Chapter 3. The Uninvited Flame

Back in his room, he sat by the window and watched the night deepen. He held the silver chain around his neck and closed his eyes.

For once, he wished nothing would change.

But it would.Everything would.

The sky was still clear that evening. No omen. No red moon. Just stars, scattered like dust across a velvet sky.

Lucien stepped out of his room when the corridor had emptied. He didn’t like being seen in his brother’s clothes, especially not by the people who whispered and pointed behind his back. But Cassian had told him to rest, and the noise of the party was giving him a headache. He thought maybe he could go for a walk behind the garden or visit the greenhouse where the old cook used to plant basil before she was dismissed.

He took the back staircase, the one servants used, and kept his head low. But halfway down, voices drifted upward. Familiar ones.

“You shouldn’t be walking alone.”

Cassian.

Lucien paused.

“I can handle mys