CHAPTER 92: NOTHING LEFT

A royal page stepped in holding a slim, red box with the seal of House Orlean.

"A delivery from Duke Altair, Your Highness."

Evelisse gasped. "He sent me a thing?"

Inside was a small charm, carved from darkwood and polished with care. It was a sword, no longer than her thumb, with tiny runes etched along the hilt.

A note was tied to it with silver thread.

"To my fiercest dance partner. May this blade ward off dessert thieves and rogue tiaras."

She squealed. "I’ll love this forever."

"Tell no one," Altair’s note continued. "I have a reputation to maintain."

Evelisse clutched the charm to her chest. "Marta. I must find a chain. Immediately. This is now my Royal Knight Token. My trusty Fluffball(Fluffy) shall carry it during missions."

From her sleeve, Fluffy peeked out. "That’s a lot of responsibility, princess. Do I get hazard pay?"

’Nope,’ she whispered. ’You get honor. And cookies.’

"Acceptable."

Seraphina leaned over and gently fixed a wayward curl from Evelisse’s wild hair. "He’s never sent anyone a gift before, you know."

"He smiled too," Aldric added. "Twice. Might have been a record."

Evelisse bounced in her seat. "This is the *best* aftermath day ever."

Just as she reached for a second scones, Marta bent beside her while Seraphina and Aldric were engaged in small talks.

"Your Highness," she said quietly. "A box arrived while you were asleep."

"A present?" Evelisse blinked. "From whom?"

"No note. No seal. Just... this."

Marta produced a small box wrapped in midnight-blue cloth. No markings. No tag.

Evelisse’s fingers itched. "Ooooh. Suspicious."

Fluffy frowned. "Do *not* open that here. That’s villain gift 101."

’But what if it’s cookies?’

"Then they’re cursed cookies."

"Still delicious," Evelisse whispered.

Aldric noticed her staring. "Everything alright?"

"Yup!" she chirped, immediately shoving the box under her napkin. "Just digesting suspiciously fast!"

"Hmm," Seraphina said. "That better not be code for ’new prank by your brothers.’"

"It’s definitely not," Evelisse lied with a smile.

Marta gave her a very familiar ’we will talk later’ look.

The box stayed hidden. But Evelisse’s mind whirled.

Later that afternoon, she found herself sitting cross-legged in her room with Fluffy beside her and the mysterious gift in front of them.

"You touch it first," Fluffy muttered.

"You’re the magical one!" Evelisse protested.

"Yeah, and I’d like to stay that way."

Evelisse poked the box. Nothing happened.

"Maybe it’s just socks?" she offered. "Or a puzzle. I love puzzles."

"Or a tracking device from a shadow cult."

"...Optimism, Fluff."

She slowly undid the cloth. Beneath it, a wooden box. Simple. Smooth. Light.

Inside—

A ring.

Silver. Plain. But it shimmered faintly, even in shadow.

And carved inside the band...

A symbol she recognized.

The same star design that had appeared in the dream-mirror chamber.

Evelisse’s breath caught.

"What the marshmallow fluff does *that* mean?"

Fluffy crept closer. "I don’t like this. That mark—it’s not from any kingdom I know."

"But I’ve seen it," Evelisse whispered. "In the secret room. The one that called me a Lightbearer."

Fluffy’s fur prickled. "Then someone else has access to those runes. Which means..."

Evelisse looked up at the window. At the tower beyond it.

"...Someone’s watching."

"A delivery from Duke Altair, Your Highness."

Evelisse gasped. "He sent me a *thing?*"

Inside was a small charm, carved from darkwood and polished with care. It was a sword, no longer than her thumb, with tiny runes etched along the hilt.

A note was tied to it with silver thread.

"To my fiercest dance partner. May this blade ward off dessert thieves and rogue tiaras."

She squealed. "I love him forever."

"Tell no one," Altair’s note continued. "I have a reputation to maintain."

Evelisse clutched the charm to her chest. "Marta. I must find a chain. Immediately. This is now my Royal Knight Token. Sir Fluffy shall carry it during missions."

From her sleeve, Fluffy peeked out. "That’s a lot of responsibility. Do I get hazard pay?"

"Nope," she whispered. "You get honor. And cookies."

"Acceptable."

Seraphina leaned over and gently fixed a wayward curl from Evelisse’s wild hair. "He’s never sent anyone a gift before, you know."

"He smiled too," Aldric added. "Twice. Might have been a record."

Evelisse bounced in her seat. "This is the *best* aftermath day ever."

Just as she reached for a second cinnamon roll, Marta bent beside her.

"Your Highness," she said quietly. "A box arrived while you were asleep."

"A present?" Evelisse blinked. "From whom?"

"No note. No seal. Just... this."

Marta produced a small box wrapped in midnight-blue cloth. No markings. No tag.

Evelisse’s fingers itched. "Ooooh. Suspicious."

Fluffy frowned. "Do *not* open that here. That’s villain gift 101."

"But what if it’s cookies?"

"Then they’re cursed cookies."

"Still delicious," Evelisse whispered.

Aldric noticed her staring. "Everything alright?"

"Yup!" she chirped, immediately shoving the box under her napkin. "Just digesting suspiciously fast!"

"Hmm," Seraphina said. "That better not be code for ’new prank.’"

"It’s definitely not," Evelisse lied with a smile.

Marta gave her a very familiar ’we will talk later’ look.

The box stayed hidden. But Evelisse’s mind whirled.I stared down at the crisp, white pages of the divorce agreement, my pen hovering over the dotted line. The silence in Malcom’s office was suffocating, the air thick with his arrogance. He sat across from me, leaning back in his leather chair with that infuriating smirk plastered across his face.

"Why the tears, Eve?" His voice held that infuriating mix of mockery and amusement. "Weren’t you the one who kept threatening to leave? And now, here you are, crying over the very thing you wanted."

I let my bottom lip tremble, my fingers tightening around the pen as if the weight of my shattered world was pressing down on me. My shoulders shook, my breaths ragged—as if I’d been gutted by my own decision.

Malcom ate it up.

Good.

I sniffled, lowering my head. Inside, rage simmered beneath the surface, but I stayed the perfect picture of a broken woman.

He leaned back in his chair, exhaling in satisfaction. "You thought you could walk away with something, didn’t you?" His gaze roamed over the documents, arrogance dripping from every movement. "But you get nothing, Eve. Not a damn thing. No alimony, no assets—just the pathetic remains of whatever life you can scrape together after this."