[center][img] https://i.imgur.com/rAa2bpv.png[/img] [/center]
[color=firebrick]Time:[/color] Nighttime Sola 28th
[color=firebrick]Location:[/color] Dinner event 
[color=firebrick] Interaction: [/color] 
[color=firebrick] Mentions:[/color] Alexander [@funnyguy], Mina [@Tae], Roman [@reusablesword] 
[color=gray]

Beyond the manicured hedges, the laughter and clink of glassware from the dining hall had faded to a dull hum. It felt distant now, like it belonged to a different world. One that had moved on without her.

Violet sat on the cold stone bench, arms crossed tight over her chest, like if she just held on hard enough, she wouldn’t fall apart. Her fingers dug into her sleeves, nails biting through fabric. Moonlight slipped through the overgrown branches above, casting broken shadows across her face, highlighting the tear tracks that still clung to her skin.

Her cheeks still stung from earlier, raw from crying, from everything Roman had said. Every word had landed like a blade. He hadn’t shouted. He hadn’t needed to. He just looked at her like he saw too much and said the exact things she wasn’t strong enough to hear. He picked her apart without raising his voice, piece by piece. And she’d let him. She broke open in front of him.

But Scarlet had been there. Watching. Silent. Her dark red eyes glowed faintly through the garden like something half-living, half-memory.

Her mother had left minutes ago with a soft kiss to her hair and a voice low and sweet, like nothing was wrong. [i][color=gray]“Come back in soon, darling.”[/color][/i] But Violet hadn’t moved. She couldn’t. Not when going back meant seeing Roman again. Not when it meant pretending nothing had cracked beneath her ribs.

The sounds from inside had gone quiet. She didn’t know how much time had passed. She didn’t care. Eventually, she stood, slow and stiff, like her body wasn’t quite ready to carry her yet. The night air clung to her skin, cool and damp, and she sucked in a shaky breath as she neared the door.

Her hand hovered on the handle. She didn’t push it open right away. Just stood there, caught in her head.

Alexander’s face came to mind. That quiet smile he gave her when he didn’t know what else to say. The way his hand had found her shoulder earlier, steady and grounding. He always seemed to know when she needed that. Even if lately, he’d started part of the chaos too.

She finally pushed the door open.

Inside, the hall felt unfamiliar. Dim. Still. No music. No laughter. Her eyes moved over the tables, searching. Roman was gone. So was Mina.

Then she saw Alexander’s seat.

[i]Empty.[/i]

She stopped walking.

Everything inside her went still. Her breath caught, and her gaze locked on the chair like it might tell her something, like maybe if she stared hard enough, it would give her a sign.

Then came the sound. Metal dragging softly across stone.

Her head snapped toward it, heart jumping. A chain. And then…

[i][color=gray]“Witch hunter.”[/color][/i]

Killian’s voice cut through the fog in her mind, dragging her back into the moment. Her expression didn’t change, but something inside her tightened. Her face turned calm, still, like carved marble. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she slipped back into her seat without drawing attention. Everyone else was focused on the chained woman.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Wulfric return to the table. He didn’t sit right away. Instead, he walked around his chair, slowly, like he had all the time in the world.

Then he spoke, and for a moment, she forgot everything else.

[i][color=firebrick]“There have been one or two cases where someone was declared dead, only to turn up alive later on…”[/color][/i]

Her spine went rigid. Muscles locking into place. Her jaw tightened until it hurt. His words weren’t random. They were chosen. Precise. And they landed like a hit.

[color=firebrick][i]Where was Alexander?[/i][/color]

Then Wulfric continued, his voice calm and terrifying.

[i][color=firebrick]“You see, it was my very mother who showed me magic.”[/color][/i]

She blinked, breath catching.

Did he really just say that?

The air shifted. Everything felt sharper, heavier. It was the kind of truth you didn’t speak. Not unless you were willing to bleed for it.

She exhaled slowly, leaning back in her seat. From the outside, she looked collected. Distant. But her eyes kept moving. Scanning. Searching.

Just a glimpse. Just to know he was safe.

She didn’t find him.

She watched as the guards stepped forward and took the Queen away. It felt surreal, like something out of a story she might’ve read as a child. Like none of it could be real.

And yet, all she could think was…

[center][color=firebrick][i]Where was Alexander?[/i][/color][/center]


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