"The Witch’s Redirection"

"The Witch’s Redirection" 15

## Chapter Fifteen: Silken Shackles and Dragon Eyes

The chambers of Seraphina’s private wing in the Ethereon estate felt wider and colder than usual. The tall glass windows overlooking the estate's gardens were tightly sealed, and the imperial rain, continuous for the second consecutive day, drummed against the glass in a monotonous, rhythmic cadence—as if reminding her of the prison she had chosen for herself.

Upon her right wrist, a heavy black metallic band gleamed, engraved with intricate imperial runes that flashed with a faint crimson light every now and then. The "Mana-Lock Bracelet." This band represented her official sentence; it suppressed the vibrations of her blue healing mana, preventing it from flowing outside her body. This restriction left her with a slight physical lethargy and a persistent headache, a direct consequence of her vital energy being pent up.

Yet, the pallor of her face only lent a sharper brilliance to her blue eyes. She sat upon a dark velvet chair, draped in a simple household silk robe, holding a cup of warm tea. She observed the rising steam with a tranquility unbefitting a woman who had just survived a political battle that nearly claimed her head.

Suddenly, the heavy curtains at the entrance of the wing parted without permission, and Cassian Valerion stepped inside.

He did not wear his heavy military armor this time, but rather a black shirt of military silk and a dark coat embroidered with subtle golden threads symbolizing his status as the Crown Prince. However, his dominant presence and towering frame instantly filled the void of the room, causing a localized shift in the surrounding mana. His golden eyes gleamed with the sharp focus of an investigator who had entirely isolated his target from the outside world.

With a wave of his hand, Cassian signaled the accompanying maids and personal guards to exit. The massive wooden doors closed behind them with a heavy thud, clearly announcing the commencement of their private confrontation.

Seraphina did not stand to receive him, nor did she bow as imperial protocol dictated. She merely took a slow sip from her cup, placed it on the small silver table beside her, and looked up at him with a gaze completely devoid of any welcoming warmth.

"Your Imperial Highness," she said, her voice soft, cold, and composed. "I was unaware that the duties of 'close surveillance' required you to intrude upon a noble lady's quarters at such a late hour of the evening. Does the Crown lack sufficient soldiers to perform this task in your stead?"

Cassian advanced with slow, measured steps until he stood directly before her chair, pinning her between his frame and the edge of the table. He leaned slightly forward, the intense heat radiating from his powerful build cutting through the chill surrounding her.

"Soldiers watch ordinary prisoners, Seraphina," he said in a low, deep voice, carrying a note of threat cloaked in calm. "But witches who tamper with time, save Crown Princes from certain death, and then turn the tables on the Empire's greatest families in the Throne Room... they require my personal supervision."

His large hand reached out, and with powerful fingers, he caught her chin gently yet with enough firmness to force her to tilt her head back, compelling her to look directly into his golden eyes, which burned with a mixture of curiosity and suppressed fury.

"You obtained exactly what you wanted, didn't you?" Cassian whispered, his eyes scanning the details of her pale face. "You exiled Elisia to the North without breaking her house, you saved my life to ensure I am indebted to you before my father the Emperor, and you secured your own safety inside this estate under my official protection. Who taught you this filthy political game? Where did the girl go who used to weep when I deserted her for mere seconds?"

Seraphina felt the pressure of his fingers against her skin, and she felt that ancient, troublesome pulse in her chest urging her to surrender to his protection. However, the memories of the scaffold and the blood that poured from her neck in her past life were quicker to silence that pulse.

She raised her left hand, and with a slow, deliberate motion, she pried his fingers away from her chin with absolute coldness, as though his touch were nothing more than a minor physical annoyance.

"People change when they realize that weeping does not alter equations, Your Highness," she said, relaxing into her chair and crossing one leg over the other with regal poise. "As for that old girl... I buried her with my own hands. The woman standing before you now is one who understands that influence in this palace is not given; it is seized. And I did not save your life out of love for you, but because your death last night would have meant chaos—a chaos that would have consumed my family before yours. It was a completely logical and calculated decision... precisely the manner of thinking you always advised me to adopt, was it not?"

Cassian’s jaw clenched, and his golden irises narrowed. The words she spoke were lashes striking at the very imperial logic he sanctified. She had used his own weapon—cold logic and political utility—to corner him.

"A logical decision?" He stepped back, letting out a short, dry laugh completely devoid of amusement. "Logic dictates that you wouldn't risk your life and expose forbidden magic before the entire Emperor unless you possessed a deeper agenda. You are harboring something far greater than a mere conspiracy by House Raven. The bracelet upon your wrist suppresses your mana, but it does not prevent your mind from preparing its next move. I have known you since childhood, Seraphina... and your current confidence is terrifying because it relies on no visible ally."

"I am my own ally, Cassian," she cut him off, her tone as decisive as the strike of a sword. "As for childhood... I advise you to forget it. The two children who played in the palace gardens no longer exist. We are now chess pieces in a grander game, and you have become my official supervisor by the Emperor's decree. Therefore, perform your duty... and let me perform mine."

Moving with lightning speed, Cassian closed the distance again, gripping her right wrist where the black band rested. He pressed down on the warm metal, and she felt his dragon mana contact the imperial locking rune, sensing the suppressed magical pulse trapped within her.

"I will be here every single day," he whispered close to her ear, his voice sending a cold shiver down her spine. "I will watch every step you take, every letter you send, and every person who enters this wing. If you think this prison will be peaceful, you are mistaken. I shall be your shadow until you reveal to me the secret behind this magic, and who the sorcerer is that prophesied your death on the sixth night."

She looked into his face, which was incredibly close, and maintained her cold, internal smile. She was not afraid of his surveillance; rather, she knew that keeping Cassian close was the fastest way to uncover the true sorcerer within the Imperial Court who had manipulated Elisia and tried to kill her. Cassian was her strongest shield and her hidden weapon, without him even realizing it.

"Then, I wish you an entertaining time watching me, Your Imperial Highness," she said, her voice laced with silent defiance. "But beware... for the shadow can sometimes swallow its owner."

Cassian slowly released her wrist, his eyes still searching her features for any residual trace of her old vulnerability, but he found nothing but a wall of black ice. He turned and strode toward the door with heavy military steps, opening it to exit into the corridor, leaving the wing to submerge once more into the sound of the cold imperial rain.

When the doors clicked shut, Seraphina exhaled slowly, placing her hand over her chest where her mana throbbed behind the bracelet. She looked out at the dark window and whispered to herself, "The first round is over, Cassian... and now, it is time to begin moving my pieces from behind the walls of this prison."

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