Year Ago, Day of Empress Dahlia’s Death, Imperial Palace, Ancorna Empire “W–what have you done!” Ravenna’s roar split the night, her voice echoing against the marble walls of the garden. The archive wing of her palace quarters stood ablaze, the flames licking high into the midnight sky, staining the moonlight with a sickly orange glow. Kenric Jade stood before the inferno, the firelight casting wild shadows across his face. He did not flinch at her words, though her glare was sharp enough to make lesser men fall to their knees. Ravenna advanced, her silken gown trailing over the gravel path, every step radiating fury. Her eyes locked onto him with the force of a blade to the throat. “What, in the goddess’s name, have you done, Kenric?” He drew a long, measured breath, his shoulders tense but his voice steady. “I burned them, Your Highness. All the blackmail you gathered on the nobles. Every ledger. Every letter. Gone.” A gasp tore the air behind her. Alice, heavy with child, clutched her swollen belly beneath the folds of her loose nightdress. Her eyes widened in horror as the flames reflected in her glasses. Ravenna’s face tightened, her fury tempered by something softer for a moment. She bit her lip hard enough to draw some blood before snapping, “Hughes! Get her inside. Now. The smoke will harm the baby.” Hughes obeyed instantly, sweeping his protesting wife into his arms and vanishing into the palace halls. Left alone with Kenric, Ravenna’s presence grew heavier, suffocating. She stepped close enough to feel the heat of the fire and snarled, “Why? There had better be a reason worthy of your life.” Kenric bowed his head slightly, not in fear, but in respect. “I betrayed you, Your Highness. Prince William forced my hand. He offered me something I could not refuse.” The crackle of burning parchment filled the silence as palace workers rushed with buckets and spells to douse the flames. Ravenna’s voice was low and lethal. “And what could possibly tempt you to cross me?” “Information,” he answered without hesitation. “On Lord Dain.” His jaw tightened. “I sent men to confirm it. The intelligence was true. Dain runs a criminal syndicate in Otto City.” Her eyes narrowed dangerously, but he pressed on. “I found the necklace I once stole from the Jade estate and gave to my sister. It was sold on the black market there.” His voice broke slightly, though his face remained calm. “There was also a receipt about Anna’s sale, signed by Noah Jade himself. ” Ravenna’s hand shot forward, gripping his chin, forcing him to meet her gaze. Her eyes burned hotter than the fire consuming her archives. “So this was enough?” she hissed. “Enough to betray me?” Kenric did not falter. “ Yes..." For a heartbeat, silence. Then Ravenna yanked him closer and crushed her lips against his in a sudden, searing kiss. The taste of smoke and fury lingered as she shoved him back, her expression unreadable but her rage clear in every line of her body. “Then what are you doing here, fool?” she spat. “Pack your things. You’ll miss the first magic ship to Otto City.” Her voice dripped with scorn, yet beneath it, there was an edge of something else: affection, understanding, and the cold practicality of a woman who had no time to bleed over betrayal. “Your Highness—” he began, but the sound of hurried footsteps cut him short. “Your Highness! Your Highness!” A messenger stumbled into the garden, nearly tripping on the path. His chest heaved as he dropped to his knees, eyes wide at the sight of the raging fire. Ravenna turned her glare upon him, her patience frayed to a razor’s edge. “Bark, if you value your tongue, speak wisely. Can you not see I have a crisis at hand?” The young man swallowed hard, his voice trembling. “Her Majesty… she summons you, Your Highness. She said you must come at once.” Ravenna’s fury faltered, replaced by something softer: something only the word mother could stir in her right now. Her expression eased, if only slightly. “Mother?” The messenger nodded vigorously. Without another word, Ravenna swept past him, her gown trailing embers of rage and smoke. “Then what are you waiting for? Lead the way.” Behind her, the workers fought the blaze, Kenric still standing in the garden as the fire consumed years of Ravenna’s carefully built dominion. His fists clenched at his sides, his chest heavy with a question he could not silence. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. “Will this truly be our last time together…?” he whispered to himself. He understood the logic of William’s plan. Burn the leverage, strip Ravenna of her noble allies, and leave her vulnerable. That much was clear. But there was something else, something that gnawed at his mind like a splinter. Why the forged ledger? Why plant false records that accused Ravenna of stealing from the Empress’s own coffers? Dahlia Solarius was no fool. She adored her daughter. She would never cast the blame upon Ravenna when she could so easily claim the funds herself. “Prince William knows his mother better than anyone…” Kenric muttered, his brow furrowing as unease took root. “So why? Why take a gamble so absurd?” This update ıs available on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵⟡𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⟡𝓷𝓮𝓽 The flames crackled behind him, but the chill that ran down his spine had nothing to do with the night air. Empress Dahlia’s Bedroom, Empress Wing, Imperial Palace, Imperial Capital, Ancorna Empire The flames still smoldered in Ravenna’s mind as she stepped into the Empress’s chamber. The heavy doors closed softly behind her, shutting out the chaos of the burning