REBORN TO RUIN THE ALPHA KING

CHAPTER 6: THE RING HE RECOGNIZED

The silver ring still lay on Seraphina’s table.

She closed her fingers around it, feeling the cold metal press against her palm. The Black family crest had been carved into its surface, with a small curved line beneath it. She had seen that mark before, and now Draven would have to explain why his family’s symbol had been found near the place where twelve soldiers disappeared.

A knock sounded at her door.

“Princess,” a servant announced, “the Alpha King has arrived for breakfast.”

Seraphina slipped the ring into her pocket.

“Tell him I will be there shortly.”

She checked her reflection in the mirror. Her face looked calm, but her thoughts were already moving ahead. In her first life, she had spent too long believing Draven’s words. This time, she would pay attention to what he tried to hide.

When she entered the breakfast room, Draven sat beside her father. Kael occupied the chair opposite him, while Isolde and Elara sat together near the window.

Draven glanced at Seraphina.

“You kept me waiting.”

“I wasn’t aware you were counting the minutes.”

His jaw tightened.

Aldric cleared his throat before either of them could continue. “We have more important matters to discuss than the wedding.”

“Then perhaps we should discuss the missing soldiers,” Seraphina replied.

Elara lowered her eyes, hiding a faint smile. Her tea remained untouched in front of her, though she had been seated long enough for it to cool.

Seraphina noticed.

Her sister was watching everything, especially Draven.

“The patrol has found nothing new,” Aldric said. “We cannot keep the entire eastern border in confusion because of a symbol in the dirt.”

“It is not just a symbol,” Seraphina answered. “It appears in an old royal report, and now we have a ring bearing the Black family crest.”

Draven stopped reaching for his cup.

“What ring?”

Seraphina looked directly at him. “One recovered near the eastern border.”

She took it from her pocket and placed it on the table.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Draven stared at the ring. The change in his expression was small, but Seraphina saw it. His fingers tightened around the handle of his cup, and the colour drained slightly from his face.

“Where did you get this?” he demanded.

“The border captain sent it to my father.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“It was found near the abandoned watchtower.”

Draven pushed his chair back slightly.

“Who else has seen it?”

“Why does that matter?” Kael asked.

Draven ignored him. His eyes remained fixed on Seraphina.

“That ring belonged to someone connected to my family.”

“Someone?” Seraphina repeated. “Or someone you know?”

His gaze sharpened.

“You are asking questions about things you do not understand.”

“Then help me understand.”

Draven reached for the ring, but Seraphina picked it up first.

“You have no right to keep evidence from the investigation,” he said.

“And you have no right to demand answers while refusing to give any.”

Aldric struck the table with his palm.

“Enough! This is not the place for another argument.”

Seraphina returned the ring to her pocket. “Then we can continue somewhere private.”

Draven rose.

“Fine.”

They moved into the adjoining gallery, where tall windows overlooked the palace gardens. Kael followed them, while Aldric remained behind to speak with the patrol captain, who had just arrived at the palace.

Draven turned on Seraphina as soon as the doors closed.

“Show me the ring again.”

She did not move.

“Tell me what you know about the eastern watchtower first.”

“I know very little about it.”

“But you recognized the ring.”

“I recognized the crest.”

“That is not the same thing.”

For the first time, uncertainty crossed his face. He looked towards the windows as though searching for an answer beyond the glass.

“My grandfather, Vaelor Black, kept objects connected to the northern provinces,” he said at last. “Some were old family possessions. Others were collected during his time on the royal council.”

“Was this one of them?”

“I cannot say for certain.”

Seraphina studied him. In her first life, Draven had rarely allowed anyone to see him uncertain. He had always spoken as if his judgment could never be questioned.

Now, his confidence seemed to be slipping.

“The old ledger records that your grandfather was present when a seal near the eastern watchtower was disturbed,” she said. “The same symbol appears in the report about the missing soldiers.”

Draven went still.

“Where did you find that record?”

“In the royal archives.”

“You should have left it there.”

