She slowed, her chest tight as her eyes darted through the alley—empty now, save for overturned crates and a torn canopy whispering in the breeze. No copper glint of hair. No trace of a hooded figure. Nothing.
Footsteps sounded behind her—measured, familiar.
“Princess?”
She turned sharply. Captain Marzius stood a few paces back, his sharp gaze already sweeping the alley, his stance taut and alert.
“Tell me what happened,” he said quietly, though his tone brooked no delay or evasion.
Reiya hesitated, heart still pounding. “I thought I saw Castiel Vaelmont.”
Marzius’s expression hardened.
“I only caught a glimpse—copper hair under a hood. I tried tofollow, but—” her fists clenched, frustration biting at the edges of her voice—“I lost him.”
The captain studied her, his dark eyes steady, weighing. “You’re certain it was him?”
“No,” she admitted, jaw tight. “But I couldn’t risk doing nothing.”
A long pause stretched between them. Then Marzius gave a clipped nod that seemed like understanding.
“Lady Annaïs has been escorted back to the palace,” he told her. “The city is crowded today with temple-goers—we should return as well.”
As they moved, Marzius issued clipped orders to the soldiers waiting for him, sending them into the crowd to search for anyone matching Castiel’s description. The men bowed and disappeared swiftly into the throng.
He turned back to her. “We’ll increase patrols around the palace and double the guards at all key points. If Castiel Vaelmont is here, we’ll find him.”
Reiya exhaled slowly. “Thank you, Captain.”
Marzius inclined his head. They resumed their walk toward the palace. The promenade behind them buzzed with life, but unease coiled tightly in Reiya’s chest.
After a moment, she asked, “Do you think Castiel Vaelmont is truly here to cause harm?”
“I do not know him and thus cannot say,” Marzius replied. “But a man who moves in the shadows rather than through the front gates rarely comes with good intentions.”
His tone carried something deeper, as though Castiel was only part of the problem.
“My union with the princes was meant to bring stability,” she murmured. “But now, I wonder if I’ve brought danger instead.”
“Stability isn’t the absence of danger, Princess. The key is knowing where the threats lie before they strike.”
She caught his eyes straying toward the palace. “You think some in court see my presence as a threat.”
“Threat is one thing, opportunity another.” He paused, andlowered his voice. “And some certainly know when to move with the tide.”
Reiya’s steps slowed. “Are you referring to the Mezerins?”
He didn’t confirm, but he didn’t deny it either. His gaze swept the surroundings with quiet vigilance, as if expecting an ambush at every step.
She hesitated, her fingers curling. Why had he ordered Annaïs’s return to the palace? Had he noticed something she hadn’t?
Or was it simply caution—an unspoken warning that he didn’t trust Hassamir’s daughter roaming freely while Castiel was at large?
He murmured, “High Chancellor Hassamir does not move unless he sees value in it.”
“And Lady Annaïs?”
Something flickered in his gaze, but it was gone too quickly to name. “She was raised to understand the currents.”
