Chapter 100
The festival had ended, and the empire was settling back into its usual rhythm. The celebrations had left the city buzzing with energy, the people still reveling in the grand event that had united them, even if only for a short while. The streets were lined with the remnants of celebration-torn banners, melted candle wax pooling along the cobbled paths, the faint scent of burnt incense clinging to the cool night air. But within the walls of the palace, Aeliana felt something else lingering beneath the surface.
Something uneasy.
It was subtle at first. The kind of thing most wouldn't notice, the kind of thing that could be dismissed as paranoia. But Aeliana had learned long ago to trust her instincts.
It was in the way the servants moved differently, their heads bowed a little lower than usual, their whispers dying the second she entered a room.
It was in the way the guards stood more rigid, their hands lingering a fraction too long near their weapons, as if expecting something unseen.
It was in the glances the nobles shared, the way conversations grew shorter, vaguer, as though there was something unsaid beneath their formal pleasantries.
Aeliana had seen this before.
She had felt this before.
Before the first rebellion. Before the last assassination attempt. Before all hell had broken loose.
Something was coming.
And no one was saying it out loud.
The first whisper came from a pair of maids in the palace kitchens.
Aeliana had passed through the halls on her way back from the nursery when she heard it-a conversation quickly hushed the second they noticed her presence. She had not been meant to hear it, but she had.
"They still say the heir is unnatural. That a half-human heir will never-"
"Shh. Do you want to be heard? Do you want to be dragged before the Emperor and skinned alive?"
Aeliana had not stopped walking, had not given any indication that she had overheard.
But the words sat in her chest like a weight.
She had expected whispers of doubt before Seraphina was born. That had been inevitable. But after the decree? After the festival?
Tharx had made it clear: Seraphina was the future of the empire.
And yet, not everyone had accepted that.
Aeliana continued walking, her pulse too slow, too measured.
She had learned long ago not to react in moments like these. Not immediately.
She needed to listen first.
She needed to see the full picture before she struck.
That evening, she brought the matter to Tharx.
The war chamber was nearly empty, save for the two of them. Tharx stood at the grand map table, studying the territories beyond their borders, his fingers dragging absently over the carved surface of the empire. He had not looked up when she entered, but he had known she was there.
"You're pacing," he said without turning.
Aeliana paused mid-step.
She exhaled sharply. "You don't even need to look at me anymore, do you?"
Now he did look up, his golden eyes glinting in the dim light. "I know when something is wrong with you."
Aeliana crossed her arms, stepping closer. "There are whispers in the palace."
His jaw clenched slightly. "There are always whispers in the palace."
She shook her head. "Not like these."
Tharx exhaled through his nose, straightening. "What are they saying?"
"That there are still those who refuse to accept a half-human heir."
A flicker of pure rage passed through his expression, but it was gone just as quickly. "It does not matter what they refuse to accept."
"It does if they act on it."
Tharx's fingers curled into a tight fist against the edge of the table. "I crushed every rebellion, every noble who dared question our rule. Anyone left is either too afraid or too weak to challenge us now."
Aeliana studied him carefully, her own anger colder, quieter. "Weak men do not always fight with swords, Tharx. Sometimes they fight in the dark, in the shadows. Sometimes they wait."
He did not answer immediately, his gaze searching hers.
"Do you believe something is coming?"
Aeliana held his stare. "I believe something has already begun."
Tharx was silent for a long moment, and then he reached for the goblet of wine at his side, taking a slow sip, considering.
"Then we will find them," he said finally. "And we will remind them why they fear me."
Aeliana did not doubt that.
But she also knew fear was not enough.
Not anymore.
That night, as Aeliana sat in the nursery, rocking Seraphina in her arms, she could not shake the feeling of being watched.
The chamber was quiet, save for the soft crackle of the fire in the hearth. The golden glow cast long shadows against the stone walls, shadows that seemed to stretch, to move just beyond the reach of the light.
Seraphina stirred slightly against her chest but did not wake. Aeliana smoothed a hand over her soft, dark curls, her touch gentle, but her mind racing.
She was being paranoid.
She had to be.
And yet
The sensation prickled at her spine, that instinctive knowing that something was there, something unseen.
Slowly, carefully, she turned her head, scanning the room.
The doors were locked.
The windows shut.
The guards stationed outside.
And still-
Her grip on Seraphina tightened.
Aeliana had learned long ago to trust herself.
Her breathing remained steady as she slowly reached for the dagger she had hidden beneath the cushions of the rocking chair.
She did not move.
Did not give any indication that she had sensed something.
And then-
The shadows shifted.
Aeliana tensed, every muscle in her body preparing to strike-
A gust of wind blew through the open sliver of a window, rustling the curtains.
The fire flickered, casting new shapes against the walls.
Aeliana let out a slow breath.
Her grip on the dagger did not ease.
She had locked the windows earlier.
She was sure of it.
Her heart hammered against her ribs, but she forced herself to move calmly, carefully.
She stood, crossing the room in slow, measured steps, and reached out-
She pressed the window shut.
Latched it.
Stepped back.
And stared at it.
Had she left it open?
Or had someone else?
She looked down at Seraphina, still sleeping peacefully in her arms.
Then, slowly, her gaze lifted back to the window.
The shadows were still now.
But Aeliana knew better than to believe she had imagined it.
Something was wrong.
Something was coming.
And she would be ready.