Chapter 15: Hidden Evidence
The detention wing was in chaos.
Guards rushed through the corridors. Orders echoed against the cold stone walls.
But Elara was nowhere to be found.
Lady Seraphina stood silently at the center of the hall, her expression unreadable.
"Seal every gate," she ordered. "No one leaves the estate."
"Yes, My Lady."
The guards immediately scattered.
Adrian turned toward Kael.
"You knew something."
Kael remained calm.
"I knew she wouldn't stay trapped forever."
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
"You helped her escape."
"No," Kael answered quietly. "But someone did."
That answer only made the silence heavier.
Because if Kael wasn't lying…
then someone inside the Montclair estate had betrayed the court.
And that was far more dangerous.
—
Meanwhile…
Deep inside the abandoned eastern wing of the estate—
Elara struggled to steady her breathing.
Dust covered the forgotten corridor. Broken chandeliers hung from the ceiling like ghosts from another era.
The eastern wing had been sealed for years.
Almost nobody entered this place anymore.
Which made it the perfect hiding spot.
A hooded servant quickly closed the hidden passage behind them.
"You can't stay long," the servant whispered nervously.
Elara stared at them carefully.
"Why are you helping me?"
The servant hesitated.
Then slowly lowered the hood.
An elderly woman revealed herself.
Her tired eyes widened slightly as she looked at Elara.
"You look exactly like her…"
Elara frowned.
"Like who?"
The old woman's voice trembled.
"The former Lady of Montclair."
Silence.
Elara felt her heartbeat stop for a second.
Because nobody ever spoke about the former Lady.
Not openly.
Not inside this estate.
The old maid slowly stepped closer.
"I served her many years ago," she whispered. "And before she died… she left something behind."
Elara's eyes sharpened.
"What was it?"
The maid looked around nervously before reaching into her robe.
From inside, she pulled out a small silver key.
Old. Worn. Hidden for years.
"She told me," the maid whispered, 'If the truth is ever buried… give this to the girl with the same eyes.'"
Elara slowly took the key.
Her fingers tightened around it.
"Where does it lead?"
The maid looked toward the dark end of the corridor.
"The private library beneath the estate."
Elara froze.
There was a hidden library beneath Montclair?
The maid nodded slowly.
"Only the heads of the family knew about it."
Then her expression darkened.
"And Lady Seraphina."
—
At the same time—
Inside her private chamber—
Seraphina stood beside the window in silence.
The candlelight flickered softly across her face.
Adrian stepped inside.
"The entire estate is searching for her."
Seraphina said nothing.
But something felt different tonight.
For the first time—
her control had cracked.
"She escaped too easily," Adrian muttered. "Someone inside helped her."
Seraphina finally spoke.
"I know."
Adrian looked surprised.
But Seraphina's gaze remained distant.
Then slowly…
she turned toward him.
"If Elara reaches the underground library…"
her voice became colder,
"everything we buried will resurface."
A long silence followed.
Even Adrian looked uneasy now.
"Does she actually know anything?" he asked carefully.
Seraphina's eyes darkened.
"Not yet."
Then she slowly closed her eyes.
"But she's starting to ask the right questions."
—
Later that night—
Elara followed the old maid through the hidden eastern corridor.
The deeper they went, the colder the air became.
Finally, they stopped before a massive iron door hidden beneath the estate.
At its center—
was the exact shape of the silver key.
Elara slowly inserted it.
Click.
The door trembled open slightly.
Dust-filled air escaped from the darkness inside.
The maid stepped back nervously.
"You must go alone."
Elara stared into the darkness beyond the doorway.
Something inside her told her—
this place contained the beginning of everything.
She slowly stepped inside.
Candles long extinguished. Shelves covered in dust. Old records forgotten by time.
And at the center of the room—
a single journal rested on a wooden table.
Elara approached carefully.
The cover was faded.
But one name was still visible.
"Roselyn Montclair."
Elara's breath caught.
Because underneath the name—
was a sentence written in faded ink.
> "If you are reading this… then they failed to erase me."