Esmira (Enora)
I pressed my finger to my lips.
The girl’s eyes were still wide, her mouth still half-open from the whisper, but she understood.
She clamped her lips shut and nodded.
We crouched in the narrow gap between the bookshelves, barely breathing, while the Sorvane lords fanned out across the library.
I could hear them moving — boots scraping against the wooden floor, hands sliding along shelves, the occasional scrape of furniture being shifted.
Then footsteps turned in our direction.
Someone was walking down the aisle directly adjacent to ours, coming closer with every step.
I sucked in my breath and held it until my lungs burned from the lack of air.
Tears pricked the corners of my eyes from the effort, but I held on.
One single move and I’d have to explain to Lord Aven what I was doing here.
The footsteps grew closer until we could practically see the approaching shoes.
But just before he took his next step, Lord Aven’s voice rang out.
“Varek, come back. I need to see the manifests for the Northern Kingdom, including the smaller packs within our territory. Do you have them with you?”
The footsteps paused.
“Yes,” Varek called back.
“I have them with me.”
He turned and retreated to the front of the library, rejoining the others.
I exhaled through my fingers, my whole body shaking.
Beside me, the girl had pressed herself so far into the gap that she’d nearly disappeared.
I took in deep, restorative breaths, still trying to breathe as quietly as I could while I strained my ears to listen.
Lord Aven was speaking now, in his usual quiet tone.
“Where do we stand on the matter of Princess Esmira’s death? What have your people found?”
There was a pause before Lord Varek spoke.
“We questioned every maid and servant who works for us and was assigned to the palace that evening, and their accounts are consistent.”
“Consistent? What do you mean?”
“Princess Esmira had a heated argument with Alpha Roderic at the dining table during the pre-wedding finalisation. The joining priest had come to have them write their vows, and it didn’t end well because Roderic refused. The princess left the hall visibly upset and returned to her chambers. According to her attendants, she didn’t come out again.”
“Same from the guards,” Lord Jon added.
“The sentries posted at her corridor confirmed she retired for the evening. No visitors were logged.”
“And none of them saw her leave?” Aven asked.
“No, my lord.”
There was silence.
I could picture Lord Aven standing in the centre of the library, his pale eyes moving across the room, his mind turning over the pieces of information.
“I discovered something today,” he finally said, breaking the silence.
“There is a hidden passage in Esmira’s chambers. Behind the tapestry on the west wall. Lysara used it this afternoon to enter the queen’s room unannounced.” Visit novelping . com for the full chapter.
A murmur ran through the group.
“I dug around and discovered that there are secret passages in almost all the rooms in the palace, and this one in the queen’s chamber exits into the corridor outside this library,” Lord Aven continued.
“The hallway is unused. No servants or guards are ever posted here. Someone could travel between the queen’s chambers and this room without being seen.”
“My lord,” Varek said carefully.
“Are you suggesting Lady Lysara—”
“I’m not suggesting anything yet.” Aven’s voice carried a warning edge.
“What I am saying is that there is a route no one accounted for, and Lysara knew about it. Whether she used it the night of the murder remains to be determined.”
More murmuring filled the library, and I pressed my hand harder against my mouth.
“And how does the earring connect to all of these? Does it belong to the dead princess?” another Lord asked.
“No,” Aven murmured, “it’s a hunch that I wanted to check out. Nothing more.”
“Now, the newly appointed Alphas from the smaller packs in the kingdom will be coming to see the King tomorrow,” Lord Aven said, changing the topic.
“It’s our duty to keep him in check. If these Alphas think the King has the slightest authority, they’re likely to shift their loyalty.”
There was murmured agreement.
“And make sure they know nothing of the banquet.
The less we involve them in the affairs of the kingdom,” Lord Aven continued, “the easier it’ll be to control them.”
Another murmured agreement and a pause.
“If there’s nothing else, you’re all dismissed,” Aven said again.
“Varek and Jon, wait behind. We need to check those manifests.”
For the next few seconds, the rest of the lords murmured their goodbyes until the door finally closed, leaving just Lord Aven, Lord Varek, and Lord Jon.
“Now. The earring,” Lord Aven started the moment they were alone.
“Has neither of you really found it?”
