Seraphine's POV
"Duke!" Commander Theron's shout snapped me back to reality.
I was still on my knees, staring at the man who'd just fallen unconscious in front of me. The golden light pouring from my hands was fading, leaving me dizzy and confused.
What just happened? What was that voice in my head?
Theron rushed past me and dropped beside the Duke, checking his pulse. "He's alive. But his curse mark—it's never glowed like this before." He shot me a look that was half suspicion, half fear. "What did you do?"
"I—I didn't do anything!" My voice came out as a squeak. "I just looked at him and then everything—"
"Move!" A girl's voice cut through the chaos.
A young woman with wild red hair and bright green eyes shoved past me. She knelt beside the Duke and pressed her hand to his forehead. "His fever's spiking. We need to get him inside now, or the curse will consume him completely."
"Lyra, help me," Theron ordered.
Together, they lifted the Duke—who was much bigger than both of them—and carried him toward the castle. Other servants appeared from nowhere, all looking panicked and whispering frantically.
I sat frozen on the ground, my hands still tingling with that strange power. This was my fault. I'd barely arrived and I'd already hurt the man I was supposed to serve.
They were going to kill me for this.
"Well?" Lyra appeared in front of me, hands on her hips. "Are you just going to sit there, or are you coming inside?"
"I... I don't know what I did. I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"
"Save it." She grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. "The Duke does this sometimes. His curse makes him collapse. It's not your fault."
But her eyes said she didn't completely believe that.
She dragged me through the massive doors into the castle. Inside was nothing like Lord Viktor's manor. Everything was dark—black stone walls, deep red carpets, and torches that cast dancing shadows everywhere.
"Come on," Lyra said, pulling me down a hallway. "We need to get you settled before Commander Theron decides to interrogate you."
"But the Duke—"
"Has healers with him. There's nothing you can do." She glanced back at me. "Though I'll admit, I've never seen his curse react like that. Usually it just causes him pain. But that glow? That was new."
We climbed a narrow staircase and stopped in front of a wooden door. Lyra pushed it open and gestured inside. "This is your room."
I stepped in and froze.
It was small, yes. But there was an actual bed with blankets. A real pillow. A window with glass. A small table with a basin for washing. And most shocking of all—it was warm.
"This... this is mine?" I whispered.
Lyra's expression softened. "Where did you sleep before?"
"On the floor. Behind some crates." I touched the bed like it might disappear. "I've never had a real bed."
"Well, you do now." Lyra sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm Lyra, by the way. I work in the kitchens, but I also help new servants settle in. Though we don't usually get new servants. The Duke hasn't hired anyone in two years."
"Commander Theron said the Duke specifically asked for me."
Lyra's eyes widened. "He did? That's... weird. The Duke never takes personal interest in servants." She studied me carefully. "What's your name?"
"Seraphine."
"And those eyes—silver, right? I've never seen eyes like that before." She leaned closer. "Are you... different? Like, magic different?"
My heart raced. "I don't know what you mean."
"Yes, you do. I saw that golden light. I saw what happened when you looked at the Duke." Lyra's voice dropped to a whisper. "I'm going to tell you something, and you can't freak out, okay?"
I nodded, though I was already freaking out.
"I'm not completely human," Lyra said. "I'm half-fae. That's why I can sense things others can't. And you?" She pointed at me. "You're not human either. You're something else. Something powerful."
"That's crazy. I'm just a servant—"
"Servants don't make curse marks glow. Servants don't shoot golden light from their hands." Lyra stood up. "Look, I don't know what you are, but you need to be careful. The Duke has enemies. Powerful ones. And if they find out there's something special about you, they'll use you against him."
Before I could respond, heavy footsteps thundered down the hallway. Commander Theron burst through the door, his face grim.
"You. Come with me. Now."
"Is the Duke okay?" I asked quickly.
"He's awake. And he's asking for you." Theron's expression was unreadable. "I don't know what connection you two have, but he won't rest until he sees you. So move."
Lyra squeezed my hand. "Remember what I said. Be careful."
