The palace corridor felt colder than usual. The flicker of torchlight danced along the walls, yet to Lara, that glow carried no comfort. After the mysterious voice had whispered her name from behind the curtain, she could no longer tell what was real and what was merely a shadow sent to test her courage.
Elif's hand gently clasped her arm, trying to guide her back to the chamber. "Princess… we shouldn't linger here. Others may see."
Lara nodded, though her heart was still racing. She resumed her steps, passing through the long hallway that turned toward the eastern wing of the palace. The only sounds were the sweep of her gown over marble and the faint whispers of the night wind slipping through tall windows.
By the time they reached her chamber, Lara realized how exhausted she was. Not just her body, but her mind felt wrung dry, battered since the afternoon. Kadir's piercing gaze in the hall, the voice in the corridor, and the constant sense that something was moving unseen within the palace—all of it pressed down upon her.
Elif opened the door, allowing her to enter first. The scent of jasmine from the palace gardens drifted on the evening breeze, filling the vast chamber lit in dim glow. Dusk had fallen, spilling golden and pale amber light across polished marble floors. From afar, the salt of the Bosphorus mingled with the fragrance of blossoms blooming in the courtyard.
Lara stood on her balcony, fingers gripping the cold iron rail. Her gaze followed the lengthening shadows of the palace towers, piercing the ground like dark spears. She tried to steady her breath, but her mind still rang with the secret conversation she had overheard earlier behind heavy curtains.
That voice. That threatening tone. And the chilling fact that her name had been spoken aloud.
She did not know whether Prince Kadir was involved in the conspiracy or if he merely discovered her presence. But his eyes—that gaze that seemed to hold the key to her secrets—made her shudder each time she remembered them.
"Princess…" Elif's gentle voice broke the silence. She had entered, carrying a tray of warm tea and freshly baked sweet bread. "Drink this. You look so weary."
Lara turned, forcing a smile. "Thank you, Elif."
Elif poured the tea. Steam rose with the fragrance of spice, curling in the air before dissolving. "Today… was heavy, wasn't it?" she asked carefully.
"You could say that," Lara replied shortly, seating herself by the window.
Elif studied her for a long moment before speaking again. "Princess… I know it isn't my place, but… please be careful with Nafisa Hatun. She… has never liked you."
Lara's brow arched. "Never liked me?"
"She has great ambition. And… some say she is close to Prince Kadir."
The name made Lara's grip on the cup tighten. "Close?"
Elif nodded, lowering her voice. "Someone saw them in the Forbidden Garden two nights ago. No one knows what they discussed, but it seemed… important."
Lara turned her gaze to the window. The trees in the garden swayed in the night, yet tonight she saw them as shadowy figures whispering in the dark. If Kadir and Nafisa truly worked together… then the circle was far larger than she had imagined.
At that moment, a knock sounded on her door. Two quick raps, followed by one long. Lara froze. That was not the rhythm of a servant.
Elif frowned. "Are you expecting someone, Princess?"
Lara shook her head. "Open… slowly."
Elif approached the door and cracked it open. An old servant stood outside, his back bent, his face lined with years, his eyes darting nervously around the room.
"I must give something to the Princess," he whispered so softly it was almost inaudible.
Elif glanced back at Lara, awaiting her decision. Lara nodded. "Let him in."
The man closed the door, then with trembling hands pulled out a small scroll tied with red string. "Keep this. Do not let anyone see it. My time is short. They already suspect me."
Lara's eyes sharpened. "They? Who are they?"
The man swallowed hard. "Those who seek to bring down the Sultan. And you, Princess… they fear you."
Lara wanted to ask more, but footsteps echoed down the hall. Heavy, fast, purposeful. Not the stride of a servant.
The old man's eyes widened with panic. "I must leave now. Read the scroll when you are alone. Believe me… your life depends on it."
Without waiting for an answer, he slipped toward the side door rarely used, vanishing behind heavy curtains.
Lara stood frozen. Elif looked just as frightened.
The footsteps halted right outside the chamber door.
A voice she knew well spoke, calm yet commanding.
"Princess… may I come in?"
Prince Kadir.
The air inside the chamber instantly turned frigid. Lara stood stiff, her fingers unconsciously clutching her gown. Elif's wide eyes sought her instruction.
"I… am not receiving visitors tonight," Lara said, her tone steady though faint tremors clung to the edges.
Silence. Then, a low chuckle from beyond the door.
"Princess, a door is only wood. Words are only air. Both can be opened… if one chooses to force them."
Her heart thudded violently. She signaled to Elif to open it—not out of desire, but because refusal would only feed suspicion.
Reluctantly, Elif turned the handle. Kadir entered with an air of leisure, though his eyes swept the room like a hawk circling its prey.
The dusky light from the window stretched his silhouette, making his form loom taller, his shadow cast long upon the marble floor.
"Princess," he said, bowing slightly—a gesture that felt far from sincere.
"What brings you here tonight, Prince?" Lara asked, trying to maintain distance.
Kadir did not answer at once. He strolled about, brushing his fingers over a chair, a curtain, the handle of a cabinet—as though every object was a piece of a puzzle. Elif lingered uneasily in the corner, eyes fixed on his every move.
"I heard you were in the eastern corridor earlier," he said at last. "A passage… rarely visited."
Lara's eyes did not waver. "I was lost."
A faint smile curved his lips. "Lost. A word often used by those who are truly… searching."
He halted by the table, where the scroll lay half-hidden beneath a cloth. Instantly, Lara moved to stand between him and the table.
"Something on this table?" His tone hovered between teasing and threatening.
"Nothing of importance."
He leaned closer, his face only inches from hers.
"In this palace, Princess, everything can be important. Even a scrap of paper."
Lara held her breath, forcing her expression to remain composed. "If you came only to interrogate me, perhaps our conversation should wait until tomorrow."
A quiet laugh escaped Kadir. "Perhaps. But tomorrow… may already be too late."
He stepped back, then turned his gaze on Elif.
"Watch over your Princess well, Elif. Many things… try to enter her chamber."
Without another word, he pivoted and left. The door closed, leaving behind only the faint trace of spice and wood in the air.
Once certain he was truly gone, Lara rushed to the table and seized the scroll. Elif drew near, her face alive with curiosity.
"Open it," she whispered.
With trembling hands, Lara untied the red string. The scroll unfurled, revealing hurried handwriting in black ink, several words scratched out as if written in haste.
They will move on the night of the full moon.
There is an insider who orchestrates it all.
Trust only the one who wears the ring of a lion.
At the bottom, a small emblem glimmered in gold ink—the head of a lion, its eyes crimson.
Lara stared at it for a long time. She knew she had seen the emblem before, though she could not recall where.
Elif pointed. "I've seen that. One of the guards wears a ring with that mark. He often stands watch by the gates of the Forbidden Garden."
Lara clenched the scroll. If this were true, then only one man could be trusted—the mysterious guard with the lion ring. But how could she reach him without drawing notice?
Outside, the call to Maghrib prayer rang across the palace. Beautiful, yet in Lara's ears tonight, it sounded like a warning.
She turned her gaze to the window. The garden lay drowned in shadow.
The full moon was only five nights away.
And before it rose, she had to find the guard with the lion's ring… or she might not live to see the next dawn.
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