The Letter From the Dead
763 Words
The night seemed colder than before.
Luna stood frozen in the study doorway.
A dead woman.
A letter.
And somehow, both were connected to her.
"Bring it to me," Lucien ordered.
The soldier immediately handed over the sealed envelope.
Luna's heart pounded.
The paper looked old.
The wax seal had been broken during the investigation, but the symbol pressed into it remained visible.
A silver crescent moon.
The royal emblem of the Northern Kingdom.
Elara gasped.
"That's impossible."
Lucien glanced at her.
"You recognize it?"
"Only members of the royal family use that seal."
Silence filled the room.
Slowly, Lucien handed the letter to Luna.
"It's addressed to you."
Luna hesitated.
For some reason, her hands were trembling.
As if she already knew this letter would change everything.
Finally, she broke the remaining wax and unfolded the paper.
The handwriting was elegant.
Familiar.
Painfully familiar.
The moment Luna saw it, her breath caught.
"No..."
Her eyes widened.
She had seen this handwriting before.
Years ago.
In another life.
On an old document hidden inside the palace archives.
The signature belonged to only one person.
Queen Aurelia Nightshade.
Her mother.
Luna quickly began reading.
"To my daughter, Luna..."
The room became silent.
Even Lucien stopped moving.
"If you are reading this letter, then my enemies have already begun searching for you."
Luna's chest tightened.
"You were never abandoned."
A tear rolled down her cheek.
"Everything I did was to protect you."
Her vision blurred.
For eighteen years she had believed nobody wanted her.
For eighteen years she had believed she was alone.
Now she was learning the truth.
"The Night of Ashes was not an accident."
Luna froze.
Lucien immediately noticed.
"What is it?"
Luna continued reading.
"The Northern Kingdom was betrayed from within."
The words hit like lightning.
Betrayed.
Not conquered.
Not defeated.
Betrayed.
Just like Luna herself.
"There were three traitors."
"One is already dead."
"One hides in the capital."
"And the third still serves the crown."
Lucien's expression darkened.
This wasn't merely a family secret anymore.
This was treason.
The letter continued.
"Trust no one easily."
"Not even kings."
Luna couldn't stop herself from thinking about Damien.
How blindly she had trusted him.
How completely she had loved him.
And how horribly she had suffered because of it.
The pain still lingered.
Even after rebirth.
Then she reached the final paragraph.
And her blood turned cold.
"Most importantly..."
"If the Moon Mark appears, run."
Moon Mark?
Luna frowned.
She had never heard those words before.
Not in this life.
Not in her previous life.
Then came the final sentence.
The sentence that changed everything.
"Because the person carrying the Moon Mark is destined to kill you."
The room fell silent.
Dead silent.
Lucien slowly rose from his chair.
"The Moon Mark?"
Elara looked pale.
"I've heard legends."
Luna turned toward her.
"What legends?"
Elara swallowed.
"Ancient stories claim that once every generation, a child is born bearing the Moon Mark."
"And?"
Elara looked terrified.
"They become either the kingdom's greatest protector..."
Her voice trembled.
"...or its destroyer."
Before anyone could speak again, the study doors burst open.
A guard rushed inside.
"My Lord!"
Lucien immediately turned.
"What happened?"
The guard was breathing heavily.
"There has been an attack."
Luna's stomach dropped.
"Where?"
The answer came instantly.
"Lady Luna's estate."
Silence.
Then—
"The attackers arrived after sunset," the guard continued.
"They searched every room."
Luna felt cold.
"What were they looking for?"
The guard hesitated.
Then spoke.
"A portrait."
"A portrait?" Lucien repeated.
The guard nodded.
"Specifically a childhood portrait of Lady Luna."
Luna's blood ran cold.
Because there was only one reason anyone would want that portrait.
They were trying to identify the lost princess.
And if they succeeded...
Her enemies would find her.
Far away in the capital, Seraphina stood before a fireplace.
The stolen list rested on a nearby table.
A servant entered and bowed.
"My Lady."
"Report."
The servant smiled.
"We found the portrait."
Seraphina slowly looked up.
A victorious smile spread across her face.
At last.
Proof.
Real proof.
The servant handed her a small painting.
A painting of a young girl.
Dark hair.
Silver eyes.
A crescent-shaped birthmark hidden near her collarbone.
Seraphina's smile widened.
The Moon Mark.
At that exact moment, Luna felt a strange burning sensation beneath her neck.
As if something buried for years was beginning to awaken.
And hundreds of miles away, the same mark suddenly appeared on another person.
A person neither Luna nor Lucien suspected.
A person already standing inside the royal palace.
Watching.
Waiting.
Smiling.
To Be Continued...
- Writer
