"Did your father order it?" Elena asked directly.
Adrian's jaw tightened. They stood alone in the quiet corridor outside her chambers, the hour late enough that most of the court had retired, leaving only the two of them and the weight of a question he clearly did not want to answer.
"That venom is called nightshade fang," Adrian said instead of answering. "An old Lustblood weapon, used generations ago before my grandfather restricted its production entirely. Very few vials remain, kept under heavy guard specifically to prevent exactly this kind of use."
"That is not what I asked."
"I know what you asked." Adrian's voice carried genuine strain now. "I cannot answer it, Elena. Not because I am protecting him, but because I genuinely do not know the truth myself, and accusing my own fath
