Chapter 91

Chapter 91
Sloane's POV

The next morning, I watched from my window as a young man approached the estate's main entrance. He had rough clothing and an easy, country manner about him, but something about the way he moved caught my attention. Too controlled, too aware of his surroundings.

This must be Nico.

Within an hour, Juan had hired him as a temporary stable hand. The man who called himself Marcus seemed perfect for the job—quiet, hardworking, eager to please. But I noticed how his eyes constantly scanned the area, how he positioned himself to have clear sightlines to the main house.

That afternoon, a young woman appeared at the kitchen door asking about work. She was pretty in an unremarkable way, with bright eyes and an infectious smile that immediately won over the other servants.

"I heard you might need extra help with the young miss," she said to Mrs. Harper, the head housekeeper. "I love working with children."

Elena. She's good.

"What's your name, dear?" Mrs. Harper asked.

"Anna, ma'am. Anna Mills."

Within hours, Elena had established herself as Saskia's new assistant, helping with her lessons and keeping her company during meals. I watched from across the dining room as she gently encouraged Saskia to eat, all while subtly checking the girl's food and drink.

Professional. Very professional.

That evening, I made my first trip to the oak tree. Inside the hollow, I found a small piece of parchment:

Perimeter secured. Two suspicious individuals identified and being tracked. You are safe for now. - N

I left my own note: Need to question Eloise again. Vincent mentioned moon operation targets royal family. Time sensitive.

The next morning, armed with the knowledge that I had professional protection, I felt bold enough to confront Eloise directly. I found her in the morning room, writing letters with her usual composed demeanor.

"Good morning, Eloise," I said, sitting across from her without invitation.

Her pen paused briefly before continuing. "Sophia. You're up early."

"I've been thinking about our last conversation. About Vincent and his... associates."

This time she did set down her pen, fixing me with those cold eyes. "What exactly are you implying?"

I pulled out the letters I'd found in her room, spreading them across the small table between us. "I'm not implying anything. I'm stating facts. These letters detail coordination with an organization that uses snake ring daggers as their symbol."

Eloise's face went completely blank—a reaction that was somehow more frightening than anger would have been.

"Where did you get those?" she asked in a voice like winter frost.

"Does it matter? What matters is what they say about your moon operation. What matters is that Vincent is still out there, and he knows what you're planning."

"You have no idea what you're dealing with," Eloise said softly. "You think you've uncovered some simple family scandal, but you're playing with forces that could destroy kingdoms."

"Then explain it to me. Help me understand."

Eloise laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. "The moon operation isn't about money, you foolish girl. It isn't even about this family. We've been laying groundwork for years, positioning people, eliminating obstacles."

She stood and walked to the window, staring out at the grounds where I knew Nico was working.

"Did you really think those guards you've hired would be enough? Did you think sending letters to your prince lover would save you?"

My blood ran cold. She knows about Alexander.

"Vincent has been preparing for over a year," she continued. "The moon is full in six days. By then, your precious prince will have his own problems to worry about. The royal succession will be... disrupted. And you'll be dead."

"Why?" I whispered. "What did I ever do to you?"

She turned back to me with something that might have been pity. "You existed. You asked questions. You fell in love with someone you should never have met."

I forced my voice to remain steady. "Vincent will be caught. Your organization will be exposed."

"Will it? Vincent knows these grounds better than your guards. He's had months to study every entrance, every hiding place. And he's not working alone."

Eloise sat back down, picking up her pen as if we'd been discussing the weather. "You should spend these last few days with that little girl. She'll need comfort when you're gone."

The casual cruelty of it took my breath away. But I also noticed something else—her confidence was just a little too perfect, her composure a little too controlled.

She's afraid too. She's afraid this is spiraling beyond her control.

That afternoon, I hurried to the oak tree with urgent information for Alexander's team. My hands shook as I wrote:

Crisis escalating. Eloise confirms moon operation targets royal succession. Timeline: six days until full moon. She knows about my contact with prince. Vincent not working alone—multiple operatives likely already in position. Request immediate backup and possible extraction for Saskia. This is bigger than family scandal—it's an attack on the monarchy itself.

Need to know: How many Shadow operatives could be on the estate? What's the extraction plan if situation becomes untenable?

- S

Deep into the night, I was awakened by a soft sound outside my window. A pebble hitting the glass—not random, but rhythmic. Three short, two long, three short.

Emergency signal.

I crept to the window and saw a dark figure below—Phoenix, though I didn't know his name. He gestured urgently toward the forest edge, where several lights were moving between the trees.

They're here. Vincent's people are already positioning themselves.

I watched as more figures materialized from the darkness—at least eight men, all armed, all moving with military precision toward the estate. This wasn't a simple assassination plan. This was a coordinated assault.

From my window, I could see Nico emerging from the stables, moving to intercept one group. Elena appeared on the roof, somehow having scaled the building without making a sound. Shadow and Phoenix vanished into the forest to engage the intruders directly.

The battle was about to begin.

The first clash came without warning. Through my window, I saw flashes of steel as Nico engaged two attackers near the garden wall. His movements were fluid, deadly—the unremarkable stable hand had vanished, replaced by a weapon in human form.

One attacker fell immediately, his throat opened before he could cry out. The second managed to raise an alarm whistle to his lips, but Elena's throwing knife took him in the chest before he could sound it.

Professional silence. They're not letting anyone know the attack has started.

But more figures were emerging from the forest. Too many. Even with four elite operatives, we were outnumbered at least two to one.

I grabbed my writing supplies and scrawled a desperate message: Under attack now. Multiple hostiles. Need immediate reinforcement. Request full royal guard deployment.

But before I could get to the oak tree, my bedroom door burst open.

Juan stood there in his nightclothes, his face pale with terror. "Sophia! We're under attack. Armed men are surrounding the house."

"Where's Saskia?" I demanded.

"Elena—I mean, Anna—she barricaded the girl in her room. But there are too many of them."

Through the window, I could see the battle intensifying. Shadow and Phoenix were engaging multiple enemies in the forest, their forms barely visible in the darkness. But more attackers kept appearing.

This is it. This is what Eloise meant about Vincent not working alone.

Then I saw him—a familiar figure directing the assault from the tree line. Vincent himself, no longer the broken man from the portrait, but a commander orchestrating a military operation.

He was pointing toward different sections of the house, deploying his people with tactical precision. This wasn't just about killing me anymore. This was about taking control of the entire estate.

The moon operation. It's starting now.

I turned to Juan, who was still standing in my doorway looking lost. "We need to get to the safe room. Now."

But as we prepared to move, I realized something that made my blood freeze. If the Shadow organization was willing to mount this kind of assault on a noble estate, if they were prepared to risk this level of exposure...

This isn't just about me. This is the beginning of something much larger.

The royal succession. The moon operation. Everything Eloise had hinted at.

Alexander needs to know. The attack on the kingdom isn't coming—it's already started.

As we hurried toward the safe room, I could hear the sounds of battle growing closer. Nico and Elena were fighting magnificently, but they couldn't hold off this many attackers indefinitely.

Hold on, I thought desperately. Just hold on until reinforcements arrive.

But looking out at the organized assault, at the professional coordination of the enemy forces, I wondered if Alexander's elite operatives would be enough.

Or if any of us would survive the night.