Chapter 191 CHAPTER 191
While the king addressed his people in the square of Mooncrest, far beyond the palace walls and the ordered streets of the capital, another figure waited in a place where no royal proclamation could reach.
At the edge of the witch village, where the forest grew thick and twisted around ancient roots, Seraphine stood beside the hollow trunk that marked the hidden entrance to the settlement. The tree looked ordinary to any wandering traveler who might pass through the forest, but those who belonged to the village knew the truth. The trunk concealed a narrow passage of magic that separated the witches’ world from the human realm beyond.
Seraphine paced slowly in front of it.
Her movements were restless, sharp with impatience. Every few moments she stopped and looked toward the forest path that stretched between the dark trees, as though expecting someone to emerge from the shadows at any moment.
She had been waiting for some time already.
The wind stirred the branches overhead, carrying with it the distant rustling of leaves. For a moment there was nothing else.
Then the trunk of the tree shifted slightly.
The bark parted as if responding to an unseen command, revealing the hidden passage within. A slim figure stepped out of the opening, cloaked in a dark hood that concealed most of her face.
The hooded girl paused the moment she saw Seraphine standing there.
“Madam?” she said with mild surprise. “Why are you waiting here?”
Seraphine stopped pacing and turned toward her.
“I was waiting for you,” she replied calmly.
The girl lowered her hood slightly, revealing only part of her face beneath the shadow.
“You could have waited in the house,” she said. “There was no need to stand out here.”
Seraphine shook her head.
“Sarah is in the house.”
The girl’s expression shifted slightly.
“I heard,” she said quietly. “Everyone has.”
Seraphine studied her. “So you already know.”
The girl nodded.
“It’s impossible not to hear about it. Her cover has been blown everywhere.” She crossed her arms loosely. “She’s become quite famous overnight.”
Seraphine’s eyes darkened slightly.
“At Lunaris especially,” the girl continued. “The students are talking about nothing else.”
Seraphine let out a quiet breath.
For a moment the two of them stood in silence.
Then the girl tilted her head slightly.
“But I still don’t understand something,” she said. “Why would Sarah being in the house stop us from meeting there?”
Seraphine’s gaze shifted briefly toward the hidden village beyond the tree trunk.
“Because Sarah is unstable right now,” she said quietly. “And I cannot trust her. I think she is having cold feet about the mission.”
The girl listened without interrupting.
“If she sees you,” Seraphine continued, “and recognizes you for who you are, should she decide to turn against the mission entirely….”
The girl’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“your cover will be destroyed.” Seraphine finished.
The girl nodded slowly, understanding.
“So you want me to stay away from the house.”
“For now,” Seraphine said.
She stepped closer to the tree trunk, lowering her voice slightly.
“If you have anything to report, we will meet here instead. At the entrance.”
The girl considered this for a moment before nodding again.
“That makes sense.”
Seraphine crossed her arms.
“Now tell me what you’ve learned.”
The girl shifted her weight slightly before answering.
“Mooncrest is in chaos.”
Seraphine’s eyes sharpened.
“Explain.”
“One of the elders is dead,” the girl said. “The entire kingdom is talking about it.”
Seraphine’s gaze grew more focused.
“What! How did that happen?”
The girl gave a small shrug.
“There are plenty of rumors.” She paused.
“Some people think he was murdered,” she said. “Others think he was working for someone… and that whatever happened forced him to take his own life.”
Seraphine considered that quietly.
Then she asked another question.
“And the Silverpine elders? Are they still looking for Sarah?”
“I don’t think they are. Rumor is, they went to Mooncrest to request for guards since their guards were weakened by Sarah,” the girl said. “But the story didn’t unfold the way they expected.”
Seraphine’s gaze sharpened again.
“What happened?”
“The king was furious with them,” the girl replied. “Apparently he was still angry about the way they treated Lisa in the past.”
Seraphine’s lips curved faintly.
“So instead of helping them…”
“He had them imprisoned,” the girl finished.
Seraphine’s eyes gleamed with interest.
“That must have caused quite a disturbance.”
“It did,” the girl said. “Between the rumors about Sarah and the news of the dead elder, Mooncrest is full of tension right now.”
She paused before adding thoughtfully,
“If you wanted to attack the kingdom… this would be a good moment.”
Seraphine shook her head slowly.
“Yes,” she said. “But it would be an even better moment if I had the one person I truly need.”
The girl studied her.
“Lisa.”
Seraphine nodded.
“If I want this plan to succeed, I need her here for leverage.”
The girl remained silent as Seraphine continued.
“Jocelyn hid her powers,” Seraphine said quietly. “And she will not reveal their location willingly.”
Her eyes darkened.
“But if I bring Lisa to her…”
The girl understood immediately.
“She’ll have no choice.”
Seraphine nodded.
“Exactly.”
Her expression hardened.
“Sarah was supposed to help make that happen. She and you were meant to work together.”
Her tone sharpened slightly.
“But she ruined everything.”
The girl listened without reacting.
“She allowed herself to become distracted,” Seraphine continued coldly. “Emotional.”
For a moment Seraphine’s expression twisted with irritation.
“My own daughter nearly destroyed the plan I built.”
The girl tilted her head slightly.
“You don’t need her,” she said calmly.
Seraphine looked at her.
Seraphine raised an eyebrow but remained silent.
The girl stepped closer.
“I can bring Lisa here myself.”
Seraphine studied her carefully.
“You’re certain?”
The girl nodded.
“She already trusts me,” she said simply. “She won’t see it coming until it’s too late.”
Seraphine’s eyes lit with approval.
“When?”
“Three days,” the girl said. “Meet me here again at dawn. I’ll have come up with a complete plan for you.”
Seraphine’s smile widened slowly.
“I knew I could rely on you.”
She stepped forward and placed her hands lightly on the girl’s shoulders.
“You see the world clearly,” she said. “I only wish my daughter possessed half your discipline and capability.”
The girl smiled brightly.
Seraphine pulled her into a brief embrace.
“I’m proud of you,” she said softly. “Be careful.”
The girl nodded once.
Then she turned and stepped back into the forest, disappearing among the trees as quietly as she had appeared.
Seraphine remained at the border for a moment longer.
Then she turned and began walking back toward the hidden village. Things were finally turning up for her.
A quiet whistle escaped her lips as she moved through the trees, the sound light and satisfied, as if she were already celebrating a victory that had not yet happened.