Chapter 4

The iron wheels of the carriage clattered over the cobblestones of the Luminescence district as I stared out the window, watching my aunt’s shrinking figure fade into the shadows of the Grand Lyceum. My hands were still shaking in my lap—not from fear, but from the sheer shock that I had actually said no to her.

“You were incredible,” Regaleon said softly. His large hand covered mine, his thumb tracing smooth circles over my knuckles. “You stood up for yourself.”

“I only did it because you were there,” I admitted, looking down at our joined hands. “If I were alone, I would have walked straight back into that house and locked myself in my room.”

“Then I will make sure I am always there,” he replied without hesitation.

I bit my lip, looking out as the carriage began a steep climb up the mountain paths. The initial adrenaline of defying my aunt was fading, replaced by a cold knot in my stomach. “I don't have royal training, Regaleon. I don't know how to act in high society. Everyone at the palace is going to see me for what I am—a plain girl from the city archive.”

Regaleon leaned in, his fingers gently catching my chin to lift my face toward his. “Let them look. Let them look at the woman who captured my heart long before I even knew my name. You don't need royal training, Aurelia. You just need to be yourself.”

Before I could answer, the carriage passed through massive iron gates forged into howling wolves. Tall stone towers stretched into the moonlit sky, flanked by rows of silver-armored guards bowing low as we passed.

When the carriage stopped in the central courtyard, Regaleon stepped out first and offered his hand. As my feet hit the polished stone, an elderly steward in formal velvet robes stepped forward, accompanied by servants and peering at my simple violet dress with cautious curiosity.

Regaleon didn't give him the chance to question my presence. He slid his arm firmly around my waist, pulling me to his side so the entire courtyard could see.

“This is Aurelia,” Regaleon announced, his voice ringing across the stone walls. “She is my fated mate, and the future Queen of this kingdom.”

The steward, Master Benedict, bowed instantly to the ground. But before he could speak, the heavy courtyard doors burst open. A royal guard sprinted down the grand staircase, pale and out of breath, holding a leather scroll sealed with red wax.

“Your Highness!” the guard gasped, dropping to one knee. “An urgent report from the High Archivist! Someone broke into the stone vault beneath the Keep during the gala tonight. The protective seal of the Moon Goddess’s lineage has been stolen!”

Regaleon snatched the scroll, tearing it open. Beside him, Captain Ryss leaned in, his hand instantly dropping to his sword hilt. Whispers immediately erupted from the court nobles lingering on the balcony above, their eyes darting between Regaleon and me.

Rather than shrinking into the background, I stepped closer to Regaleon's side, watching his face harden as he barked orders to seal the mountain paths and double the gate guards.

“Prince Regaleon,” I murmured, cutting through his rising anger. “Is the seal dangerous?”

He turned, placing a hand on my shoulder. “In the wrong hands, yes. It holds the ancestral magic of the royal bloodline. But you do not need to fear. No one will harm you here.”

“I’m not afraid for myself,” I said, looking him dead in the eye. “I’m worried about what this means for you and your people.”

Regaleon stared at me for a beat, something softening in his glare. He turned back to the steward. “Benedict, prepare the solar suite for Lady Aurelia. Ensure the guards know she commands the same authority I do. Anyone who disrespects her answers to my blade.”

He led me up the marble staircase, ignoring the staring nobles, and ushered me into a magnificent suite warmed by a crackling hearth. But my eyes immediately bypassed the massive canopy bed and swept toward the walls.

They were lined with dark mahogany bookshelves, packed with hundreds of leather-bound volumes.

Instinct took over. I walked straight past the velvet furniture and ran my fingers along the weathered spines. I pulled one heavy book from the shelf, my breath catching as I opened the cover.

“This is a first-edition history of the Moon Goddess,” I whispered, turning the delicate pages. “The copy in the city archives was missing half of the third volume.”

Regaleon closed the door behind us, a small smile touching his lips as he watched me. “You noticed that?”

“Of course I did,” I said, my voice growing stronger. I moved down the row, pointing at another spine. “And that’s the Ancient Rune Codex... and the early lineage records.”

Regaleon walked over, pulling several thick volumes off the upper shelves and stacking them directly into my arms until they nearly reached my chin.

“Regaleon, what are you doing?” I laughed softly, balancing the weight against my chest.

“Giving you what you love,” he said, taking the top book so it wouldn't slide off. “When you look at books, you forget everything around you. You stop worrying about what anyone thinks of you. You become completely yourself.”

My cheeks warmed, and I looked down at the ancient texts in my hands. “They were my only friends for a long time. When my aunt told me I was too plain or too useless to be seen, I hid in the library. Books don't judge you. They just share what they know.”

“Then you will never have to hide in a library again,” Regaleon said gently, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “You belong here, Aurelia.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, looking around the towering room before meeting his gaze again. “For the first time... I actually feel like I do.”

I set the stack of books on the nearby table, my analytical mind immediately pulling me back to the problem at hand.

“About the stolen seal,” I said, turning back to him with a narrow gaze. “You said it was taken from the deep vault. But the history books mention that the Moon Goddess’s seal cannot be touched by normal hands without burning the flesh. And the third volume of the Chronicles notes that its warding spell is tied to a crescent moon riddle. If someone took it without triggering the alarm wards, they didn't break the spell with brute force—they solved it.”

Regaleon straightened up, his eyes locking onto mine with sharp interest. “You know the vault’s warding mechanics?”

“I read the archivist records,” I said plainly. “If the seal is gone, whoever took it understands high-level runic structures.”

A heavy knock echoed at the door before Captain Ryss pushed it open. He carried a silver tray holding a fragment of burnt parchment covered in glowing, electric-blue symbols.

“My Prince,” Ryss said, his tone grim. “Our royal mages just inspected the empty altar. The thief left this coded script on the stone floor. None of the palace scholars can translate it.”

I didn't wait for permission. I stepped forward, taking the silver tray directly from Ryss. The glowing blue ink reflected in my eyes as I scanned the complex, geometric characters of the ancient high-elf script, tracing the pattern of the symbols in my mind.

“This isn't a message or a taunt,” I whispered, my heart dropping as the translation clicked into place.

Regaleon stepped up right beside me. “What is it, Aurelia?”

I looked up from the parchment, meeting his gaze. “It's a countdown.”