Lord Eryndor Voss did not believe in coincidence.
He stood alone in the upper balcony of Castle Noctyrr, fingers resting lightly on the stone rail as dawn bled faint color into the sky. Below, the city of Viremont stirred but his thoughts were far from it.
Lucien had returned too quickly,t oo decisively.
Eryndor narrowed his eyes.
"There is something watching," he said quietly.
Lady Seraphyne emerged from the shadows behind him,her silk dress whispering against stone floor. "You sense it too?"
"I sense that Lucien knows more than he should," Eryndor replied. "Someone warned him Or something."
Seraphyne's lips curved faintly. "Ah. So you've finally realized."
He turned sharply. "You knew."
"I suspected," she corrected. "Lucien has always favored… unconventional safeguards."
Eryndor's jaw tightened. "Find it."
Seraphyne's smile deepened, dangerous and amused"Careful, Lord Voss Some creatures bite back."
Aria felt it before she saw it.
The sensation of being watched prickled along her spine as she scrubbed the stone steps outside the west wing. She shifted slightly, glancing around but the corridor was empty.
Too empty.
"Calm down," she muttered under her breath.
Still, the feeling did not leave.
Above her, hidden among the carved rafters, Noctis watched.
The creature's crimson eyes followed her every movement, wings folded tight against its dark form. It did not interfere.
It only observed just as it had been commanded.
Aria straightened, wiping her hands on her apron. She had been reassigned to upper duties again visible, watched, protected.
Or so she'd been told.
As she turned a corner, voices reached her ears.
"…the king's been asking questions," one maid whispered.
"That servant girl," another replied. "The quiet one. She's been near things she shouldn't."
Aria slowed, heart pounding.
"She's favored now," the first voice added. "Careful."
Aria slipped past them before they could notice her, pulse racing. Favored. The word felt like a blade pressed gently to her back.
Danger dressed as protection.
That evening, Aria was sent to deliver fresh linens to the upper guest wing.
As she passed a tall arched window, she caught movement in the glass her reflection, and something else behind it.
A shadow.
She turned sharply, no one stood there.
Her breath quickened.
Then she heard it
A soft, mocking clap.
"Well," a smooth voice said, echoing softly through the corridor, "you really are difficult to ignore."
Aria froze.
A man stepped into the light tall, finely dressed, with pale silver hair and matching his eyes that glimmered with unsettling interest.
His smile was polite, Calculated.
"Forgive me," he said lightly. "I didn't mean to frighten you."
She lowered her gaze instantly. "I didn't see you, my lord."
"No," he agreed. "But I see you."
Her fingers tightened around the linens.
He circled her slowly, studying her like a puzzle. "You've been busy lately. Watching carriages. Asking nothing. Saying less."
Aria's heart hammered. "I only follow my duties."
"Mm." He stopped in front of her. "And yet the king listens when you speak."
Fear coiled tight in her chest.
"My name is Lord Halvair," he said pleasantly. "I serve the crown."
The lie was subtle but Noctis noticed
From the rafters, the creature shifted.
Lord Halvair's eyes flicked upward, narrowing. "Interesting."
Aria sensed the change instantly.
"Be careful," Halvair said softly, stepping closer. "Curiosity has a habit of getting people… misplaced."
Before she could respond, a rush of wind tore through the corridor.
Dark wings unfurled.
Noctis dropped between them with a sharp, echoing cry, eyes blazing crimson.
Halvair leapt back, startled. "So," he murmured. "It's true."
The creature's wings spread wide, a clear warning.
Aria stumbled backward, breath shaking.
Footsteps echoed in the distance.
Noctis vanished into the shadows just as guards appeared at the far end of the hall.
Lord Halvair straightened, his expression once again pleasant. "Ah," he said smoothly. "You should be more careful, girl. This palace is full of eyes."
He bowed slightly to Aria.
Then he was gone.
Aria sank against the wall, trembling.
Above her, unseen, Noctis watched.
And far away, in Viremont, Lord Eryndor Voss smiled as a messenger knelt before him.
"The king has a watcher," the messenger whispered.
Eryndor's eyes gleamed. "Good."
Because now, the game had finally revealed its pieces.