I returned to the manor as the rain poured violently from the sky. It seemed the first turns of spring would not come easily. This will delay the crops, I thought, and possibly the harvest. We were lucky that our territory relied mostly on the mines and exports, and not from farming.

As we approached the gates of the manor, mud splashed lightly from the wheels of the carriage. The door opened, and Gareth, wearing a hooded cloak to protect himself from the rain, offered me his hand and an additional cloak.

"My apologies, my lady. We were not prepared for the rain."

I donned the cloak, taking his hand and stepping out of the carriage onto the cobblestone. "It's no trouble at all, Sir Gareth," I said. I was glad to have worn a dress that was not so extravagant, as it didn't drag on the wet cobblestone.

I nodded at the driver of the carriage, who led the soaked team of horses back to their stable. As I entered the manor, Gareth left to return to the barracks and I was greeted by one of my personal maids. I had already received several reports from Edith, and luckily, most of my personal attendants had been cleared of suspicion. She'd given me information about some servants who were participating in smuggling goods, but she'd been unable to track down where.

"I want you to keep an eye on Clara," I had said cautiously before I left that morning. "She's up to something, I know it."

Clara. The head of the Manor, who'd taken over duties of the duchess in my mother's place while also managing the staff. I was fairly certain she was a wolf in sheep's clothing, and our earlier interactions seemed to reinforce this. If only the novel had touched on Tamara's home life... I thought. Things would have been much easier if I was reincarnated with her memories.

Nevertheless, I knew that once I felled their leader, the rest would scatter like pests. Once I cleared the manor and established loyalty, I could get to work on the bigger issue: the entire territory. Freeing the Dukedom of corruption was my ultimate goal, and it would ensure my safety in the years to come.

As we reached my room, I allowed the maids to change me into my nightly attire. This is something I still will never get used to, I thought.

The maids set a candle, and the aroma of lavender filled my bedroom as I advanced toward my bed. I really hope I can get some sleep tonight, I thought. There was too much to think about. The investigations, my relationship with Julian, the Prince, Katia, and Rowan, my new eyes on the streets....

I paused and I noticed something unsettling on the neatly made comforter. There was a note, neatly written with an elegant, curling script. I turned the note over, and on the back was the emblem of a dragon.

"Do not forget where your loyalties lie."

My blood was chilled. What?

My heart skipped a beat. I read the text again, so elegant and simple despite the threat it held. "Do not forget where your loyalties lie." The weight felt heavy on my heart.

Of course.

My mind flipped through the events of the novel. I had known about the Shadow Walkers: the main villainous organization of the novel. I knew about their conspiracies, about Chancellor Veltin, and even about their eventual destruction at the hands of the hero, Percy.

But why hadn't I assumed that the original Rosaria was one of them?

It all made sense now. I had always assumed the original Rosaria's downfall was due to her own pride and delusion: never had I assumed that her motivation could have been from the Shadow Walker's themselves. Thinking of it now, it never made sense to me. Even without a mother, how could a girl with such a loving Father and brother turn to villainy so easily?

Rosaria... What happened to you?

I held the note tenderly in my hands. This revelation changed everything: I was being watched. My thoughts raced. Was this a test—or a threat? I would have to be very careful about my next move.

But before I could gather my scattered thoughts and form a plan of action, the door to my bedroom creaked quietly. I froze, turning slowly to see Clara. Her calculating gaze bored me, predatory and calm. So you're revealing your true colors now. Saves me all the trouble.

"Don't think I haven't been noticing what you're trying to do. I think it's time to remember who holds the real power in this manor, and it's not you," Clara said, her tone low and laced with warning, recalling my earlier treatment of her when going through my personal ledgers. "Don't get a big head just because you've become the new crown princess."

Her voice was both mocking and menacing as she stepped into the room, balancing a tray of empty tea cups and a teapot with practiced grace. Without another word, she placed the tray on a nearby table and turned to leave, the clatter of the cups echoing in the silent room.

