The investigation began the next morning.
Palace guards sealed the eastern corridor where the attack occurred.
Blood had been cleaned.
No trace of the assassin remained.
Professional.
Too professional.
I stood beside the High Elder as he questioned the guards.
"Did you see anyone enter?" he asked.
"No, Elder."
"Any security failures?"
"No, Elder."
The answers frustrated him.
They frustrated me too.
An assassin had breached the palace — the seat of Eastern power.
That was impossible.
Unless someone inside allowed it.
The thought chilled me.
I glanced across the hall.
Kael stood at the far end, speaking with his Beta.
His expression was grim.
Focused.
He noticed my gaze.
Our eyes met.
Just for a second.
No warmth.
No acknowledgment of last night.
Only calculation.
He turned back to his conversation.
I frowned.
He had saved me.
That mattered.
But it did not erase the past.
The High Elder finished questioning the guards.
"Security will be increased," he declared. "This incident will be investigated."
A diplomatic answer.
Meaningless.
Cassian stepped forward.
"My alliance offers assistance," he said smoothly.
Of course he did.
Opportunity.
Politics.
He continued.
"A joint investigation would ensure transparency."
The Elder hesitated.
Joint investigation.
That meant Southern involvement.
That meant Cassian's influence.
Kael's voice cut through the room.
"Unnecessary."
All eyes turned to him.
He approached the Elder.
"The East can handle its own security."
Cassian smiled slightly.
"Can it?"
The challenge hung in the air.
Tension.
Subtle.
Political.
The Elder considered both of them.
Finally, he nodded.
"An independent investigation."
Diplomacy.
Avoidance.
No alliances.
No concessions.
It satisfied no one.
I kept silent.
This was above me.
Officially.
Untrue.
The attack had targeted me.
That made it personal.
The meeting adjourned.
Nobles filtered out.
Whispers followed them.
Assassin.
Prophecy.
Moon Queen.
Danger.
I remained in the chamber.
Thinking.
Someone had sent the assassin.
That much was clear.
But who?
Cassian?
Unlikely.
He preferred manipulation, not direct violence.
The Eastern Council?
Possible.
The prophecy threatened political stability.
A dead Lady Selene would end speculation.
Simple solution.
Cold.
Practical.
I frowned.
But why now?
The Seer's words had already caused unrest.
An assassination attempt only intensified suspicion.
Unless that was the point.
To shift blame.
To sow chaos.
To control the narrative.
I exhaled slowly.
Conspiracy.
Always politics.
Always power.
Footsteps approached.
Kael.
I turned.
He stopped a few paces away.
"Your wound?" he asked.
I blinked.
"Fine."
Truth.
The cut was shallow.
Healing.
His gaze flicked to the bandage.
He nodded.
"Good."
Silence.
I studied him.
"Thank you."
The words felt awkward.
He stiffened slightly.
"You already said that."
I shrugged.
"It bears repeating."
Another pause.
He looked away.
"This changes nothing."
There it was.
The wall.
The distance.
I crossed my arms.
"Of course not."
His eyes returned to mine.
"Do not misunderstand."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Enlighten me."
His jaw tightened.
"I protected you because it was necessary."
Duty.
Again.
I expected it.
Still—
It stung.
I forced a small smile.
"Understood."
He hesitated.
Something flickered in his expression.
Gone before I could identify it.
"You should remain vigilant," he said.
Advice.
Not concern.
I nodded.
"I will."
He turned to leave.
Then stopped.
"Selene."
I blinked.
He rarely used my name.
I waited.
His back remained to me.
"The assassin will be found."
Promise.
I studied him.
"Do you believe that?"
He looked over his shoulder.
"Yes."
Confidence.
Or determination.
I couldn't tell.
"Good," I replied.
He left.
The chamber felt colder.
I exhaled slowly.
He saved me.
But he also denied everything between us.
I shouldn't care.
I told myself that.
It didn't help.
I turned toward the window.
Outside, the palace grounds bustled.
Guards.
Servants.
Life continued.
But something had changed.
The attack proved it.
I was a target.
Someone wanted me dead.
The prophecy.
The mark.
Political games.
It could be any of them.
Or all of them.
I touched the faint scar beneath my clothes.
It still glowed.
Softly.
Like moonlight.
The Seer's words echoed in my mind.
The Moon Queen walks again.
I frowned.
I didn't believe in fairy tales.
Prophecies.
Legends.
They were tools.
Stories used to control people.
Yet the mark existed.
The bond existed.
Things I could not explain.
Things Kael felt too.
He denied it.
I understood why.
Accepting it meant confronting the past.
What he had done.
What I had become.
I lowered my hand.
No.
I would not dwell on possibilities.
Facts mattered.
Someone tried to kill me.
That was fact.
I survived.
Also fact.
I would find answers.
That was all.
The palace bells chimed.
Council adjourned.
Politics continued.
So did danger.
I straightened.
If someone wanted me dead—
They would fail.
I had returned from death once.
I would do it again if necessary.
But next time—
I would not be the girl in white.
I would be something stronger.