I woke up the morning after the Royal Ball feeling like I'd conquered the entire fucking kingdom.
Which, technically, I kind of DID.
I publicly humiliated the Crown Prince.
I compared him unfavorably to his BABY SISTER.
I made him retreat in front of the ENTIRE COURT.
I WON.
I stretched in bed, feeling absolutely GLORIOUS, and found Nyx coiled on my pillow watching me with those glowing purple eyes.
"You're smiling," he observed. "That's... concerning."
"I'm ALWAYS smiling," I said.
"Not like that," Nyx said. "That's your 'I just destroyed someone and I'm replaying it in my head' smile."
He's not WRONG.
I've been replaying Aldric's face for the past eight hours.
That moment when he realized I wasn't going to grovel.
That moment when he understood I was ATTACKING him.
That moment when he had to RETREAT because fighting back would make him look WORSE.
PERFECT.
Absolutely PERFECT.
I got out of bed and let the maids dress me in a dark ensemble—deep purple with silver accents, because I was feeling DRAMATIC—and swept out of my chambers with Nyx draped across my shoulders.
The servants in the hallways looked at me differently now.
Fear.
Genuine FEAR.
They saw what I did to the Crown Prince.
They know I'm DANGEROUS.
Good.
Let them be afraid.
Let EVERYONE be afraid.
I was halfway to the dining room when I found a note pinned to one of the skeleton butler's ribcages.
Library. Now. —L
Mother.
Mother wants to see me in the library.
This is either going to be AMAZING or TERRIBLE.
Probably both.
I grabbed a pastry from a passing maid—who nearly dropped the entire tray in terror—and headed toward the eastern wing.
Let's see if Mother's proud or furious.
Let's see if I'm about to get praised or DESTROYED.
Either way, this is going to be interesting.
The library doors were already open when I arrived.
Mother was standing by the fireplace, her back to me, staring into the purple flames.
Ominous.
Very ominous.
She's doing the 'dramatic silhouette' thing.
This is DEFINITELY going to be intense.
"Close the door," she said without turning around.
I closed the door.
Here we go.
Moment of truth.
Am I about to get congratulated or MURDERED?
Mother turned to face me, and her expression was... unreadable.
Fuck.
I can't tell if she's angry or impressed.
This is TERRIFYING.
"Sit," she said, gesturing to one of the chairs near the fireplace.
I sat.
Nyx coiled tighter around my shoulders, and I could feel his tension.
Even NYX is nervous.
That's not a good sign.
Mother studied me for a long moment, her dark eyes cataloging every detail of my expression, my posture, my EVERYTHING.
"Yesterday," she said finally, "you publicly humiliated Crown Prince Aldric Solcrest in front of the entire court."
Here it comes.
The lecture about being too reckless.
The warning about making enemies.
The—
"It was brilliant."
Wait.
WHAT.
Mother's expression shifted into something that might have been a smile.
"Absolutely brilliant," she continued. "Vicious. Strategic. You didn't just attack him—you attacked his PRIDE. His sense of superiority. His entire worldview."
She's PROUD.
Mother is PROUD of me.
Holy FUCK.
"You compared him to his fourteen-year-old sister," Mother said, and there was genuine admiration in her voice. "You made him look WEAK in front of everyone who matters. You forced him to retreat without giving him any way to fight back that wouldn't make him look worse."
She paused.
"That was theater. Pure, perfect theater."
I'm going to CRY.
I'm actually going to CRY from parental approval.
What is WRONG with me?
"Thank you," I managed.
Mother crossed the room and—
Oh my GOD.
She's HUGGING me.
The Duchess of House Raven is HUGGING me.
This is the BEST DAY of my reincarnated life.
"You're finally becoming dangerous," Mother said quietly, her voice warm. "You're finally becoming someone who understands that power isn't just about magic—it's about PERCEPTION. About making people BELIEVE you're unstoppable."
She pulled back, and her expression was genuinely affectionate.
I'm going to cry.
I'm DEFINITELY going to cry.
Fuck.
Then the temperature in the room dropped about twenty degrees.
Mother's expression shifted back to cold calculation, and I felt my stomach drop.
Oh.
Here comes the WARNING.
Here comes the 'but you need to be careful' speech.
"However," Mother said, and her voice was ice, "you need to understand something."
She walked back to the fireplace, her movements precise and controlled.
