The imperial summons remained on Lucien’s desk for most of the morning.
Nobody touched it.
Nobody needed to.
Its presence alone was enough to change the atmosphere of the room.
The black wax seal bearing the imperial crest had already been broken, but the parchment remained perfectly folded beside a half-finished cup of coffee.
Lucien had read the document twice since waking and had said almost nothing about it.
Evelyn, on the other hand, had read it six times.
She was beginning to suspect that staring at the same accusation repeatedly would somehow make it less absurd.
It hadn’t.
“Duke Lucien Valemont is hereby ordered to appear before the Imperial Council to answer charges concerning conspiracy against the Crown.”
She lowered the parchment.
“They really wrote this.”
Lucien, standing near the window, glanced back.
“Apparently.”
“They’re accusing you of conspiring against the emperor.”
“Yes.”
“You.”
“Yes.”
“You, who have spent the last five years personally putting down rebellions in the northern provinces for the imperial government.”
“Apparently none of that counts anymore.”
Evelyn looked at him.
“What exactly are they claiming you did?”
Lucien crossed the room and took the letter from her.
“According to this, I used the attack on our estate to create unrest, stole classified imperial documents and attempted to obtain forbidden information concerning the succession.”
Evelyn stared at him.
“That’s almost impressive.”
“What?”
“They managed to turn you investigating the attack against you.”
Lucien folded the letter.
“They didn’t manage it.”
She frowned.
“Then why are you worried?”
“Because they’re not trying to convince me.”
He placed the letter back on the desk.
“They’re trying to convince everyone else.”
Evelyn understood immediately.
The accusation didn’t have to survive close examination.
It only needed to spread.
A duke accused of treason.
A secretive noble family.
An attack on his estate.
Missing imperial documents.
A suspicious connection to the Arclight family.
The ingredients were enough for rumors.
And rumors were often more dangerous than facts.
She sat down.
“So what happens if you don’t go?”
“I become a fugitive.”
“And if you do?”
“I may be arrested.”
“Excellent.”
Lucien raised an eyebrow.
“Your optimism is impressive.”
“I’m adapting.”
He almost smiled.
Evelyn looked at the letter again.
“There’s something else.”
“What?”
“They mentioned the stolen documents.”
Lucien nodded.
“They shouldn’t know about them.”
“Exactly.”
“Unless someone told them.”
“Or unless they were already watching us.”
Neither spoke for several seconds.
The attack had happened only hours earlier.
The mansion had been searched.
Edmund had been poisoned.
The book had disappeared.
And now an imperial accusation had arrived with remarkable speed.
Too fast.
Much too fast.
Evelyn stood.
“How long would it take for news of an attack here to reach the capital?”
“Normally?”
“Yes.”
“At least a day.”
She looked at him.
“And the summons arrived this morning.”
“Yes.”
“So the emperor knew before the official report could have reached him.”
Lucien’s expression hardened.
“Which means someone informed him directly.”
“Someone close to the court.”
“Or someone who was here.”
Evelyn’s stomach tightened.
The thought made the mansion feel smaller.
Every corridor seemed darker.
Every servant suddenly looked like a potential spy.
She hated it.
Lucien noticed.
“You should leave.”
Her head snapped toward him.
“What?”
“Go somewhere safe.”
“No.”
“Evelyn.”
“No.”
“I haven’t finished.”
“You don’t need to.”
He sighed.
“I don’t want you in the capital.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“Because if the emperor arrests me, you could be used as leverage.”
“Then we’ll make sure he doesn’t get the chance.”
“You say that as if we control the emperor.”
“We control whether he gets us separately.”
Lucien stared at her.
She continued.
“If we go together, they can’t isolate us.”
“They can arrest both of us.”
“Then at least I’ll know where you are.”
“That’s your argument?”
“It’s a good one.”
He looked away.
“You are impossible.”
“I’ve heard that too.”
He gave a quiet laugh.
Then his expression became serious again.
“Fine.”
Evelyn blinked.
“Fine?”
“You’re coming.”
She smiled.
“That was easier than expected.”
“I’ve learned that arguing with you only wastes time.”
“Smart.”
“Don’t get used to it.”
They left the estate two days later.
The journey to the capital should have taken half a day.
Lucien made it take nearly twice as long.
They changed routes three times.
They stopped at two villages they had no reason to visit.
At one point, Lucien ordered the carriage to turn around and travel through a forest road because he noticed fresh hoofprints near the main road.
Evelyn watched him from across the carriage.
“You think we’re being followed.”
“I know we’re being followed.”
She looked through the window.
“Where?”
“Three riders.”
“I don’t see them.”
“They’re behind the hill.”
“How do you know?”
“Because they were there before we turned.”
Evelyn looked at him.
“You noticed that?”
“I notice most things.”
“That’s unsettling.”
“It keeps me alive.”
She leaned against the seat.
“Do you ever relax?”
“No.”
“Not even while sleeping?”
“Especially not while sleeping.”
She laughed.
The tension in the carriage eased.
But only briefly.
An hour later, they stopped beside a small river.
