Author's note :
Dear Readers ,
I'm here to apologize to all of you
I was busy and didn't notice what chapter I was posting
And here I am now seeing chapter 5 is missing
So please read chapter 5 which I've addressed as 5.5 before reading this chapter
I once again apologize for this mess
I hope you like this story
.........
A week passed.
The court buzzed with the return of the Crown Prince.
With whispers of a duchess's daughter newly come of age.
And of course, with the softest rumors—
"Lady Elara seems… different."
That was the point.
---
I let Serina shine.
Let her flit through tea rooms and music halls, sweet as spun sugar.
She played the shy sister well—
Speaking softly, dressing modestly, always standing a step behind me.
"My sister is so strong," she said with a sad smile at the Countess of Vaelore's salon. "I always admired her… even when I couldn't keep up."
How clever.
She painted me as both admirable and sharp-edged. Unruly. Dangerous.
And I smiled through it all.
"Serina is too kind," I said, pouring tea for the duchess. "When we were children, I was always the one getting scolded. She was the quiet angel."
The other ladies nodded, charmed.
But the duchess frowned.
"And yet she's the one who cried during archery trials," I added delicately. "Poor thing. I had to shoot her target just to pass her score."
Laughter rippled.
Serina's smile faltered—just enough.
---
Outside, Cladus waited under the lemon tree by the garden wall.
Always just close enough to intervene.
Never close enough to intrude.
"Do you always listen in?" I asked as we walked toward the east wing.
"Only when you're speaking," he replied without looking at me.
I blinked.
That was… almost a compliment.
"And what did you hear today?"
"You won that battle with three words and a well-timed pour."
I glanced up at him, surprised.
"Impressive," he added, then after a pause: "Terrifying."
"You think I'm terrifying, Sir Cladus?"
"I think you're tired of being underestimated."
He didn't smile when he said it.
But I did.
Just a little. And only for him.
---
That evening, I opened the note left at my chamber.
It wasn't from Cladus.
Elara,
You're playing the game now, I see. You always were too sharp to be just a duchess's daughter.
You looked beautiful today. The kind of beautiful that gets a man in trouble.
Should I worry?
—Auren
I didn't respond.
But I folded the note carefully, and tucked it into the drawer beside my bed.
Then I turned toward the window—where Cladus stood at his usual post in the courtyard.
And for a moment, the weight in my chest… lightened.