Silent Crown: The Masked Prince's Bride-Chapter 273: Old Flame, Rekindled?!

Meanwhile, in the capital city, deep beneath the red-light district, where the air stank of mold and metal... a man knelt in chains.

The torches along the tunnel burned low, their light trembling on the damp stones.

And into that cell, her steps soundless against the floor, walked a figure cloaked in black velvet. Shadows clung to her like old secrets. On her shoulder, a blood-red vyrnshade blossom pulsed faintly, its petals breathing with a life of their own.

"Lazira?"

Cedric Thaloryn lifted his head, squinting through the flickering light. The figure’s face was hidden, but he had worked hard to figure out who the woman behind that hideous mask was. He’d spent days piecing together whispers, bribing informants, bleeding men for answers.

And at last, he had found the truth behind the name Lazira.

"Lorraine Regis..." he muttered, his jaw tightening as that cursed name left his mouth.

The figure moved before he could blink, there was a flash of motion, and then, a sharp crack...

Her slap split the silence like a whip.

"You dare speak Her Highness’s name?"

Cedric’s head snapped to the side. Blood bloomed at the corner of his lips. He let out a low laugh, tasting iron. "Emma?" he rasped.

The woman stilled. Beneath the mask, her voice trembled as if caught between rage and sorrow. "My name is not Emma," she said.

Her gloved hand flicked through the air. The guards around them froze, then quietly withdrew, leaving the two alone. The heavy door slammed shut, and the dungeon fell into a thick, suffocating hush.

When the last echo faded, the woman reached up, slowly, deliberately,

lowering her hood, and pulling down her mask.

"Emma," he breathed, almost disbelieving.

She smiled faintly, kneeling before him. It wasn’t her usual mischievous grin, the one he’d always found irritating and strangely endearing.

No, this smile was softer. Sadder. Yearning.

"How did you find out?" she asked, her tone light, teasing, but her eyes searched his face like she was afraid of the answer.

Cedric had been left in the dark for two days. Two endless days of silence, hunger, and chains.

But just the sound of her voice was enough to bring the color back into his world.

"How could I not recognize your voice, Emma?" he said quietly. "It still haunts me. I still hear it when I close my eyes... I even miss your constant bickering."

The sincerity in his voice, raw and aching, hit her harder than she expected. Her lips trembled.

"You chose Zara, Cedric..." she whispered. "How could you? How could you betray everyone for her?"

There it was... the crack in her voice, the old wound she never managed to bury. Her first love, her first betrayal, all wrapped in the same man kneeling before her.

And despite the mask she had chosen to wear, she could not hide the truth burning behind her eyes.

"You still don’t see it, do you, Emma?" Cedric asked, his voice low and hoarse. "What are you even doing here? She’s escaped, left you to clean up her mess. Where is she? I heard she ran off, with her husband?"

Emma’s jaw tightened. "Don’t talk about her like that," she said. Her voice faltered, softening. "She didn’t send me here. I... I came on my own." She looked away, her tone trembling. "I came to see you."

Cedric’s breath hitched. For the first time in days, he saw her... the girl he’d grown up with, the one who used to trail behind him with wildflowers tangled in her hair. Even now, despite the shadows and grime, she still looked heartbreakingly familiar.

"Emma..." His voice shook. "Elias—what about him?"

Emma’s lips quivered. "He’s... a good man, Cedric. He loves me."

"And you?" Cedric asked quietly.

Emma looked up at him, eyes red and glistening. Tears slipped down her cheeks like broken glass, catching the light. "I loved you," she whispered. "I really loved you. But you—"

"Stop crying!" Cedric snapped, his voice cracking more from pain than anger. He couldn’t stand seeing her like this; this girl who had always laughed, always danced around sorrow as if it were beneath her.

"After what he did to Zara... how could I leave her alone like that?" he said. "I tried to reach you. I wanted to get you out before the Emperor acted, but—"

Emma cut in sharply. "But what, Cedric?" Her tears now fell freely. "You didn’t trust me to keep quiet, did you? You thought I’d talk. You left me there... to burn, to die!"

Cedric let out a long, ragged sigh.

"You only care about her, don’t you?" Emma asked bitterly.

He looked away. "You wouldn’t understand."

"Then make me," she said. "Tell me something that isn’t another lie."

Cedric’s throat tightened. "If I die here..." He looked at her, truly looked, as if memorizing her face for the last time. "Before I die, I want you to know something I’ve never said aloud — not even to myself. I’ve loved you all my life, Emma. Always. I realized it too late... but it’s the truth. I love you. Not like I loved Zara. What I feel for you... it never faded."

Emma stared at him for a long, shattering moment. Then, without a word, she reached for his chains and began unfastening them. The metal clanged softly, echoing down the tunnel.

"All your plans have gone to waste," she said, voice brittle. "The Emperor isn’t even searching for Lazira anymore. That secret room you found? Burned. His men destroyed every trace of to protect his people. Did you really think this place was that simple, Cedric? Did you think Lazira was someone who didn’t prepare for this?"

He stayed silent as she freed his hands. He tried to stand, but his legs trembled. Two days on his knees had robbed him of strength. She caught him before he fell, bracing him against her shoulder.

"Come with me, Emma," Cedric said hoarsely. "One way or another, I’ll bring her down. But I don’t want you caught in the crossfire."

She didn’t answer, only helped him limp to the end of the tunnel.

"Go," she said, wiping her face roughly with the back of her hand.

"What about you?" Cedric asked, gripping her shoulders. "She won’t spare you if she finds out you helped me. Come with me."

Emma shook her head. "Go," she said again, firmer this time.

Cedric hesitated for a moment, then turned away, limping toward the faint light beyond the tunnel.

When his footsteps faded, Emma pressed a trembling hand to her chest. Her heart felt as though it were cracking open. She sank to her knees on the damp floor, tears falling silently as the torches flickered above her.