Chapter 10: The light inside the Montclair palace court did not fall properly today.
Everyone stood between shadows and light—yet peace belonged to no one.
Montclair Palace felt colder than usual.
Kael Montclair stood motionless beside the throne.
His eyes were cold and silent—like the sky before a storm.
But deep inside him, something was burning.
Something no one else could see.
At the other end of the hall stood Lady Seraphina.
A soft smile rested on her lips, sweetness in her gaze—
yet beneath that sweetness hid something sharp and poisonous.
She spoke slowly.
"The future of this kingdom… is no longer a matter of prediction."
Her eyes moved once toward Elara, then toward Kael.
Adrian Montclair let out a quiet laugh before stepping forward.
Confidence filled his voice, though restless fire burned underneath.
"The future belongs to the one accepted by everyone."
His gaze landed directly on Elara.
A sharp silence followed.
Elara said nothing.
She only stared back.
And somehow, her silence made the entire room heavier.
Kael suddenly stepped forward.
His voice was as cold as ice.
"Who remains inside the Montclair Palace is not decided by popularity."
Adrian's expression hardened.
"Are you insulting me, Kael?"
Kael looked at him steadily.
"No. I'm simply stating the truth."
The room froze.
The kind of silence where even breathing sounded heavy.
Lady Seraphina slowly raised her hand with a graceful smile.
"Truth… always changes in the hands of power."
The maids standing behind her laughed quietly.
Not an ordinary laugh—
but the echo of an order.
Elara finally lifted her head slightly.
There was no fear in her eyes.
Only calculation.
Only understanding.
Adrian spoke again.
"You are temporary here, Elara."
Elara answered calmly.
"Temporary people are always the first ones others try to remove."
For a brief moment, Kael looked at her differently.
Something shifted in his eyes—
a silent understanding hidden beneath the coldness.
"You weren't afraid," Kael said quietly.
Elara replied without hesitation.
"I do not fear… I calculate."
Lady Seraphina slowly turned away.
Her voice remained soft, yet filled with finality.
"Then let the game begin."
As night descended, shadows moved through one of the palace's dark corridors.
Adrian stood there.
His voice was low. Poisonous.
"Elara must disappear… Kael must be left alone."
A voice answered from the darkness.
"The next phase has already begun."
And near the window stood Elara.
Behind her—Kael.
Both of them understood the same truth now.
This was no longer a family.
This was war.
And the war had begun silently…
Like the calm before a s