Chapter 98

The empire had always known whispers of rebellion. It was an unavoidable truth, one that had lurked in the shadows of power since the first moment Tharx had claimed the throne. But this time, the whispers were different.

They were not coming from the court, not from the nobles who had learned-through blood and war-not to question their emperor's rule. No, these whispers were coming from somewhere else. Somewhere further. Somewhere hidden.

Aeliana felt it before she even saw the warning.

She had been in the nursery, seated beside Seraphina's bassinet, running her fingers over the silk embroidery that lined its edges. The baby was sleeping, her tiny chest rising and falling in soft, even breaths, completely unaware of the weight that had already been placed upon her. The weight of expectation, of legacy, of a future that others were already trying to take from her.

She heard the soft rustle of movement before she saw it.

A folded parchment, tucked just beneath the delicate lace that hung from Seraphina's cradle. Placed there, deliberately. Placed there by someone who had slipped past the palace guards, past the locked doors, past all of Tharx's defenses.

Aeliana's breath stilled as she reached for the note, unfolding it carefully, her pulse slow and steady even as something cold curled in her chest.

Your child will never sit upon the throne.

She did not react immediately. Did not cry out for the guards, did not let her hands shake. She simply sat there, staring at the words, at the deliberate scrawl of ink against parchment, at the message left in the most vulnerable of places.

And then, silently, she folded the note again, rising to her feet.

Tharx's fury was immediate.

The moment she placed the note into his hands, his entire body tensed, his golden eyes darkening with rage. He read the words once, twice, as if trying to decipher something more from them, as if the sheer force of his anger could summon the enemy who had written them.

The room around them was still. The air thick with the kind of silence that came before a storm.

Aeliana knew what was coming.

Tharx slammed his fist against the nearest pillar, the impact sending a sharp crack through the chamber. The marble splintered beneath his hand, dust falling to the floor in tiny shards.

"Who." His voice was raw, deadly. "Who dares?"

Aeliana exhaled, keeping her own tone even. "That is the question, isn't it?"

His fury turned toward her then, not directed at her, but wild and restless all the same. "You found this in the nursery. They got into our chambers. They were in the same room as our daughter-"

"I know."

Her calmness only enraged him further. "This is a threat against the heir, against the future of this empire. I will-"

"You will do what?" Aeliana cut him off, stepping closer, meeting his fire with her own. "Kill them? Hunt them down? What if you do not know who you are hunting?"

His hands curled into fists. "I will find them."

Aeliana sighed, reaching out, pressing a hand against his chest. She could feel the tension in his muscles, the way his rage had nowhere to go but inward. "Tharx. Think."

"I am thinking." His voice was clipped, but he did not pull away from her touch. "I am thinking of how many heads I will mount on spikes when I discover who dared to threaten my family."

"That is what they want," she murmured.

His eyes narrowed. "What?"

"They want you to lash out. To react in anger. To show the court, the empire, that this threat is real. That you are afraid."

His expression turned even darker. "I am not afraid."

Aeliana tilted her head, searching his face. "Then why are you acting as if you are?"

That stopped him.

Just for a moment.

She saw the shift in his eyes, the flicker of something beneath the rage, beneath the instinct to destroy.

Tharx was a warlord. He had always been one. His answer to opposition had always been swift, merciless violence. But this time, the enemy had not declared war with a fleet of ships or a challenge in the throne room. This time, they had left a note in his daughter's cradle.

This was not a battle he could win with brute force alone.

And he knew it.

Aeliana softened slightly, lowering her voice. "If they wanted to kill her, they would have tried. This is a game, Tharx. A dangerous one. But it is a game nonetheless. And the only way to win is to play it better than they do."

His breath was slow, measured. His rage had not lessened, not truly, but she could see him forcing it down, forcing himself to think rather than act.

Finally, after a long moment, he spoke. "What do you propose?"

She exhaled. "We wait."

His jaw tensed. "I do not like waiting."

She allowed a small smirk. "No, you don't. But that is why I am here, isn't it?"

Tharx scoffed, though the sharpness in his expression had dulled slightly. "To be insufferable?"

Aeliana hummed. "To keep you from making mistakes."

His hands came to rest at her waist then, holding her just firmly enough to ground himself, just firmly enough to remind himself that she was here, that Seraphina was safe. "Tell me why we wait."

"Because they have already made the first move," she explained. "And because we do not yet know who we are dealing with. They got past your guards. Past all of your protections. If they were bold enough to do that, then they will be bold enough to try again. We cannot let them remain unseen, unknown."

"You want to lure them out."

She nodded. "We make them think they are still hidden. We let them believe that we are oblivious, that we have not changed anything. Meanwhile, we prepare."

Tharx exhaled, his fingers flexing slightly at her waist. "I despise strategy that requires patience."

She laughed softly. "And yet, you are quite good at it when you wish to be."

He grunted, unimpressed, but he did not argue. "I will increase the guards, quietly. No visible changes to security, but our best men will be placed where they will not be seen. I want every entrance and exit to the palace watched."

Aeliana nodded. "And I will speak to the palace staff. Someone let them in. Whether by force or bribery, someone opened that door. We will find out who."

Tharx's golden eyes burned. "And when we do?"

Aeliana did not smile this time. "Then you may do what you do best."

Tharx let out a slow, dark chuckle, dipping his head to press his lips against her forehead. "That, my queen, is a promise."

Aeliana leaned into him for just a moment, letting herself feel the steadiness of his presence, the strength that was always there, always waiting. She had no doubt that he would tear the world apart to protect their daughter. And in this case, perhaps, that was exactly what needed to be done.

They would wait.

They would observe.

And when the time was right, they would strike.

Because no one-no one-threatened Seraphina Velka Tharxian and lived to tell the tale.