Scene I: The Ballroom That Hides a War
Nobles laughed.
Wine poured.
Music flowed like honeyed venom.
And in the center of it all—
Auren danced.
With three different ladies.
And flirted with five different lords.
And none of them saw the knife he was hiding behind every word.
---
"Lady Renval, that dress is a crime against logic. But if beauty were treason, I'd still go down smiling."
"Lord Arthis, your son plays at politics like a drunk stabs in the dark. I'd recommend fencing lessons before you lose a kingdom."
"No, Your Grace, I haven't changed. I've only sharpened."
---
But in the shadows—Cladus watched.
No longer in knight's armor.
But cloaked in the Rhain crest—the lost heir returned.
He murmured to Elara:
"He's not dancing for pleasure."
"He's digging. Gathering. Turning rumors into daggers."
Elara, eyes narrowed:
"And who is he truly stabbing?"
Cladus didn't answer.
Because even he wasn't sure.
---
Scene II: Auren and Maelric, Alone
"You wear the mask well again," Maelric said, pouring wine.
"Tight enough to suffocate," Auren replied with a smile.
Maelric leaned in.
"Come back to the side that made you."
"Ah," Auren purred, "the side that broke me? Tempting."
"You don't belong to her, Auren. You never did."
Auren smiled wider.
"No. I belong to no one."
But when Maelric looked away,
Auren's fist clenched behind his back—
Inside the sleeve of his coat, was the letter Elara once burned.
He had pieced it together.
And kept it.
---
Scene III: Serina and the Empress
"He's not yours," Serina warned the Empress.
"Not yet," the Empress replied. "But monsters… remember their makers."
"And I intend to remake him."
---
Scene IV: Elara and Cladus, in the War Room
Elara stared at the map.
One push would cause a rebellion in the East.
Another would expose Serina's false trade records.
And the final—
"Is this from Auren?" she asked.
Cladus nodded.
"He sent it through a drunk merchant and a trail of lies."
Elara's fingers hovered over the note.
One phrase stood out:
"If you ever trust me again—burn this. And make your move."
She stared at the fire.
Then threw it in.
"We move tomorrow."
---
Final Scene: Auren, in the garden again.
He looked up at the stars.
"She's going to win."
A voice behind him—Cladus:
"Only if you stop playing the villain."
Auren turned. His smile, razor-thin.
"I am the villain, Rhain."
"Just ask my reflection."
But Cladus, for once, smiled.
"Then be her villain."
"Because between you and me… monsters obey queens."