“We’ve searched thoroughly, my lord,” Jon said.
“The servants combed every nook and corner of the library, and they found nothing—”
“I told you it’s nowhere in the palace,” Lord Aven cut him off.
“I’ve had the whole place turned over. We need to get the second pair of that earring. It is the piece we’d use to regain Alpha King Eldric’s trust if things get out of hand. Without it, we have nothing to present when the time comes.”
“Forgive me, my lord,” Varek said, “but you haven’t told us whose earring it is. If we knew—”
Lord Aven was quiet for a moment.
When he spoke again, his voice had dropped lower, and I had to strain to catch the words.
“Today, when Lysara staged her incident in the queen’s chambers, I noticed she wore a necklace made of the same material and craftsmanship as the missing earring. And the earrings she had on her ears were different.”
The three men were silent until Jon spoke, his voice charged with excitement.
“My lord,” Jon breathed.
“If the earring matches Lysara’s jewellery—”
“Then it places something of hers at the scene of a murder she claims to know nothing about,” Lord Varek supplied.
“But we cannot use this now. Eldric cannot know his daughter is dead.”
“Yes,” Aven agreed.
“We need enough evidence. Something substantial that can prove Lysara’s involvement and be used as leverage against House Vaelis, who is aiding the Eastern Kingdom’s defiance, and against Roderic himself if necessary.” Find the original chapter at NovelPing.
I felt sick.
They were building a case not to deliver justice but to weaponise it.
Esmira’s murder wasn’t a crime to them; it was an asset.
“I don’t think Lady Lysara is stupid enough to kill the princess,” Varek said suddenly.
“Everyone knows Eldric will bring heaven to earth if anyone touches his daughter. Lysara, by involving herself, would invite war to her own kingdom and to ours. She wouldn’t even have the time to enjoy her love with Roderic.”
“I thought about that too,” Jon added.
“It doesn’t make sense. She should have been at the Sanctum at that time. She woke up yesterday, almost twenty-four hours after we found the dead princess. What if the jewellery piece belonged to another perpetrator?”
“Or was planted by someone else?” Varek added.
“We must tread with caution and also protect the impostor queen. Whoever wanted the princess dead might still be lurking around.”
A long pause followed.
For a moment, I thought they’d left, until Aven spoke again.
“Your observations are solid, and yes, we must tread carefully. Have all the maids in Esmira’s chambers replaced, down to the ones who bring her food and wash her clothes. Have our most trusted people take up those positions and make sure every one of them is accounted for.”
“I already took care of that, my lord,” Jon confirmed, his tone laced with pride.
“I’ve also positioned eyes in the kitchen to ensure no one can use poison.”
“Good.” Lord Aven paused.
“The girl has proved herself useful so far, exceeding even my expectations. She has more potential than even the dead princess and will obey. For now, we must keep her safe. Once we’ve achieved our objectives, we’ll dispose of her.”
My heart twisted.
On some level, especially after the night he’d cruelly killed my family, I’d always known this was coming.
But hearing it spoken aloud made it real.
I was a tool with an expiration date, and the man who held the calendar had just confirmed it.
“One more thing, my lord,” Jon spoke again.
“Caelan, Roderic’s companion, was seen riding out of the palace at dawn this morning. I had someone trail him, but they lost him.”
“That’s the least of our concerns,” Aven said dismissively.
Then his tone darkened.
“What concerns me is whether Roderic has been meeting with anyone in secret. He’s becoming brazen and more confident than a puppet king has any right to be, and I’m certain his backing extends beyond House Vaelis. If he’s growing wings, we need to clip them before he tries to fly.”
“What do you suggest, my lord?” Varek asked.
“For now, we’ll rely on the impostor queen to try to win his heart.” He paused.
“Did you get more of Lysara’s scent and the other thing from the priestess?”
“Yes,” Varek answered, then added carefully.
“We need to be cautious, though. The priestess said too much exposure to the potion can make his wolf go out of control.”
“He’ll be fine,” Aven said flatly.
“I just need him to get the queen pregnant. Once there’s a baby, we’ll have a strong footing to carry on with our main goal.” He paused, then added.
“The baby is our entry point to Ceranthia.”