archive. The air here was different: quiet, perfumed faintly with jasmine and incense, a sanctuary wrapped in velvet silence. By the bedside stood Hughes and Alice, their faces calm but weary. Ravenna’s eyes went immediately to the bed. There, resting against embroidered pillows, lay Empress Dahlia Solarius. Even frail from her long illness, she remained breathtaking: golden hair cascading in luminous waves over the sheets, jewel-bright scarlet eyes glowing with warmth and hidden strength. She looked radiant tonight, more alive than Ravenna had seen her in years. “Ah, Ravy! You’re here.” Her mother’s voice, soft yet steady, pulled Ravenna closer. Dahlia’s smile was bittersweet, touched by something Ravenna could not name. “Forgive me for calling you so late.” Ravenna’s glare melted instantly into something vulnerable. She sat at the bedside, taking her mother’s hand. “For what? Mother, there’s nothing to forgive. I could never miss a moment ! you haven’t looked this spirited in so long.” Dahlia lifted a delicate hand and stroked Ravenna’s hair, her touch tender. “I don’t know why, but tonight I feel stronger, lighter. It is as though the weight of my illness has lifted for a time. So I wished to see all my children again.” Ravenna’s lips parted, ready to ask about her brothers, but Dahlia silenced her with a soft shake of the head and a gentle smile. “I called you first. You, Alice, and Hughes. I knew you would not relax if I summoned the others before you.” Alice’s eyes misted at the words, and Hughes squeezed her hand discreetly. Ravenna bowed her head slightly, humbled. But Dahlia’s eyes sharpened with motherly perception. “Now tell me, Ravy… what turmoil weighs on you? You’re carrying rage heavy enough to break bones.” Ravenna let out a frustrated sigh. Of course her mother could read her so easily, She always could. “It’s Kenric. For the anger I feel, I could hang him from the palace gates!” Dahlia chuckled lightly, patting her daughter’s head again, forcing her gaze up. “Don’t hang your lovers, Ravy. There are gentler punishments. Now, was his offense political… or personal?” “Political,” Ravenna answered through clenched teeth. “Then that answers it,” Dahlia said simply, with a knowing smile. Her wisdom, as always, cut clean through Ravenna’s storm. They lingered together in quiet conversation, mother and daughter, laughter softening the sharp edges of the night. But eventually, Dahlia’s eyes drifted toward the door. “Go now. Landon and William will be arriving soon. I must see them as well.” Ravenna hesitated but nodded. She understood too well, nights when her mother felt strong enough to summon her children were rare. Dahlia would not waste it. As Ravenna, Hughes, and Alice made to leave, Dahlia’s voice stopped them. “Mina… or Min.” They turned. Dahlia smiled faintly. “That is the name I’ve chosen, for the little one you carry, Alice. Mina, or Min. It suits.” Alice’s face lit with joy, Hughes’s as well. “You finally decided, Mother!” Alice exclaimed, forgetting formality in the warmth of the Empress Wing where titles always softened. Ravenna smiled faintly at the sight, then departed into the night. Ravenna’s Bedroom, Raven Princess Wing of the Palace, Imperial Palace, Imperial Capital, Ancorna Empire The fire in the archives had been extinguished, but exhaustion weighed on her bones. Stripping down, Ravenna let her gown fall, standing bare in the moonlight before sinking toward her bed. She longed for silence, for the emptiness of sleep. But soft footsteps stirred at the hidden back door. “Rexford, I told you, I am not in the mood for—” she began, her tone sharp, only to freeze when the intruder emerged. The name left her lips in shock. “You’re still here? If you don’t leave by morning, I’ll have no choice but to punish you.” Kenric crossed the room unhurriedly, as if this were no different from the countless midnight conversations they had shared. He lowered himself to the bed beside her, his expression taut with unease. “I was about to leave, Your Highness,” he admitted, voice low. “But I can’t. Not yet. Something about William’s plan doesn’t sit right with me.” Ravenna arched a brow, though curiosity flickered beneath her anger. “He had me sneak a forged ledger into the Empress Wing’s accounts, one that frames you for siphoning funds.” Kenric’s jaw clenched. “But it makes no sense. Why risk such an obvious move?” For once, Ravenna was struck silent. Her eyes narrowed, mind racing as her lips pressed into a thin line. “William has never swung this boldly before,” she muttered at last. “If he has, it means he’s prepared to gamble everything. He must be setting up something much larger.” She rose, pacing with agitation, her silhouette cutting through the dim light. “With the blackmail gone, I have no leverage. Whatever he plans, I’ll be stripped of noble support.” She turned sharply. “Tell Rexford to dismantle the harem. Have them vanish into hiding. If the Right Minister asks, the answer is simple: I grew bored. Nothing more.” Kenric inclined his head in understanding. “I’ll see it done.” Ravenna’s eyes softened only for a moment as she added, “And you will leave on the first magic ship bound for Otto City. I won’t have your handsome face lingering in the capital when the storm breaks.” Kenric met her gaze, something heavy and unspoken in his eyes, but he nodded and moved toward the hidden door. “Kenric.” Her voice stopped him. He turned back, waiting. “Continue being the two-faced bastard you’ve always been,” Ravenna said coldly. “No one owes you anything. Remember that.” Kenric bowed his head once, silent, before disappearing into the shadows.