As soon as Clara shut the door behind her, I exhaled slowly, trying to steady my racing heart. My fingers clenched around the note, the elegant script branding itself into my mind.I stood frozen, the note still in my hand, my mind a whirlwind. Clara had come to me herself–and that revealed my suspicions that she was indeed an agent of the Shadow Walkers.

Clara had made her move—boldly, directly. That meant she wasn't afraid of me. Not yet. But once Julian uncovers that Cipher, you're done for, I smiled. However, a different thought struck me.

If I tried to get rid of Clara, she would only reveal that I was also one of them. This would cause a whole slough of problems that I didn't want to deal with, so I'd have to proceed carefully. There was a fine line I was walking.

I turned toward the tray she had placed on the table. Perhaps it would give me a clue into Rosaria's connection with the Shadow Walkers. The teapot and cups were pristine, their delicate porcelain gleaming in the candlelight. But something about them put me on edge. I stepped closer, my instincts urging me to inspect them. Carefully, I lifted the lid of the teapot. It was empty.

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. Was I just being paranoid? Perhaps she only came to intimidate me, a show of power to remind me of my place. Then, I recalled the dragon on the back of the note. No other group but the Shadow Walkers uses a dragon insignia.

But then I noticed something. When I lifted the lid of the sugar jar, there was a small, black pouch. I took it out, and weighed it between my hands. Inside the pouch was a grainy white powder, and I instantly recognized it.

Poison.

And not just any poison—I knew exactly what it was. There was only one kind of poison the Shadow Walker's dealt with, and that was the Dragon's Tooth. An incredibly rare and deadly poison, ground from dragon bones and an herb from the Midnight Mountains, where even a single grain could fell an elephant.

Dread coiled in my stomach as I closed the pouch. Clara intentionally left this for me. There was enough poison in here to kill an entire Court of nobles. Perhaps that's their plan.

Of course, it made perfect sense now. Chancellor Veltin was not enough, they needed another pawn in the King's Court. A pawn who would not betray them, a pawn whom they'd groomed from birth. And that pawn was Rosaria.

I needed answers. I dropped the pouch on my table and turned toward my writing desk, searching like a hungry lion. I opened drawer after drawer with shaking hands. Surely, there had to have been some sort of correspondence between Rosaria and the Shadow Walkers, other than through Clara. My heart pounded as I rummaged through the contents—quills, ink bottles, parchment. Then, in the third drawer, my hand brushed against something unfamiliar.

There was a false bottom.

Carefully, I lifted the panel, to reveal a stack of letters. Rosaria... you were smarter than I gave you credit for.

I pulled them out, my fingers trembling as I untied the delicate ribbon that bound them. As I flipped through the pages, my blood ran cold.

These were my letters. Or rather, Rosaria's. Correspondence between her and the Shadow Walkers, or rather, Chancellor Veltin.

Oh. I'd forgotten. That night at the banquet, when Chancellor Veltin's beady eyes stared into me. This was how he knew me—Rosaria had been receiving orders directly from the head of the Shadow Walker's himself.

They were vague, and there wasn't much I could determine from them. Each page was a thread in a web of deceit, detailing secret meetings, coded instructions, and chilling promises of power.

I eyed the pouch on the table, then back to the letters. It seemed I would be up very late tonight again. I was playing a dangerous game, and it just got more deadly. Now caught between two sides, it would be a fight for my life. I would need to move carefully now. If I tried to reveal Clara, she would only reveal that I had been working alongside her and drag me down with her. And I would make Chancellor Veltin suspicious of me, which could potentially earn an assassin sent my way.

I would need to gather loyal allies to protect me, and clear my name of any relation with the Shadow Walkers. Only then could I clear them from my territory, and save myself from certain death.

I sat in my chair and heaved a sigh. I had a lot of work to do these next few weeks, and being watched by Clara wasn't going to make it any easier.