By dawn, the first letter arrived.Sealed in black wax. No crest.But I knew the sender before I even touched the parchment.
Albrecht.The old vulture hadn't wasted a moment.He was declaring his price. And he expected me to bleed for it.
Wu, my shadow-fixer, stood silently by as I cracked the seal.His presence meant danger was close.He never stayed in the open unless necessary.
The letter was short.
Prince Leonhart,
Your display last night was… impressive.But politics is not a stage — it is a market. And loyalty, I fear, is a commodity priced high.
If you wish my banners at your back, I will require two things:
First, relinquish your claim to the coastal tariffs — they shall be ceded to my house in perpetuity.
Second, dissolve your engagement with Lady Evelyne. She has become… inconvenient.
Do this by week's end, and you shall have my full support when the time comes to crown a new heir.
Fail, and I will lend my strength elsewhere.
Time is short, your grace.
—Albrecht
I stared at the words.Not at their meaning — that was clear enough.But at the sheer audacity.
Strip me of my gold and my only political tie to Evelyne?In one stroke, I would be gutted of both coin and leverage.Powerless. A prince in name only.
And yet…I smiled.
Because Albrecht was showing his hand too soon.Desperation always made even the old snakes sloppy.
Wu cleared his throat softly."A calculated insult, my prince. He expects you to grovel."
"Yes," I murmured, folding the letter. "And that is his first mistake."
But before I could even begin to craft my response, another ripple broke the surface.A second letter.Delivered not by courier, but slipped beneath my door by unseen hands.
The seal was unfamiliar.A raven clutching a dagger.
This one was even shorter:
You and the Lady think you are the only players at this table.
But while you duel with words and threaten with gold, another gathers the forgotten swords in the dark.
Come to the Hollow Shrine at midnight if you would see the truth. Alone.
—A Friend
My fingers tightened around the parchment until it crumpled.
Another player?Someone moving while Evelyne and I exhausted ourselves in our little cold war?It made sense. Too much sense.
I turned to Wu."Find out who uses a raven-dagger seal. I want names before nightfall."
He bowed, already vanishing before my command ended.
Later, in the audience hall, I received petitioners.Traders. Minor lords.All wearing new, brittle smiles.Last night's banquet had shifted the wind, and they were scrambling to adjust their sails.
And yet…I saw it in their eyes.
Not just fear of me.But uncertainty.
Because if Albrecht's offer became public, my image of unassailable strength would fracture.The vultures would circle faster.
That evening, Evelyne sent her own message.Not a letter — too crude. Too easily intercepted.No, she sent a gift.
A golden comb inlaid with black pearls.Beautiful. Elegant.But I knew the code.
Black pearls meant blood in Evelyne's cipher.Gold meant betrayal.
Her meaning was clear:She knew about Albrecht's demand to sever our engagement.And she was daring me to try it.
I laughed when I saw it.Too loud. Too long.
Because even now, even with knives at both our throats, she couldn't help but provoke me.Couldn't help but turn every threat into another dance step between us.
But the real storm was yet to come.Because at midnight…I would go to this Hollow Shrine.I would meet this so-called friend.And I would learn if there truly was a third serpent slithering through our garden of lies.
Night fell like a shroud.And with it, my mask hardened into place.
Let them come.Let them scheme.
I had built my empire from ashes once already.I would do it again, and again, until the world broke before me.
Far away, in her private chambers, Evelyne ran the golden comb through her hair, smiling coldly at her own reflection.
And beyond both of us, in the Hollow Shrine where no royal dared tread…A figure in black knelt before a cracked altar, whispering:
"Soon… the lions will tear each other apart. And when they do… the jackals shall feast."