Chapter Nine: The Blood-Stained
765 Words
POV: Melissa / Mary
The moment Cassian smiled—
The entire ballroom froze.
No exaggeration.
People genuinely stopped moving.
One noblewoman dropped her fan.
Another nearly spilled her drink.
Even the musicians missed a note.
Because Marquis Cassian Vale—
The coldest man in the empire—
Was smiling.
At me.
OH NO.
This was exactly how rumors started.
Cassian seemed completely unaware of the chaos he caused.
Or maybe he simply didn’t care.
Honestly, both options were terrifying.
Meanwhile, Ethan’s expression darkened slightly.
Lucas looked emotionally exhausted.
And Tiffany looked one second away from planning my wedding.
“We should leave immediately,” I whispered urgently.
“Yes,” Lucas agreed instantly. “Before the rumors become worse.”
Too late.
The rumors were already being born in real time.
I could literally hear whispers behind us.
“Did you see that?”
“Marquis Vale smiled…”
“At Lady Melissa…”
“This is unbelievable.”
I wanted to disappear.
As Tiffany hurried to prepare our carriage, I quickly escaped toward the palace entrance alone.
Big mistake.
Because the moment I stepped into the empty hallway—
The palace lights suddenly flickered.
Cold air swept through the corridor violently.
And then—
A scream echoed somewhere deep inside the palace.
A woman’s scream.
Sharp.
Terrified.
Everyone in the ballroom instantly went silent.
Another scream followed.
Then—
CRASH!
The sound of breaking glass exploded through the palace.
Panic spread immediately.
“What happened?!”
“Where did that come from?!”
“Knights!”
People began shouting as royal guards rushed down the hallways.
My chest tightened uneasily.
This scene…
I remembered this scene.
No.
No no no.
In the original novel—
Tonight was supposed to end peacefully.
But later in the story, there had been mention of a mysterious incident during the royal ball.
A maid found dead.
Blood everywhere.
And written on the wall beside the body—
A prophecy.
At the time, readers thought it was unrelated.
Until much later.
When people began dying one after another.
Cold fear crawled down my spine.
Please don’t tell me—
Another scream interrupted my thoughts.
Closer this time.
The nobles panicked completely.
Women clung to their partners while knights drew swords.
The Emperor’s voice suddenly echoed powerfully across the hall.
“Everyone remain calm!”
His commanding aura silenced the crowd instantly.
Then his sharp eyes moved toward the royal guards.
“Seal the palace immediately.”
My stomach dropped.
This was bad.
Very bad.
Ethan stepped forward beside the Emperor calmly.
“I’ll investigate.”
“I’m coming too,” Lucas said seriously.
Cassian, who had silently appeared beside me again, narrowed his eyes slightly.
Something about his expression changed.
Sharper.
Dangerous.
Like a predator sensing blood.
Oh right.
Wolf senses.
That’s probably not good.
Suddenly—
Cassian grabbed my wrist.
My entire body froze.
“Don’t move alone tonight,” he said quietly.
His voice sounded different.
Lower.
More serious than before.
“What’s happening?” I whispered nervously.
For a brief second, silence passed between us.
Then Cassian answered softly—
“…Something woke up.”
My blood ran cold.
Before I could ask what that meant, a knight suddenly rushed toward the Emperor, pale and shaking.
“Y-Your Majesty…”
The entire hallway fell silent.
The knight swallowed hard before speaking.
“We found a body.”
Gasps echoed everywhere.
The Emperor’s expression darkened immediately.
“Who?”
“A palace maid.”
My chest tightened.
Just like the novel.
Just like the novel.
Ethan’s face became cold instantly.
“Cause of death?”
The knight looked horrified.
“…Her throat was torn open.”
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Then chaos exploded.
Women screamed.
Nobles stepped backward in fear.
Several people began crying immediately.
But I couldn’t move.
Because I remembered something else.
Something important.
In the novel, the prophecy written beside the body had terrified the entire empire.
Not because of the murder—
But because the message mentioned wolves.
Slowly…
Very slowly…
I turned toward Cassian.
His expression had become unreadable.
But his sea-blue eyes looked dangerously sharp now.
As if he already knew what the knight would say next.
The trembling knight continued—
“And there was writing on the wall…”
The Emperor’s voice became ice cold.
“What did it say?”
The knight hesitated.
Almost afraid to repeat it.
Then quietly—
“The black wolf will drown the empire in blood.”
My heart stopped.
Because across the hallway—
Every noble slowly turned to look at Cassian Vale.
- Writer