Lucien stepped outside.
Evelyn followed.
He examined the horses.
“What?”
“The horses are nervous.”
“They’re horses.”
“They’re trained.”
She looked at them.
Both animals were restless.
Their ears pointed toward the forest.
Evelyn’s smile disappeared.
“You think someone is there.”
Lucien nodded.
He drew his sword.
“Stay here.”
She immediately drew her dagger.
“Absolutely not.”
He glanced at her.
“You really enjoy ignoring me.”
“I enjoy surviving.”
“Stay behind me.”
“That’s different.”
“It isn’t.”
They entered the forest.
Nothing happened.
No assassin.
No ambush.
No trap.
Only birds.
Wind.
Trees.
Evelyn began to wonder whether Lucien had imagined it.
Then they found the body.
A man lay beneath a tree.
He was wearing imperial colors.
Lucien crouched beside him.
“Dead?”
“Yes.”
Evelyn looked around.
“How long?”
“Less than an hour.”
She noticed the man’s hand.
He was clutching a piece of parchment.
Lucien carefully removed it.
There was an imperial seal.
He unfolded the paper.
His expression changed.
“What?”
He handed it to her.
It was a military order.
The man had been sent to intercept their carriage.
Not to arrest Lucien.
To kill him.
Evelyn stared at the final line.
The duke must not reach the capital alive.
She looked at Lucien.
“The summons was a lie.”
“Not entirely.”
“What do you mean?”
“The emperor may want me in the capital.”
“Then why send soldiers to kill you?”
“Because the person who wants me there isn’t necessarily the person who sent the order.”
She looked at the dead soldier.
“Someone inside the palace is using the emperor’s authority.”
Lucien nodded.
“And they have enough power to command imperial troops.”
Evelyn folded the paper.
“Then we can’t take the main road.”
“No.”
“What do we do?”
Lucien looked toward the capital.
“We continue.”
“Of course we do.”
He looked at her.
“You aren’t afraid?”
“I am.”
She glanced at the body.
“But I’m more afraid of turning around without knowing why they’re trying to kill us.”
Something changed in Lucien’s expression.
Respect, perhaps.
Or something warmer.
He looked away.
“Let’s go.”
They reached the capital after sunset.
The city was enormous.
Even from the hill overlooking it, Evelyn could see thousands of lights stretching toward the horizon.
The imperial palace stood at the center.
Its towers were illuminated by golden lamps.
From a distance, it looked beautiful.
Evelyn knew better.
The capital in the novel had always been described as the heart of the empire.
It was also where most of the story’s betrayals happened.
Every major character eventually came here.
Every secret eventually surfaced here.
And every death that mattered seemed to happen somewhere behind those walls.
She watched the palace through the carriage window.
Lucien noticed.
“You’re quiet.”
“I’m thinking.”
“About?”
“This place.”
“You’ve been here before.”
“I know.”
“But?”
She hesitated.
“I don’t trust it.”
Lucien smiled faintly.
“Good.”
The carriage entered the city.
The streets were crowded.
Merchants were closing their stalls.
Nobles traveled in elegant carriages.
Soldiers patrolled the intersections.
Evelyn noticed something unusual.
People were looking at them.
Some whispered.
Others stepped aside.
A few openly pointed.
Lucien noticed too.
“News travels fast.”
Evelyn frowned.
“Too fast.”
The accusation hadn’t even been officially announced.
Yet people already knew.
They reached the Valemont residence.
The house belonged to Lucien’s family but had been mostly unused since his father’s death.
It was smaller than the northern estate.
Older.
More austere.
The moment they entered, Evelyn noticed the portraits.
Every Valemont duke was painted in the same style.
Serious expression.
Dark clothing.
Sword at the waist.
She stopped before one.
Lucien’s father.
She had seen him only in documents.
He looked younger than she expected.
“Was he like you?”
Lucien stood beside her.
“Unfortunately.”
She smiled.
“That’s not an answer.”
“He was quieter.”
“That’s possible?”
“Very.”
She looked at the portrait.
“He looks angry.”
“He usually was.”
“At what?”
“Everything.”
Evelyn laughed.
Lucien looked at his father’s portrait for several seconds.
Then his expression changed.
“What?”
He stepped closer.
“His ring.”
Evelyn looked.
The portrait showed Lucien’s father wearing a silver ring.
A symbol was engraved on it.
A black bird surrounded by a circle.
Evelyn felt a chill.
“The Silver Crow.”
Lucien stared at the portrait.
His voice became very quiet.
“My father owned that ring.”
That night, neither of them slept.
They searched the old family records.
Most were useless.
Birth certificates.
Land documents.
Military reports.
Financial records.
But eventually, Evelyn found something.
A letter.
Hidden inside the back of a book.
It was addressed to Lucien’s father.
No name.
No seal.
Only a symbol.
The same black bird.
Evelyn opened it.
There were only three lines.
The first heir has awakened.
The girl has returned.
Do not let the duke remember.
Evelyn’s hands went cold.
Lucien read over her shoulder.