“Why?”

His eyes met hers.

“Some things my grandfather buried for a reason.”

The words hung between them.

Kael stepped forward. “If your grandfather buried something beneath the watchtower, then perhaps it has something to do with the missing soldiers.”

“You know nothing about my grandfather,” Draven snapped.

“Neither do you, apparently, if you cannot explain what he left behind.”

Draven moved towards him, but Seraphina stepped between them.

“This is not about which of you can shout the loudest,” she said. “Twelve soldiers are missing. One has returned, and we have a ring linked to your family. If you know something that could help us find them, now is the time to speak.”

Draven looked at her for a long moment.

“I will speak to my family historians,” he said finally. “But do not enter that watchtower without knowing what lies beneath it.”

“Is that a warning?”

“It is advice.”

“From a man who just admitted his grandfather buried something there?”

His expression hardened.

“Do as you wish, Seraphina. You always seem determined to learn things the hard way.”

He turned and walked away.

Seraphina watched him leave. His answer had given her no clear confession, but it had confirmed one thing: the ring meant more to him than he wanted anyone to know.

Kael waited until Draven was out of hearing before speaking.

“He looked frightened.”

“He looked like someone who had recognised a danger he hoped would remain forgotten.”

“Do you think he knows what is beneath the tower?”

“I think he knows more than he has told us. That does not mean he knows everything.”

Kael nodded. “Then we need evidence, not guesses.”

Before Seraphina could answer, Aldric entered the gallery. His expression was grim, and a folded message was clenched in his hand.

“The patrol captain has returned from the eastern outpost,” he said. “Something has happened.”

Seraphina straightened. “What happened to the soldiers?”

“One of the missing men is alive. He was found near the watchtower before dawn. He is weak and barely able to speak.”

“Did he say who took him?”

“No. He keeps repeating the same words: ‘The door is opening.’”

A cold feeling moved through Seraphina’s chest.

“What door?”

Aldric unfolded the message.

“The patrol discovered a stone entrance beneath the watchtower. It was hidden behind a wall of fallen rock. The symbol from the reports was carved across it, including the curved mark we found on the ring.”

Kael’s expression changed. “Was the entrance opened?”

“Not completely. The soldiers say the stone shifted when the returned man touched it. A silver light appeared along the carving, then the ground began to tremble. They withdrew before anyone could investigate further.”

Seraphina stared at the message.

In her first life, Elara’s forbidden magic had left traces that she had never understood. She had died before learning where the power came from or why her sister had wanted the mysterious egg destroyed.

Now, the same mark was appearing again.

But this was not proof that Elara had already cast the spell. It was a warning that something old had begun to move.

“We need to go to the watchtower,” Seraphina said.

“Not until the council decides how to handle it,” Aldric replied. “I will send an experienced team, and no one will touch that door without my permission.”

“And if the door opens before they arrive?”

“Then they will deal with it.”

Seraphina wanted to argue, but she knew her father would not change his mind in front of them. She would have to convince him with evidence, not anger.

Kael looked towards the windows. “The patrol should keep everyone away from the entrance. If the returned soldier can speak, we need to learn what happened to him before anyone attempts to open that door again.”

Aldric nodded. “I will arrange it.”

He left to summon the council.

Seraphina remained in the gallery, her fingers resting against the ring in her pocket. Draven had recognised the crest. His grandfather had been connected to the old seal. And now a stone door beneath the eastern watchtower was moving after years of silence.

Kael stood beside her.

“Whatever is down there,” he said quietly, “we should not face it without a plan.”

“I agree.”

She looked towards the distant eastern hills, where the watchtower stood beyond the palace walls.

The first time she had lived, she had died without understanding the magic that destroyed her.

This time, she would uncover the truth before it could destroy anyone else.

Then a palace guard hurried into the gallery, his face pale.

“Princess,” he said, “the patrol has sent another message.”

Seraphina turned.

“What now?”

The guard swallowed.

“The silver light has appeared again. But this time, the door is opening from the inside.”