A City in Fear
The capital was no longer the same.
Whispers of an unseen hand spread through the streets like a plague.
Duke Valmore, once a titan of noble society, had fallen into disgrace and madness. Some claimed he had gone insane overnight. Others said he had angered the wrong devil.
And Elias Dorne—the infamous inquisitor, the terror of the underground—had vanished.
No body was found. No evidence remained.
Only silence.
To the nobles, it was a mystery.
To Lucien, it was a lesson.
Fear was not instilled by the sword. It was instilled by the unknown.
And now, the entire city was afraid of a ghost.
Seraphina's Curiosity
Seraphina stood by her window, her hands clasped together, deep in thought.
Lucien.
Every time she saw him, she felt as if she were staring at a puzzle that refused to be solved.
She had witnessed countless masterminds, manipulators, and liars in her time. Yet none like him.
He moved with absolute confidence, yet never sought recognition.
He destroyed his enemies without hesitation, yet never left a trace.
He was brilliant. Terrifyingly brilliant.
And she wanted to understand him.
No—she needed to.
A knock at her door.
One of her informants entered, bowing. "The Duke has locked himself away, my lady. He refuses to see anyone."
Seraphina's lips curled into a knowing smile.
Lucien had planned this outcome from the start.
A man destroyed in public was a martyr.
A man destroyed in the shadows was a ghost.
She whispered to herself, almost in admiration—"You are a cruel man, Lucien."
A Spider at Work
In a dimly lit study, Lucien sat across from a trembling man.
The noble before him—Lord Cavendish—had served Valmore for years. A man once proud and untouchable.
Now? A pawn in Lucien's game.
Lucien's voice was soft. "Tell me, Lord Cavendish, do you know why you are here?"
The noble swallowed hard, his hands shaking. "You… you wish to destroy me?"
Lucien chuckled. "Destroy you? No, no, my dear lord. You will destroy yourself."
Cavendish's eyes widened in horror. "W-What?"
Lucien leaned forward, his gaze sharp as a blade.
"You will confess to crimes you never committed. You will write letters exposing corruption—fabricated, of course."
His tone remained cold, unforgiving.
"You will do this, because if you don't… you will wish I had merely destroyed you."
Cavendish broke.
Tears ran down his face as he nodded, a man crushed before a god.
Lucien leaned back, satisfied.
Another piece in place. Another move completed.
The Unseen Threat
As Lucien exited the study, a voice called to him from the shadows.
"You're playing a dangerous game, Lucien."
He turned to see Seraphina leaning against the wall, watching him with those sharp, knowing eyes.
He smirked. "Dangerous? No. Predictable."
She stepped closer, eyes never leaving his. "Valmore was one thing. But the entire nobility? They will fight back eventually."
Lucien's expression did not change.
"They already have."
Seraphina's breath caught.
Lucien tilted his head, amused. "Did you think I was merely reacting to their moves?"
He chuckled.
"I knew they would retaliate before they even realized they needed to."
Seraphina stared at him, a slow, almost dangerous admiration growing within her.
He was not just ahead of the game. He was the game.
And she was being pulled in—slowly, inevitably, irresistibly.
End of Chapter 17