A heavy silence engulfed the royal chapel.

The crimson words stretched across the white marble floor like a curse brought to life.

IF THE WEDDING TAKES PLACE...

THE BRIDE WILL DIE.

Several maids screamed and burst into tears.

The priests hurriedly made the sign of protection while whispering desperate prayers.

Seraphina stared at the message, her heart pounding.

"Is... is this another part of the curse?"

"No."

Lucien's deep voice echoed through the chapel.

He walked toward the bloodstained floor, his expression calm but dangerously cold.

"This is a threat."

He crouched, dipping two fingers into the blood.

After a brief inspection, his silver eyes narrowed.

"It's fresh."

Someone had entered the heavily guarded chapel only moments before.

Sir Elias stepped forward, gripping the hilt of his sword.

"I stationed guards at every entrance throughout the night. No one reported seeing anyone."

Lucien rose to his feet.

"Then whoever did this is already inside the castle."

A ripple of fear spread through everyone in the chapel.

One of the noblewomen gasped.

"You mean... the traitor is among us?"

Lucien didn't answer.

His silence was answer enough.

---

Later that afternoon, every servant, guard, priest, and noble was gathered in the great hall.

The massive doors were sealed shut.

No one was allowed to leave.

Lucien stood before them like a judge.

"The person responsible for this warning is in this room."

His voice was calm.

But the icy edge beneath it made everyone shiver.

"If you confess now, your family will be spared."

No one moved.

No one spoke.

The silence stretched endlessly.

Suddenly—

Crash!

A servant collapsed to the floor.

Foam gathered at the corners of his mouth.

Within seconds, his body became still.

Panic erupted.

"He poisoned himself!"

"A dead man tells no secrets!" Sir Elias shouted as he rushed to the body.

The royal physician examined the servant before slowly shaking his head.

"He swallowed poison hidden inside one of his teeth."

Seraphina stared in disbelief.

Who would rather die than reveal the truth?

Lucien looked down at the servant's lifeless body.

"The mastermind is eliminating loose ends."

---

That evening, Seraphina couldn't stop thinking about the dead servant.

She wandered into the royal library, hoping to distract herself.

Thousands of ancient books filled towering shelves that disappeared into the shadows.

As she reached for a dusty volume, something caught her eye.

A hidden compartment behind the bookshelf.

Curious, she pressed against the wood.

Click.

The shelf slowly slid aside.

A narrow passageway appeared.

Before she could decide whether to enter, footsteps echoed behind her.

"What are you doing?"

She spun around.

Lucien stood at the library entrance.

"I... I found this."

His eyes widened ever so slightly.

"That passage shouldn't have opened."

"You didn't know about it?"

He shook his head.

"It was sealed generations ago."

Together, they stepped into the hidden corridor.

The air smelled of dust and age.

Cobwebs clung to the stone walls, untouched for decades.

At the end of the passage stood a small chamber.

In its center rested a wooden chest covered in faded royal markings.

Lucien slowly opened it.

Inside lay an old diary wrapped in black velvet.

The cover bore a name written in silver.

Queen Isabella Draven.

Lucien froze.

"My mother..."

His voice was barely a whisper.

Seraphina looked at him in surprise.

"I thought she died when you were a child."

"So did I."

With trembling hands, Lucien opened the diary.

The first page contained only one sentence.

If my son is reading this... it means they failed to kill him.

Lucien's breathing stopped.

Someone hadn't just cursed him.

Someone had tried to erase the entire royal bloodline.

And the answers had been hidden beneath Blackthorn Castle all along.