Theron led me through a maze of hallways until we reached a large door with guards posted outside. They opened it without a word.
Inside was a huge room with a massive bed in the center. The Duke lay there, propped up by pillows. His black hair was messy, his ice-blue eyes fierce even though he looked exhausted.
And he was staring straight at me.
"Leave us," he told Theron.
"Your Grace, I don't think—"
"I said leave."
Theron hesitated, then bowed and left, closing the door behind him.
I was alone with the Death Knight.
My hands shook. My legs felt weak. But I forced myself to stay standing.
The Duke kept staring at me like he was trying to solve a puzzle. Finally, he spoke, his voice rough. "Come closer."
Every instinct screamed at me to run. But I was a servant. I had to obey.
I walked to the side of his bed, keeping my eyes down like I'd been taught.
"Look at me," he commanded.
Slowly, I raised my eyes to meet his.
The moment our gazes locked, that warmth exploded in my chest again. Not as strong as before, but still there. Like something inside me recognized him.
The Duke's eyes widened. "It's true. You really are—" He stopped, shaking his head. "What's your name?"
"Seraphine, Your Grace."
"Seraphine," he repeated slowly. "Do you know who I am? What I am?"
"You're Duke Cassian Nightborne. The Death Knight. You're cursed to die in six months."
Something like pain flashed across his face. "And yet you're not running. Why?"
"I have nowhere to run to."
He laughed, but it was bitter. "Honest. I like that." He sat up straighter, wincing. "Do you know what happened outside? When you arrived?"
I shook my head. "I don't understand any of it."
"Neither do I. But I felt something." He touched the curse mark on his neck—the black symbol that had glowed red earlier. "For ten years, this curse has been killing me slowly. Every day, the pain gets worse. Every day, I get closer to death." His eyes locked on mine. "But when I saw you, for the first time in a decade, the pain stopped."
My breath caught. "What?"
"Completely stopped. For those few seconds before I collapsed, I felt... normal." He leaned forward. "Who are you really? Because you're not just some servant girl. I can feel power radiating from you."
"I don't know," I whispered honestly. "I've always been different. Strange things happen around me. But I don't know why."
The Duke studied me for a long moment. Then he said something that made my blood run cold.
"Three hundred years ago, my family served a goddess. The Goddess of Dawn. She was kind and powerful, and she protected our bloodline." His voice was intense. "But she was betrayed by her own sister and cast down from the heavens. My ancestor, Lord Darian Nightborne, tried to save her. He failed. And as punishment, my entire bloodline was cursed."
My heart pounded so hard I thought it would break my ribs.
"The goddess's name," the Duke continued, his eyes never leaving mine, "was Astraea."
The name from my dreams. The voice that called to me.
"That's impossible," I breathed.
"Is it? Because when I looked at you, I saw something." He reached out slowly and touched my cheek—right where the burn from Lady Ashford's tea had been.
Except there was no burn anymore. The skin was perfectly smooth.
"You healed," he said softly. "Completely. In less than an hour. That's not normal."
I touched my face in shock. He was right. The burn was gone.
"I think," the Duke said, his voice barely above a whisper, "that you're not Seraphine at all. I think you're Astraea. The Goddess of Dawn. Reborn."
The world spun. I stumbled backward.
"No. That's crazy. I'm not a goddess. I'm nobody—"
"Then explain the light. Explain why my curse reacted to you. Explain why you healed instantly." His eyes burned with intensity. "Explain why, after three hundred years, a girl with silver eyes appears at my door the same week I was prophesied to die."
Before I could answer, the window shattered.
Glass exploded inward as a figure in silver armor crashed into the room, moving impossibly fast.
"Found you," the figure snarled, and I saw it was a woman with wings made of white light. "The fallen goddess. You're coming with me."
She raised a glowing sword aimed straight at my heart.
The Duke threw himself in front of me, weaponless and weak.
"You want her?" he growled. "You'll have to go through me first."
The angel smiled coldly. "That can be arranged."