"Prince Aldric Solcrest is self-righteous. Predictable. Arrogant. But he's also PROUD. And you just wounded that pride in front of the entire kingdom."
I know.
I KNOW.
That was the POINT.
"He's going to retaliate," Mother continued. "Not immediately—he's too smart for that. But he WILL retaliate. And when he does, it will be calculated. Precise. Designed to destroy you in a way that can't be traced back to him."
She turned to face me again.
"You made yourself a target yesterday. A priority threat. The Crown Prince of Astervane now sees you as someone who needs to be ELIMINATED."
Fuck.
When she puts it like THAT, it sounds TERRIFYING.
"I understand," I said.
"Do you?" Mother's eyes were sharp. "Because understanding and ACTING on that understanding are two different things."
She took a step closer.
"You have power, Isabel. Real power. But power without CONTROL is just chaos. And chaos gets you killed."
Control.
She wants me to have CONTROL.
She wants me to be STRATEGIC instead of just CHAOTIC.
She wants—
"I'm not asking you to stop," Mother said, and something in her expression softened slightly. "I'm asking you to be SMART about it. To think three moves ahead. To recognize when you're walking into a trap."
She paused.
"Can you do that?"
Can I?
Can I be strategic instead of just impulsive?
Can I think ahead instead of just reacting?
"Yes," I said. "I can do that."
"Good." Mother's expression shifted back to approval. "Because I would hate to lose you just when you're becoming interesting."
That's the closest thing to 'I love you' I'm going to get from her.
And honestly?
I'll take it.
Mother turned toward the door, then paused.
"One more thing," she said. "Your familiar."
Nyx.
She wants to talk about NYX.
This should be—
Nyx LITERALLY unwound from my shoulders and slithered behind my chair.
WHAT.
NYX.
What the FUCK.
"Nyx!" I hissed. "Get back here, you coward!"
"No," Nyx said from behind the chair. "I'm staying RIGHT HERE where it's SAFE."
Mother actually LAUGHED.
She's LAUGHING.
The terrifying Duchess of House Raven is LAUGHING at my familiar hiding from her.
This is humiliating.
"Your familiar has good survival instincts," Mother said, still smiling. "That's encouraging."
She walked over to me and—
Oh my GOD she's doing it AGAIN.
She's patting my HEAD.
Like I'm a CHILD.
And I'm letting her because it feels AMAZING.
"Strategy over impulse," Mother said quietly. "Control over chaos. Remember that."
"I will," I said.
"Good." She straightened up. "Now get dressed properly. There's a court function this afternoon, and you're attending."
Court function.
ANOTHER court function.
So soon after the ball?
"What kind of function?" I asked.
"The Valdris Empire is sending a diplomatic envoy," Mother said. "And you're going to be there to represent House Raven."
The Valdris Empire.
One of the rival kingdoms.
The one that practices dark magic OPENLY.
This is going to be INTERESTING.
"Understood," I said.
Mother nodded and swept out of the library, leaving me alone with my cowardly familiar.
I turned to glare at Nyx, who was still hiding behind the chair.
"You RAN AWAY," I said. "From my MOTHER."
"Your mother is TERRIFYING," Nyx said, slithering back onto my shoulders now that the coast was clear. "She radiates dark magic like a furnace radiates heat. I have SURVIVAL INSTINCTS."
My familiar is a coward.
My ancient, powerful, legendary familiar is a COWARD.
This is hilarious.
"Come on," I said, standing up. "We have a court function to attend."
"Do I have to come?" Nyx asked.
"Yes."
"But what if your mother is there?"
"Then you'll have to be brave."
"I don't WANT to be brave," Nyx said. "I want to be ALIVE."
I love this snake.
I genuinely love this ridiculous, dramatic, cowardly snake.
We headed toward my chambers to get ready for the court function, and I felt something settle in my chest.
Pride.
Genuine pride.
Mother approves of what I did.
She thinks I'm becoming dangerous.
She thinks I'm becoming LEGENDARY.
And she's RIGHT.
I caught my reflection in one of the hallway mirrors and grinned.
Six months until the wedding announcement.
Six months to build enough power that I can escape this fate.
Six months to become UNSTOPPABLE.
And I'm going to do it STRATEGICALLY.
I'm going to think three moves ahead.
I'm going to be SMART about this.
Starting with this diplomatic envoy from the Valdris Empire.
Let's see who wins this game.