Evelyn did not tell Lucien about the new message.
She wasn’t sure why.
Perhaps because she was afraid.
Perhaps because she didn’t know whether the message was a warning or a threat.
Or perhaps because some part of her wanted to keep one piece of information for herself.
That was the first sign that she was changing.
In the novel, Evelyn Valemont had been obedient.
Quiet.
Passive.
She had never questioned anyone.
The woman who now stood in the library at midnight was different.
She was becoming someone who kept secrets.
Someone who made plans.
Someone who refused to accept the ending.
She closed the book.
The next morning, Lucien left early.
He had arranged a meeting with several northern merchants.
Evelyn stayed behind.
She wanted to investigate the imperial treasury.
The records were incomplete.
Several payments had been transferred through shell companies.
She recognized the method from her previous life.
Not the exact system.
But the principle.
Money disappeared through layers of intermediaries.
The names changed.
The destination changed.
The source remained hidden.
Evelyn spent hours mapping the transactions.
Eventually, she found something.
Every suspicious payment passed through the same institution.
The Imperial Relief Office.
She stared at the document.
That was impossible.
The Relief Office was supposed to distribute money during disasters.
If it had been stealing imperial funds…
She needed proof.
Evelyn searched deeper.
She found a ledger.
Then another.
The pattern became undeniable.
Someone had been diverting money from the imperial treasury for years.
But the name of the person responsible had been removed.
Every time.
Someone had deliberately erased it.
She closed the ledger.
A sound came from behind her.
She turned.
No one.
Then she noticed the window.
Open.
Evelyn approached.
A small black feather rested on the sill.
She picked it up.
The door opened.
Lucien entered.
“What are you doing?”
“Investigating.”
He looked at the feather.
His expression changed.
“Where did you find that?”
“The window.”
He took it from her.
“Don’t touch anything else.”
“Why?”
“This belongs to the Black Order.”
Evelyn frowned.
“The assassins?”
“Yes.”
“They’re real?”
“Unfortunately.”
“Who controls them?”
“We don’t know.”
She looked at the feather.
“Then they’re connected.”
“Probably.”
“To the treasury?”
“Possibly.”
Lucien looked at her.
“You shouldn’t investigate this alone.”
“I wasn’t alone.”
“You were.”
“I meant…”
She stopped.
He smiled faintly.
“You meant me.”
She sighed.
“Yes.”
He placed the feather in an envelope.
“We’re leaving.”
“Where?”
“Back to Valemont territory.”
“Why?”
“Because the capital has become unsafe.”
“We just arrived.”
“I know.”
She crossed her arms.
“You can’t keep moving me every time something happens.”
“No.”
“Good.”
“I’m moving myself too.”
She stared at him.
“That’s different.”
“No.”
He stepped closer.
“If someone is targeting you because of what you know, I won’t leave you here.”
Evelyn looked at him.
For a moment, she didn’t know what to say.
Then she nodded.
They left that afternoon.
The journey north took three days.
On the second night, their carriage stopped unexpectedly.
The guards surrounded them.
Lucien stepped outside.
Evelyn looked through the window.
There were no bandits.
No soldiers.
Just a child standing in the road.
A little girl.
Barefoot.
Holding a letter.
Lucien approached her.
“What happened?”
She handed him the letter.
“For the duchess.”
Evelyn’s stomach tightened.
Lucien returned to the carriage.
He gave it to her.
She opened it.
The message contained only one sentence.
The Crown Prince is lying to you.
Evelyn looked at Lucien.
“Did Adrian send this?”
“No.”
“How do you know?”
“Because he would have signed it.”
She frowned.
“How?”
“Because he wants people to know when he speaks.”
She read the message again.
Lucien took it.
“Burn it.”
“Why?”
“Because whoever sent this knows where we are.”
Evelyn burned it.
That night, she couldn’t sleep.
She went outside.
Lucien was standing near the fire.
“You should rest.”
“I can’t.”
“Neither can I.”
She sat beside him.
For a while, they watched the flames.
Then Evelyn asked:
“Do you believe me?”
“About what?”
“Everything.”
Lucien looked at her.
“The other world.”
“Yes.”
“The book.”
“Yes.”
“The future.”
He was quiet.
“I believe that you believe it.”
She smiled.
“That’s not the same.”
“No.”
He looked at the fire.
“But I believe something happened to you.”
Evelyn looked at him.
“What?”
“You woke up different.”
She swallowed.
“Yes.”
“I don’t know why.”
“Neither do I.”
“But I believe you.”
Those words were simple.
They meant more than she expected.
She lowered her gaze.
“Thank you.”
Lucien nodded.
Then he said:
“If the future says I’m supposed to become a monster…”
He looked at her.
“Would you stop me?”
Evelyn’s heart tightened.
“Yes.”
“Even if you had to kill me?”
She hesitated.
“Yes.”
Lucien nodded.
“Good.”
She frowned.
“Why?”
“Because then I know someone will.”
Silence.
The fire crackled.
Evelyn stared at him.
“Do you really think you’re capable of becoming that person?”
Lucien looked toward the dark forest.
“I don’t know.”
Then he said:
“That’s what scares me.”
Evelyn reached for his hand.
She didn’t think about it first.
Her fingers simply found his.
Lucien looked down.
Neither moved.
For the first time, he didn’t pull away.
They stayed like that until the fire died.
And somewhere in the darkness, someone watched them.
Someone who smiled when they saw their hands intertwined.
Because the plan was working.