the bloom of light and shadow

The knock came too soon.

Just as Kael opened his mouth to explain who he truly was — just as Seraphina's breath caught in her throat — a crisp voice rang from the other side of the door.

"Your Highness. A message has arrived. Sealed."

The words hit like a crack of thunder.

Kael's jaw tensed. The moment shattered. The truth, still hanging on the edge of his lips, vanished into the silence.

Seraphina straightened in her chair, her hands tightening in her lap. Her heart was still racing — not from fear, but from the weight of what almost passed between them.

A knight stepped in, bowed, and placed a letter in Kael's hands. Crimson wax. The imperial seal.

Kael turned away slightly and broke the seal with a practiced motion. His eyes scanned the page, slow at first — then faster.

Seraphina watched the shift in his expression. Subtle, but unmistakable.

He folded the letter carefully, slid it inside his coat, and finally spoke.

"There's been a disturbance."

She rose slowly. "What kind?"

"In a village to the east. Ashmoor." His tone was even, but guarded. "Locals are reporting strange events. Voices in the night. Whispers with no source. Panic is spreading."

He paused. "The Emperor wants it investigated — without soldiers. Without banners. Quietly."

"By you."

"Yes."

She tilted her head slightly. "When?"

"Before dawn."

The answer struck harder than she expected.

Before dawn. That soon.

She looked at him, the shadows of the fire dancing across his face, and for a reason she couldn't name — something in her chest rebelled.

And then, calmly — instinctively — she said it:

"I want to come."

Kael turned. Slowly. "No."

Her reply came like steel wrapped in silk.

"It wasn't a question."

Silence followed. Not empty — but crackling. His gaze narrowed, not in anger, but confusion. As if he were trying to read something written in a language he didn't know.

"You don't understand what you're asking," he said finally. "This isn't a journey fit for nobility. Something's happening out there, and the crown suspects it's not natural."

"Good," she said softly. "Then I'm exactly where I should be."

He looked at her — really looked — and for the first time, his certainty seemed to falter.

"Do you know how much risk this brings?" he asked.

"No more than I already face here."

He blinked.

She took a slow breath, forcing the heat in her chest to settle. "You said the Emperor trusts you to handle this quietly. That must mean he trusts your judgment."

Kael's gaze sharpened. "It also means I'm held responsible for everything that happens."

"Then trust your judgment," she said. "Bring me."

Kael said nothing for a long while. The fire snapped and hissed between them.

Finally, he looked toward the window, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Why do you want to come?"

Seraphina hesitated.

There were a hundred reasons — none of which she could say. Not yet.

So she said the only thing she could.

"Because I need to."

He looked back at her. Searching.

She didn't flinch.

"…Then I'll speak to the Duke," he said quietly in despear. "And send a letter to the Emperor. If either of them refuses, it ends here."

Her lips curved — just barely. "Fine."

Kael moved toward the door, but paused again.

"When we do speak again," he said, "we'll finish the conversation we started."

Seraphina didn't reply.

But as he left the room and the door clicked shut behind him, a ghost of a smile played on her lips — distant, unreadable.

Something was already beginning.She just didn't know what yet.

Seraphina didn't have time to lose.

The moment Kael stepped away, she gathered her skirts and moved swiftly through the stone corridors of the estate. Her footsteps echoed faintly, but her resolve was quiet, burning. She didn't wait for a maid, nor did she ask for permission. She knew exactly where she needed to go.

She stopped in front of the Duke's study, her heart steady.

Without knocking, she pushed the door open and entered.

The Duke looked up from behind his desk, a flicker of surprise crossing his features. "Seraphina?"

"I need to speak with you," she said, not waiting for him to invite her in.

He gestured for her to sit, but she remained standing.

"I've come to ask your permission," she said, her voice calm.

"For what, exactly?"

"I want to leave the estate."

He blinked. "Leave? And go where?"

"There's something happening in a nearby village. People are hearing voices—strange ones. Kael has been assigned to investigate, and I intend to go with him."

The Duke's face darkened. "Absolutely not. That region is unstable, and this house—your place here—is not something to abandon lightly. You may not realize what kind of danger—"

"I do realize," Seraphina interrupted, her voice rising slightly before softening. "I've lived with it my entire life. And I won't sit here in silence while others face what I might understand better than anyone else."

"You're a noblewoman, Seraphina. You don't even have formal combat training—"

"I won't be going alone." Her tone firmed. "Kael will be with me."

The Duke stiffened.

"You think that makes this better?"

"I think it makes it possible."

He stood from his chair slowly, tension in his shoulders. "Why now? After years of quiet, why step into danger now?"

She didn't hesitate.

"Because I finally can. Because I want to. And because you always wanted me to see you as something more than a figure of duty." She drew in a breath. "So listen when I say this: I'm not asking as a noble. I'm asking as your daughter… Father."

The word rang through the study like a spark striking cold iron.

The Duke stilled.

He looked at her long and hard. Some distant, unreadable emotion flickered behind his eyes — and then disappeared.

He sat again, slowly.

"Even if I wanted to allow it, the Emperor's word would be required."

She met his gaze evenly."It has already been given."

The Duke narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean—"

The door opened sharply.

Kael stepped inside, a sealed scroll in hand — the imperial crest gleaming gold against the dark red wax.

"I believe this will answer your concern," he said calmly, though there was a faint satisfaction beneath his composed tone.

He handed the letter to the Duke, who broke the seal and scanned it silently. His eyes widened slightly — the first hint of genuine surprise Seraphina had seen from him in years.

"…This is the Emperor's seal," he muttered. "And this signature…"

He looked up at Kael, brows furrowed. "How did you obtain a response this quickly?"

Kael offered a faint, unreadable smile."I didn't have to wait. His Majesty had already considered the possibility. He gave his blessing the moment I asked for it."

Seraphina watched the Duke carefully. He was silent for a moment, then exhaled through his nose and placed the scroll down.

"I see," he said quietly, almost to himself."Then I suppose there is no use in stopping what's already been set in motion."

Kael nodded respectfully."With your permission, we will leave at dawn."

The Duke's gaze lingered on Seraphina for a beat longer, unreadable — and then he nodded, slowly.

"Very well. But I say this once: protect her."

Kael's voice was firm. "With my life."

He turned toward Seraphina. "Prepare yourself. This journey will test everything you are."

"I'm not afraid," she answered.

As Kael left the room, his cloak trailing behind him, the fire in the hearth flickered again — and with it, something unseen moved.

Seraphina turned to follow, but just before reaching the door, something brushed the edge of her mind.

A voice, soft as breath:

"You are not as alone as you think..."

She stilled.

Her fingers curled gently at her side.

The whisper was gone.

But its meaning lingered — like a shadow at her back.

The journey had already begun.