occupied with everything Cassian had told me.
The ancient scroll.
The kingdom’s secrets.
Its hidden power.
The possibility of it falling into the wrong hands.
The words replayed over and over inside my head.
Eventually, I reached the dungeon entrance.
The stone staircase leading underground stretched before me.
I slowly began descending.
The deeper I went, the colder the air became.
Then I heard it.
A voice.
Aurora’s voice.
I immediately froze.
But she wasn’t alone.
There was someone else.
A man’s voice.
My heart skipped a beat.
I carefully moved farther down the stairs.
One step.
Then another.
And another.
A shadow appeared on the dungeon wall.
Someone was standing inside Aurora’s cell.
My eyes widened.
I hurried down the remaining steps.
The moment I reached the bottom, I saw them.
Aurora.
And Veyrion.
Her beast.
The two were speaking quietly.
Before I could call out to them, I saw Aurora pull something from beneath her cloak.
Something rolled tightly in her hands.
A scroll.
My entire body froze.
No.
That couldn’t be possible.
I watched as Aurora handed the scroll to Veyrion.
Veyrion immediately hid it beneath his cloak.
I felt my stomach drop.
Then a memory surfaced.
Earlier during the trial…
I had seen the Queen Mother take the scroll from Aurora.
I had seen it with my own eyes.
My breathing became uneven.
Slowly, a horrifying realization formed inside my mind.
If Aurora had just handed Veyrion the scroll…
Then the scroll the Queen Mother collected earlier—Was fake.
The tray slipped from my hands.
CRASH.
The sound echoed throughout the dungeon.
Aurora’s eyes widened.
Veyrion immediately turned toward me.
And for the first time…
I realized they had seen me.
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