The fireflies danced lazily around the clearing, their glow dim compared to the storm in Enzo’s chest. He had barely turned when Princess Elowen’s silhouette appeared like a silver blade cutting through the dark.
Her moonstone eyes locked onto him, unreadable. For a heartbeat, neither of them spoke.
"I thought I was alone," Enzo asked again, forcing a casual smile as he stepped slightly aside to block the communicator in his coat. His voice betrayed nothing—years of working with the Atlan’s family had taught him how to lie with elegance.
Princess Elowen tilted her head, studying him beneath the crown of stars. "So did I."
There was a pause. Her tone wasn’t accusatory. Just... distant.
"I just came to give you this," she said softly. From behind her back, she held out a leather satchel—Donato’s.
Enzo blinked, surprised. "His bag?"
"He left it in the stargazing observatory," she said. "He’s been too focused to notice." Her fingers brushed against the strap as she handed it to Enzo, but she didn’t linger. "Make sure he gets it."
"I will," Enzo said smoothly. "Are you heading back to the palace?"
Princess Elowen didn’t meet his gaze. "Yes."
She turned to go, the folds of her silver gown whispering through the grass like waves over crushed glass. But just as she passed him, she paused.
"I didn’t hear anything, if that’s what you’re worried about."
"But that doesn’t mean I trust you," she added, her voice quieter now, "I and my mother felt you lied when you first came".
"That was a mistake," Enzo said quickly. "I wasn’t thinking straight..... "
She cut him off with a bitter laugh. "Your loyalty shifts with shadows. Be careful, Enzo. One day, someone may choose not to catch you when you fall."
And with that, she was gone.
Enzo’s jaw tightened as he watched her disappear into the night. The moment her presence faded, he knelt down behind the trees, opened the leather satchel, and pulled out Donato’s phone.
It was still powered off.
He held it in his palm like it was a ticking bomb.
A direct link to Luca Morano.
A direct threat to his plan.
"No more warnings," he muttered.
With one decisive motion, he smashed the phone against a jagged stone. The screen shattered, the circuits inside cracking with a faint sizzle. He struck it again. And again. Until nothing recognizable remained.
He scooped up the broken parts and scattered them into the nearby stream.
Donato would think the phone was misplaced. Delayed communication. Nothing more.
And Enzo? Enzo would have just enough time to finish what he started.
In the Palace Library.
Donato sat alone at the edge of the moon-pool in the royal library courtyard. His hands were still damp from trying to trace the ancient runes carved into the stone basin, hoping for hidden meaning. But his mind was elsewhere.
Princess elowen’s voice lingered in his head.
Then I will love you, even if it breaks me.
He clenched his fist.
He didn’t deserve her love. He didn’t even deserve susan’s forgiveness, for having his child outside wedlock and the child remains hidden. And yet, for the first time in a long time, he wanted both. Even knowing he might never have either.
A rustling behind him snapped his attention. Enzo emerged with Donato’s leather satchel in hand.
"You left this," Enzo said, tossing it gently to him.
Donato caught it with a nod. "Thanks. I didn’t even realize."
Enzo shrugged. "You’ve been... distracted."
Donato gave a tight smile but said nothing.
Enzo lingered. "You’ve made progress. The map is growing brighter."
Donato’s gaze sharpened. "You saw the map?"
"I passed by the archives. Princess elowen said it started glowing again last night. That only happens when someone’s getting closer to unlocking the Book."
Donato raised an eyebrow. "She tells you a lot."
Enzo smirked. "She talks to everyone. You’re not the only Morano with charm."
That jab didn’t land.
Donato simply stood. "Stay out of my things, Enzo. I’m not as forgiving as my brother."
Enzo raised both hands in mock surrender. "Just trying to help."
Donato walked away without another word, leaving Enzo behind with the growing weight of secrets pressing against his chest like stone.
Inside the Palace — Princess Elowen’s Chambers
Princess elowen sat at her vanity, brushing out her long, dark hair. But her eyes were distant. Her thoughts were somewhere between the forest and the terrace. Between Donato’s pain and her own unraveling heart.
She hadn’t told Donato what she saw—Enzo clutching something, muttering into the shadows. She hadn’t heard the words, but she’d seen enough to stir suspicion.
She trusted her instincts.
And they told her Enzo wasn’t here for loyalty.
But she also knew Donato. He carried too many burdens. Too many ghosts. If she brought more doubt into his world now, he might retreat completely. And that... she wasn’t ready for.
She touched her lips where she had almost kissed him. Her heartbeat still ached from the rejection—but her mind understood.
He had left someone behind.
He is not mine, she reminded herself.
She turned back to the mirror, eyes glowing softly beneath the candlelight.
But she would protect him all the same.
Even if he never chose her.
Back in the Morano’s world — The City of Delvona
The windows of Bianca’s apartment reflected the city skyline like fractured diamonds. Her manicured fingers wrapped around a wine glass, but she hadn’t taken a sip.
Her eyes were glued to the images in her head. Too many thoughts.
One of Luca and Alessia, how deeply they are in love, how Luca always make Alessia his first priority.
Another of Luca holding Alessia’s hand as they left the Morano estate under a rain of whispers and speculation.
They were getting too close again.
Bianca’s red lips curved downward.
She had sacrificed too much. Lied too beautifully. Risked too deeply to be erased by Alessia’s return. And now, everyone was starting to forget her and now give Alessia all attention. Including Luca—as if her pregnancy had never split the family like a rotten fruit.
Bianca tossed the tablet onto the table and stood up, her heels clicking like gunshots against the marble floor. Her mind spun like a spiderweb catching fire.
She knew Luca. Knew what twisted him inside out.
He couldn’t stand another man touching what he considered his.
He may have pushed Alessia away, but the thought of her moving on? That would drive him to madness.
She walked to the mirror, smoothing her silk robe, running her hand slowly down her neck.
A plan began to brew, dark and seductive.
All she needed was a spark.
And one person knew exactly how to fan flames into wildfires.
She picked up her phone, hesitated only for a moment, then tapped the name.
The screen rang once.
And she finally picked.
Bianca’s lips curled into a slow, cruel smile.
"Hello, Let’s talk, I really need to talk to you, Seraphina". she whispered...