It was finally time for the event.
My stomach twisted the moment the maids finished preparing me.
I slowly looked up at the mirror in front of me.
And for a second…
Even I almost forgot I wasn’t truly Seraphina Ravencroft.
I wore a black short-sleeved dress that hugged my figure perfectly.
The slit on the right side revealed part of my leg whenever I moved, giving me the exact dangerous elegance I imagined while creating Seraphina years ago.
A black choker rested around my neck.
The silver crown sat perfectly on my head.
And my lips,
Bright red.
Cold.
Deadly.
I stared at my reflection silently.
No wonder people feared her.
Seraphina didn’t look like a heroine.
She looked like a queen people would kneel for out of fear.
Or worship out of obsession.
“You look beautiful, Master.”
I turned slightly.
Adrian Evernight stood near the door.
Behind him were the others.
Lucien Draven.
Cassian Vale.
Kael Thornridge.
Sylas Nightmere.
All five male leads.
All standing there waiting for me.
A strange feeling settled inside my chest.
Because this scene felt too unreal.
These were characters I created.
Characters I spent years writing.
And now they were standing in front of me like living people.
“Shall we go?” Cassian asked calmly.
I swallowed slowly before nodding.
“Yes.”
The moment we entered the grand hall, the entire room fell silent.
Every noble.
Every servant.
Every royal guest.
All eyes turned toward me instantly.
And then the whispers started.
“The Dark Princess”
“She’s here”
“Seraphina Ravencroft”
I ignored all of them.
Just like the original Seraphina would.
I casually placed a piece of gum into my mouth and began chewing slowly as I walked through the hall.
The sound of heels echoed against the marble floor.
Then,
A low growl filled the room.
Gasps spread immediately.
I lifted a hand lazily.
And my beast appeared beside me.
A massive black tiger.
Its glowing eyes scanned the room carefully as it walked beside me like a loyal shadow.
Fear instantly spread across several nobles.
I almost smiled.
Right.
I forgot Seraphina had dramatic entrances.
The tiger followed me all the way toward my seat.
And that’s when I saw her.
Aurora Bellrose.
The heroine.
Or at least
The girl I thought was the heroine.
She sat elegantly across the table wearing a light blue sparkling dress that made her look almost angelic beneath the ballroom lights.
Beautiful.
Gentle.
Exactly the way I wrote her.
A servant stood quietly behind her chair.
The moment Aurora noticed me, she smiled softly and stood up.
Then she walked toward me.
My chest tightened slightly.
Maybe Adrian misunderstood earlier.
Maybe the poisoning story wasn’t true.
Maybe,
Aurora sat beside me gracefully.
Then leaned slightly closer.
And said the words I never expected to hear from her.
“So,” she said quietly, “you really think you’ll become the next ruler?”
I froze.
Her lips curved into a cold smile.
Then she laughed softly.
But there was nothing warm about it.
“In your wildest dreams,” she whispered.
My heart skipped.
“No one would ever choose a loser like you to become queen.”
Silence filled my head instantly.
I stared at her.
Completely shocked.
No.
No, this wasn’t right.
Aurora would never say something like that.
Not in my novel.
Not ever.
She was supposed to be kind.
Sweet.
Pure.
So why,
Why did this feel like I was talking to a completely different person?
I slowly stood up without saying a word.
Aurora simply smiled at me as if she enjoyed my reaction.
My chest tightened painfully.
I quickly turned and walked away from the table.
Because suddenly I couldn’t breathe properly anymore.
What is happening to this story?
I moved toward another seat farther away and sat down quietly.
This time beside Lucien, Cassian, Kael, Sylas, and Adrian.
The five men immediately looked toward me.
But I avoided Lucien’s gaze instantly.
Because I remembered this scene.
Too clearly.
This was the night Lucien Draven was originally supposed to make his first attempt on Seraphina’s life.
And if the story still followed that path—
Then I was sitting beside the person who would eventually kill me.
A chill ran down my spine.
So throughout the event, I kept my distance carefully.
I avoided being alone with him.
Avoided turning my back toward him.
Avoided even meeting his eyes for too long.
But strangely…
Lucien wasn’t acting the way I remembered.
Instead of watching me with hatred like in the novel—
He looked almost… concerned.
Which somehow scared me even more.
Because concern was not part of the original story.
The hall suddenly grew quieter.
Then the grand doors opened.
“The Queen Mother has arrived!”
Everyone immediately stood.
I followed quickly.
The Queen Mother entered gracefully, dressed in gold and white as nobles bowed respectfully around her.
Her sharp eyes scanned the room carefully before finally landing on me and Aurora.
A strange smile crossed her face.
“My lovely daughters,” she said warmly.
Daughters.
Right.
In this story, Aurora and Seraphina were adoptive royal sisters.
The Queen Mother slowly stepped toward the center of the hall.
“Tonight,” she announced, “marks the beginning of the royal selection for the kingdom’s future ruler.”
Murmurs instantly spread across the ballroom.
My stomach tightened again.
This was really happening.
“Seraphina Ravencroft.”
“Aurora Bellrose.”
The Queen Mother extended a hand toward the stage.
“Come forward.”
I slowly stood up.
Aurora rose beside me elegantly.
Together, we walked toward the center stage while the entire hall watched us.
I could feel hundreds of eyes on me.
Judging.
Waiting.
Some hateful.
Some fearful.
And some…
Excited.
My heartbeat grew louder with every step.
Something feels wrong.
Very wrong.
The moment I stepped onto the stage—
A sharp sound cut through the air.
My eyes widened.
Then,
Pain exploded through my shoulder.
I gasped.
The force sent me stumbling backward instantly.
Blood splattered across the stage floor.
The entire ballroom erupted into screams.
And before I could even process what happened,
I saw it.
An arrow.
Sticking out of my shoulder.
Someone had attacked me.
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