Chapter 19: Pieces on the Board

The game is no longer mine alone.

Evelyn is moving.

The court is watching.

And soon, someone will make the first strike.

A Shift in the Shadows

The palace had always been filled with schemers, each noble wrapped in their own ambitions, their own alliances.

But now?

The air itself felt different.

A quiet shift. A slow gathering of forces. Something unseen, yet unmistakable.

It was Evelyn.

She was no longer watching from the edges.

She was moving.

Evelyn’s Gathering Storm

Evelyn knew how to play the game.

She didn’t approach the nobles recklessly.

Instead, she worked in subtle steps.

A word here. A whisper there.

She didn’t ask for loyalty. Not yet.

She only planted doubt.

Doubt in Lucian. Doubt in the court. Doubt in the truth they had been given.

And once doubt took root?

It would grow into something far more dangerous.

Testing a Leashed Mage

Meanwhile, I had my own game to play.

The rogue mage sat across from me in a private chamber, her posture relaxed, but her golden eyes sharp.

She was free now.

But not unbound.

“You will prove your use to me,” I said.

She smirked. “And if I refuse?”

I smiled. A slow, cold thing.

“Then you will be discarded.”

Her expression didn’t waver, but I saw it—the flicker of understanding.

She had seen men like me before. And she knew not to test me too soon.

“Fine,” she murmured. “What do you need?”

I leaned forward, watching her closely.

“A spy.”

She arched a brow. “Who’s the target?”

I didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, I let the silence stretch—until she realized the answer herself.

Her smirk faded.

“Evelyn.”

I nodded once.

I needed to know how much she had uncovered.

And if she was already preparing for war.

A Court in Uncertainty

Beyond our private battles, the court was beginning to sense it.

The tension. The whispers.

The unspoken war brewing beneath the surface.

Some nobles watched in silence, waiting to see who would rise.

Others had already begun choosing sides.

But none of them realized—

The first real move had already been made.

Evelyn’s Uncovered Truth

Late that night, Evelyn Sat alone in her chambers, her fingers tracing over old parchment.

Her notes were scattered across the desk, the pieces slowly connecting.

One name.

One forgotten legend.

One impossible truth.

Azareth.

Her heart pounded as she stared at the word.

It had surfaced in the records before.

In forgotten histories. In warnings.

But now, she had proof.

Proof that Azareth was not just a name.

Not just a myth.

It was tied to Lucian.

Her fingers clenched around the paper.

She wasn’t just close to the truth.

She was on its doorstep.

And soon, she would knock.

The Calm Before the Storm

As I stood at my balcony, watching the darkened city, I exhaled slowly.

Evelyn was moving.

The rogue mage was watching.

And the court was shifting.

The pieces were set.

And soon, the first real strike would be made.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***