Chapter 76 Court Backlash

Chapter 76 Court Backlash
The whispers started before Thessaly left the throne room.

"Seductress."

"Enemy whore."

"She's corrupted him completely."

Thessaly kept walking, spine straight even though every word landed like a blow.

A servant rounded the corner ahead. The girl took one look at Thessaly and fled in the opposite direction.

Not the first time that had happened today. Wouldn't be the last.

By evening, Thessaly was wound too tight to think. Dinner arrived via a servant who wouldn't meet her eyes. The girl practically threw the tray down and ran.

Thessaly stared at the food. Wondered if it was poisoned. Didn't eat.

Sleep wouldn't come. She lay there listening to footsteps that came close to her door then moved away. Finally, exhaustion won.

She woke to something wet touching her face.

Thessaly jerked upright, heart pounding. Her fingers came away sticky. Dark.

Blood.

She lit the candle with shaking hands.

There was a dead bird on her pillow.

Small. Black feathers. Neck broken cleanly. And underneath it, a note written in red.

One word: TRAITOR.

Someone had been in her room. While she slept. Inches from her face.

They could have killed her. The message was clear: we can reach you whenever we want.

Thessaly grabbed a robe and ran.

The corridor was empty. No guards. Just shadows.

She pounded on Davorin's door hard enough to hurt her fist.

He opened it immediately. "What happened?"

"My room. Someone was in my room." The words tumbled out. "There's a dead bird. And blood. And a note."

Davorin's expression went from concerned to deadly in a heartbeat. He grabbed a shirt. "Show me."

They walked back together, his shadows already bleeding from his skin.

Thessaly pushed open her door. Pointed at the bed.

Davorin saw the bird. The note. The blood on her pillow.

His face went absolutely blank.

That scared her more than anger would have.

"Where were the guards?" His voice was ice.

"I don't know. There was nobody when I woke up."

"There should have been four." Davorin moved to the window. Locked from inside. "They came through the door. While you were sleeping. While my guards were supposed to be watching."

"Maybe they didn't see—"

"Or they were paid not to see." His jaw was tight. "This wasn't random. Someone planned this."

He studied the scene without touching anything. The bird's neck was broken professionally.

"This is a warning," Davorin said quietly. "They're telling you they can get to you anytime. That I can't protect you."

"Can you?"

Davorin's hands clenched into fists.

"I don't know," he admitted, and the helplessness in his voice was worse than any threat. "I can post more guards. Have someone taste your food. But I can't be everywhere. Can't stop every person in this palace who wants you dead."

"So what do we do?"

"We move up the Unity Ceremony." He looked at her. "Once we're bonded, attacking you will be attacking me. It won't stop everyone, but it'll make people think twice."

"The ceremony isn't for three more days."

"Then we do it in two. Or one." Davorin's expression was fierce. "I'm not losing you to some coward who leaves dead birds while you sleep."

Thessaly kept seeing that bird on her pillow. Kept feeling blood on her face.

"Okay," she whispered. "We move it up."

Davorin pulled her against him, arms tight. She buried her face in his chest and tried not to shake.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I thought making you my betrothed would protect you. Instead it made you an even bigger target."

"Not your fault."

"It is. I knew there would be backlash." His voice was rough. "I should have anticipated—"

"You can't anticipate everything."

But when she pulled back and looked at his face, she saw the fury there. The helplessness of a man who'd just discovered he couldn't protect the person he loved from his own court.

"Find who did this," she said quietly.

"I will. And when I do, they'll regret it."

A knock at the door made them both tense. Varian entered, face grim.

"The guards are gone," he said. "All four of them. Vanished."

"Find them," Davorin ordered.

"Already looking. But if they're gone, that means this was coordinated. Someone with enough influence to bribe or threaten your personal guards." Varian's eyes flicked to the dead bird. "This wasn't just courtiers being petty. This was a message from someone with real power."

"Elowen," Thessaly said.

"Maybe. Or one of the other noble houses." Varian's expression was serious. "Either way, you're not safe here anymore."

"Then where?" Davorin asked.

"She stays with you. In your rooms. More guards, fewer access points."

Thessaly's cheeks flushed. "I'm not moving into his chambers before we're married."

"They already want you dead. Propriety isn't our biggest concern." Varian's tone was dry. "But if you'd rather risk another message while you sleep alone, that's your choice."

He was right. Thessaly hated that he was right.

"Fine," she said.

"Tonight," Davorin corrected. "You're not sleeping in that bed again."

So that night, Thessaly found herself in the Shadow King's chambers. Not as a prisoner. Not as a guest.

As his betrothed. Protected by proximity and the bond they were about to make permanent.

Outside, the court whispered. Plotted. Sharpened their knives.

And Thessaly tried not to think about how easy it would be for one of them to succeed.