Married to the Enemy King,

The Raven's Message

The prison fell silent.

The assassin's body remained slumped against the cold stone wall, the crossbow bolt buried deep in his chest.

Captain Roland rushed to the narrow window.

"Search the tunnels!"

"Seal every exit!"

Royal Guards scattered through the underground passages, their footsteps echoing into the darkness.

Minutes later...

They returned.

Captain Roland's face was grim.

"Nothing."

"Whoever fired that bolt..."

"...escaped."

Seraphina looked down at the dead assassin.

The silver raven ring still rested upon his finger.

She slowly knelt and removed it.

The metal felt strangely cold.

Tiny black feathers had been carved around the band with remarkable precision.

Inside the ring...

Two words were engraved.

For Freedom.

She frowned.

"Freedom?"

Captain Roland looked over her shoulder.

"What kind of assassin writes 'freedom' inside a ring?"

Lucien reached out.

"May I?"

After a brief hesitation, Seraphina handed him the ring.

Lucien examined it carefully.

His expression changed.

"You've seen it before," Seraphina said.

It wasn't a question.

Lucien nodded.

"Years ago."

"Where?"

"In another kingdom."

Everyone in the prison looked toward him.

Lucien continued.

"A prince was murdered in Elaris."

"The assassin carried this exact symbol."

Captain Roland's eyes widened.

"The same organization?"

Lucien nodded once.

"I thought they had been destroyed."

"They weren't."

---

The group left the underground prison.

Outside, dawn had begun to brighten the eastern sky.

The palace corridors were unusually quiet.

Servants whispered among themselves before quickly lowering their heads whenever Seraphina or Lucien passed.

Fear had spread through every corner of the palace.

No one knew who could be trusted anymore.

---

Inside the royal council chamber, the remaining ministers gathered around the long oak table.

General Marcus placed the raven ring in the center.

"Our enemy is no longer a single kingdom."

An elderly minister adjusted his spectacles.

"You believe there's a secret organization?"

Lucien answered calmly.

"I know there is."

"They've appeared whenever wars begin."

"They profit from chaos."

Captain Roland crossed his arms.

"And somehow..."

"They're already inside this palace."

The room became deathly quiet.

One by one, the ministers exchanged uneasy glances.

If the Raven truly had spies within the palace...

Anyone in the room could be one of them.

---

Seraphina remained standing near the window.

Her thoughts drifted back to the cemetery.

The hidden figure.

The silver ring.

The feeling that someone had been watching her.

She slowly turned.

"There was someone else."

Everyone looked at her.

"I wasn't alone when I visited my parents' graves yesterday."

Captain Roland frowned.

"Why didn't you say something?"

"I wasn't certain."

"But now..."

She looked toward the ring.

"I think they were watching me."

General Marcus immediately stepped forward.

"We'll increase security around the cemetery."

Lucien shook his head.

"No."

Marcus looked confused.

"Why not?"

"If the Raven wanted to kill her..."

"...they already had the opportunity."

Seraphina frowned.

"Then why watch me?"

Lucien's voice grew quieter.

"Because they wanted something else."

"What?"

He looked directly into her eyes.

"They wanted to know what kind of queen you'll become."

A chill ran down Seraphina's spine.

For the first time...

She realized this conspiracy had been watching her long before the assassination attempt.

Somewhere inside the palace...

Someone already knew her every move.

And they were waiting for the perfect moment to strike again.

Married to the Enemy King

The council chamber was wrapped in uneasy silence.

The silver raven ring rested in the center of the table.

No one dared touch it again.

For years, wars across the continent had been blamed on ambitious kings and greedy nobles.

Now...

A hidden organization had emerged from the shadows.

An organization willing to kill anyone who threatened its secrets.

---

Lucien slowly looked around the room.

"From this moment forward..."

"No one enters or leaves the palace without my permission."

Captain Roland nodded.

"The Royal Guard will inspect everyone."

General Marcus added,

"My soldiers will guard every gate."

An elderly minister raised a trembling hand.

"Your Majesty..."

"If the Raven already has people inside the palace..."

"...won't they simply hide?"

Lucien answered immediately.

"They will."

"Which is why we won't hunt them."

Confusion spread across the room.

Seraphina frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Lucien's silver eyes remained fixed on the map before him.

"We make them believe they're winning."

Captain Roland folded his arms.

"And while they become careless..."

"...we expose them."

Lucien gave a small nod.

"Exactly."

---

Later that afternoon...

Seraphina walked alone through the royal library.

The towering shelves stretched toward the ceiling, filled with books collected over centuries.

This had once been her favorite place in the palace.

As a child, she had hidden among these shelves whenever her tutors became too strict.

She smiled sadly at the memory.

Everything had changed.

As she reached a dusty shelf near the back of the library, she noticed something strange.

One book wasn't aligned with the others.

It had been pushed slightly forward.

Curious, she pulled it free.

A folded piece of parchment slipped onto the floor.

Her heartbeat quickened.

She unfolded it.

Only one sentence had been written in black ink.

> The enemy is closer than you think. Trust no one.

There was no signature.

Only a small black raven drawn in the corner.

Seraphina's breath caught.

Someone had entered the palace library.

Someone knew she would find this message.

---

"Princess!"

Captain Roland's voice echoed from the doorway.

She quickly turned.

"Roland."

He immediately noticed her pale face.

"What happened?"

Without speaking, she handed him the note.

His expression hardened.

He read it twice before looking around the library.

"Search every shelf!"

Royal Guards flooded into the room.

Books were removed.

Walls were tapped for hidden passages.

The fireplace was inspected.

Nearly an hour passed.

Nothing.

Captain Roland sighed.

"They've vanished again."

---

That evening...

Lucien examined the message inside his private study.

"It wasn't meant to frighten you."

Seraphina looked at him.

"Then what was it meant to do?"

"Separate us."

She frowned.

"What?"

Lucien placed the parchment beside the raven ring.

"The Raven survives by creating suspicion."

"If you stop trusting your allies..."

"...they've already won."

Seraphina remained silent.

She wanted to argue.

But after everything that had happened...

How could she trust anyone?

Even now, she wasn't sure whether she could trust the man standing before her.

---

Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed outside.

General Marcus burst into the study.

"Your Majesty!"

"We've captured someone trying to climb the northern palace wall."

Lucien stood immediately.

"Who is it?"

Marcus swallowed.

"A palace maid."

Seraphina's eyes widened.

"A maid?"

"She was carrying secret maps of the palace."

"And..."

Marcus hesitated.

"She says she has information about the person called..."

"...the Raven."

The room fell silent.

For the first time...

Someone connected to the conspiracy had been captured alive.

Lucien looked toward Seraphina.

"You're coming with me."

She met his gaze.

"This time..."

"We're getting answers."

Neither of them noticed the small shadow standing outside the study door.

A servant quietly stepped back into the darkness.

Moments later, the servant disappeared into the palace corridors.

Hidden beneath the sleeve...

A silver raven ring gleamed in the candlelight.

The Raven had heard everything.