The twenty-eight days of investigation had culminated in a single, heavy leather-bound book: the Black Ledger. Riha sat in her darkened room, the violet star-gemmed gown hanging on a mannequin in the corner like a silent sentinel. The dress shimmered even in the dim light, its glittering stones catching the faint glow of the moon outside.
It was the night before the Imperial Ball. The palace was alive with the frantic energy of servants polishing silver and hanging banners, but Riha's chambers were a tomb of focus.
She opened her storage space and pulled out the ledger one last time. Every entry was a dagger. Every name was a soul sold. And at the center of it all was Helios. She found herself staring at the page detailing the "neutralization" of the Empress's dissenters. Her heart felt like lead. She remembered the warmth of Helios's hand in the library, the way he had looked at her as if she were the only person in the world who mattered.
"All a lie," she whispered, her voice cracking. "All of it was just to keep the 'mysterious guest' from looking too closely."
The Intrusion
A sudden, sharp instinct—the same one that had saved her life in the alleyway—made the hair on her neck stand up. Riha didn't move. She didn't breathe. She listened.
The faint click of a floorboard outside her door. The almost imperceptible slide of metal against metal.
She acted instantly. She didn't reach for her diary; she slapped the storage space shut, vanishing the evidence into the void. She grabbed a small throwing knife from under her pillow and rolled off the bed, pressing herself against the stone wall beside the heavy oak door.
The door creaked open. A shadow slipped inside—tall, broad-shouldered, and moving with the practiced silence of a killer. The moonlight caught a flash of blue hair.
Caspian.
Riha didn't hesitate. She lunged, her knife aimed for the gap in his leather armor. But Caspian was fast—faster than the assassins in the alley. He caught her wrist in a grip of iron and twisted, forcing her against the wall.
"Princess, wait!" he hissed, his voice urgent and low.
"What are you doing in my chambers, Caspian?" Riha snarled, her eyes glowing with fury. "Did Helios send you to finish what the 'Neutralization' started? Am I the next entry in his ledger?"
Caspian froze. His blue eyes widened at the mention of the ledger. He didn't let go of her wrist, but his stance shifted from offensive to defensive. "You know about the ledger," he breathed. "How?"
"I'm a researcher, remember?" Riha spat, struggling against his grip. "I research monsters. And I found a nest of them here."
Caspian looked toward the door, then back at her. "I didn't come here to kill you, Riha. I came to warn you. Helios isn't what you think he is. But the palace is full of ears. You can't reveal that evidence tomorrow. Not at the ball."
"And why not? To protect your master?"
"To protect the kingdom," Caspian said, his voice trembling slightly. "If you reveal that ledger tomorrow, you won't just destroy a Prince. You'll start a civil war that will burn this empire to ash before the sun rises. There are forces at play here that go far beyond Helios."
The Choice
Riha stared at him. She saw the genuine fear in the knight's eyes—the man who had once served a kidnapper and was now the Prince's right hand. Was he another liar? Or was he the only one telling the truth in a palace built on shadows?
She stopped struggling, though her muscles remained coiled like a spring. "Why tell me this now? After I insulted you and the Prince in the boutique?"
Caspian gave a ghost of a smirk. "The violet suit looks good on me, Princess. But it doesn't change the fact that you're walking into a trap. Helios knows you've been digging. He's been watching you as closely as you've been watching him."
He released her wrist and stepped back, melting into the shadows of the doorway. "Wear the violet dress tomorrow. Dance with him. But keep your eyes on the Emperor, not the Prince. The true monster doesn't hide in the warehouse, Riha. He sits on the throne."
Before she could ask another question, he was gone.