“Elisa!”
Raphael caught her before she hit the ground.
The world around her spun.
The terrifying voice still echoed inside her head.
The throne belongs to blood.
Kill the false heir.
She gripped her head.
“No…”
“What happened?” Rose asked anxiously.
Adrian knelt beside her.
His expression was serious.
“What did you see?”
Elisa looked at him.
For some reason, she felt he would understand.
“There was a throne.”
Adrian remained silent.
“There was fire everywhere.”
His eyes narrowed.
“And someone said the throne belongs to blood.”
The king’s face darkened.
The messenger suddenly stepped forward.
“That’s impossible.”
Adrian slowly stood.
“No.”
His voice was calm.
“Unfortunately, it isn’t.”
Everyone looked at him.
Even the forest seemed quiet.
“What do you mean?” Raphael asked.
Adrian stared toward the distant capital.
“The throne has always belonged to blood.”
Nobody understood.
Except the messenger.
His face turned pale.
“You can’t mean…”
Adrian nodded.
“The Lost King.”
The words sent a chill through the air.
Lily looked confused.
“Who is the Lost King?”
Rose nodded.
“I’ve never heard of him.”
The messenger sighed.
“Because his story was erased.”
Elisa frowned.
“Erased?”
Adrian leaned against a tree.
For the first time, he seemed less like a king and more like a man carrying an old burden.
“Twenty years ago, Valoria had a true king.”
Everyone listened carefully.
“He ruled the entire kingdom.”
“The Seven Kings of No Throne served under him.”
“What happened?” Elisa asked.
Nobody answered immediately.
Finally Adrian spoke.
“He disappeared.”
The answer surprised everyone.
“Disappeared?”
Adrian nodded.
“No body.”
“No battle.”
“No farewell.”
“One day he simply vanished.”
The forest became silent.
Raphael crossed his arms.
“And nobody found him?”
“No.”
“Not even the kings?”
“No.”
Lily raised her hand.
“I have a question.”
Everyone ignored her.
She continued anyway.
“If he vanished, did anyone check under the bed?”
Rose nearly screamed.
“This is not the time!”
“It could happen!”
“No.”
“But—”
“No.”
Even Adrian looked amused.
A small smile appeared on his face.
The messenger cleared his throat.
“After the king vanished, the throne became empty.”
“And the kingdom divided.”
“The seven rulers each claimed territory.”
“Thus the Kings of No Throne were born.”
Elisa slowly understood.
“So nobody knows who should rule?”
“Exactly.”
“Until now,” Adrian said quietly.
Everyone looked at him.
His golden eyes settled on Elisa.
“The throne is reacting again.”
“The prophecy has awakened.”
“And a girl bearing the Silver Crown has appeared.”
Elisa suddenly felt very uncomfortable.
The amount of attention she was receiving was becoming ridiculous.
She preferred arguing with cows.
Life had been simpler then.
The group continued traveling.
As evening approached, they reached an abandoned inn beside the road.
The building was old but still standing.
“We’ll stay here tonight,” the messenger announced.
Nobody argued.
Everyone was exhausted.
Especially Elisa.
That vision had drained her energy.
As darkness fell, a fire crackled in the center of the room.
The group gathered around it.
Lily was already eating.
Again.
Rose wasn’t surprised anymore.
Raphael sat beside Elisa.
“Feeling better?”
“A little.”
He hesitated.
Then gently squeezed her hand.
“We’ll figure this out.”
Elisa smiled.
“Together?”
“Together.”
For a moment, everything felt normal.
Just two people sitting beside a fire.
Not a prophecy.
Not a throne.
Not a kingdom on the edge of war.
Just them.
Then the inn’s front door exploded inward.
BOOM!
Everyone jumped to their feet.
A figure stumbled inside.
A young woman.
Covered in blood.
She collapsed onto the floor.
The messenger rushed forward.
“Who are you?”
The woman struggled to breathe.
Her clothes were torn.
Her face was pale.
Finally she looked up.
Her eyes found Elisa.
“You…”
The woman coughed blood.
“You must run.”
Fear filled the room.
“Why?” Raphael asked.
The woman trembled.
“Because the First King already knows.”
Elisa’s heart sank.
Knows what?
The woman reached into her cloak.
She pulled out a torn piece of parchment.
Then handed it to Elisa.
“The royal bloodline…”
She coughed again.
“It wasn’t destroyed.”
Everyone froze.
Adrian’s eyes widened.
For the first time since meeting him, he looked genuinely shocked.
The woman smiled weakly.
Then whispered her final words.
“The Lost King had…
a daughter…”
Silence.
The room froze.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
The woman collapsed.
Unconscious.
Elisa stared at the parchment in her hands.
Her fingers trembled.
Because a single name was written on it.
A name she recognized.
Her own.
Elisa Everhart.
And beneath it were words that changed her life forever.
Last Known Descendant of the Royal Bloodline.
The fire crackled softly.
But nobody noticed.
Because one terrifying question filled every mind.
If Elisa truly carried royal blood…
Then who wanted her dead badly enough to erase an entire family?
And what if that person was still alive?