“The girl.”
He looked at her.
“That’s you.”
She nodded.
“And the duke?”
“You.”
Lucien’s expression became unreadable.
“Remember what?”
“I don’t know.”
He took the letter.
There was something written on the back.
A date.
Twenty years earlier.
Evelyn calculated.
“That was the year before your father died.”
Lucien nodded.
“My father received this before his death.”
“Maybe he knew about the Arclights.”
“He did.”
“Maybe he knew about the First Crown.”
“Possibly.”
Evelyn looked at him.
“Then why hide it from you?”
“Because the letter says not to let me remember.”
She stared.
“What could you have remembered?”
Lucien didn’t answer.
For the first time since they had begun investigating the conspiracy, he looked genuinely frightened.
Not for himself.
For his past.
The next morning, they received a second summons.
This one was delivered personally.
A royal carriage waited outside.
The messenger bowed.
“His Majesty requests the presence of Duke and Duchess Valemont.”
Lucien looked at Evelyn.
“Both of us.”
The messenger nodded.
“Immediately.”
Evelyn noticed the man’s hands.
There was a ring on his right hand.
Silver.
Black bird.
She looked at Lucien.
He had seen it too.
The messenger noticed their expressions.
His face changed.
For a fraction of a second, fear crossed his eyes.
Then he smiled.
“Shall we?”
Lucien placed his hand on his sword.
“Yes.”
They entered the carriage.
The journey to the palace took only fifteen minutes.
Neither spoke.
The palace gates opened.
They entered the courtyard.
Evelyn looked up at the enormous building.
The place felt different from the last time she’d seen it.
Not because anything had changed.
Because now she knew there were secrets beneath it.
Secrets connected to her family.
To Lucien.
To the book.
And perhaps to the strange memories that had begun appearing in her dreams.
They entered the throne room.
The emperor sat on the raised platform.
He was older than Evelyn remembered from the novel.
Tired.
Pale.
But his eyes were sharp.
Beside him stood the Crown Prince.
Adrian.
Evelyn’s attention immediately moved to him.
He looked at her.
Then at Lucien.
Then at the messenger.
Something passed between them.
Recognition.
Fear.
Adrian’s expression changed.
Very slightly.
But Evelyn saw it.
He knew about the ring.
The emperor spoke.
“Duke Valemont.”
Lucien bowed.
“Your Majesty.”
“And Duchess Valemont.”
Evelyn bowed.
“Your Majesty.”
The emperor studied them.
Then said:
“I have heard disturbing reports.”
Lucien remained silent.
The emperor continued.
“Your estate was attacked.”
“Yes.”
“Imperial documents were stolen.”
“Yes.”
“Three imperial soldiers are dead.”
“Yes.”
“And yet you arrived in the capital without reporting any of this.”
Lucien’s eyes hardened.
“We were attacked by imperial soldiers.”
Silence.
The emperor’s expression changed.
“What?”
Lucien handed him the military order.
The emperor read it.
His face became pale.
“Who gave you this?”
“We found it on one of your soldiers.”
The emperor looked at the commander standing nearby.
“Did you authorize this?”
The commander immediately shook his head.
“No, Your Majesty.”
“Then who did?”
Nobody answered.
Evelyn watched Adrian.
He wasn’t surprised.
That frightened her.
He had expected this.
The emperor looked at Lucien.
“Who else knows about this?”
Lucien didn’t answer.
The emperor stood.
“Your Grace, I am asking you a direct question.”
Lucien met his gaze.
“Everyone who should.”
The emperor stared at him.
Then looked toward Evelyn.
“Do you know what your family did?”
Evelyn’s heart stopped.
“What?”
The emperor’s expression became cold.
“The Arclight family.”
He descended the steps.
“They were not innocent victims.”
Lucien stepped forward.
“Your Majesty.”
The emperor ignored him.
“They were guardians of something that should never have been found.”
Evelyn’s hands tightened.
“The First Crown.”
The emperor froze.
Adrian closed his eyes.
Lucien looked at Evelyn.
The emperor’s voice dropped.
“Who told you that name?”
Evelyn said nothing.
The emperor stared at her.
Then he whispered:
“Then it’s true.”
A loud crash echoed through the throne room.
The doors had been locked.
Yet someone had entered.
A woman stood at the far end.
Silver mask.
Black cloak.
The Silver Crow.
She looked directly at Evelyn.
Then at Lucien.
And finally at the emperor.
“You should have killed them when you had the chance.”
The emperor turned.
“Who are you?”
The woman laughed.
“You know who I am.”
She removed the silver mask.
Evelyn’s breath caught.
The face beneath it was unfamiliar.
But Lucien knew her.
He stepped backward.
“No.”
Evelyn looked at him.
“Who is she?”
Lucien didn’t answer.
The woman smiled.
“Hello, Lucien.”
His face had gone completely pale.
“I watched your father die.”
Silence filled the throne room.
Then she looked at Evelyn.
“And I watched you die too.”
Evelyn felt the world tilt beneath her feet.
The woman smiled.
“More than once.”