Prince Cassian left the princess’s chambers with the same calm expression he entered with.

Measured steps.

Relaxed posture.

Perfect control.

Only after the doors closed behind him did the smile disappear from his face entirely.

The palace corridors remained quiet during early morning hours while servants moved carefully along the walls with lowered heads as the prince passed. Sunlight spilled through the tall glass windows overlooking the capital below, warm and golden against polished marble floors.

Cassian barely noticed any of it.

His thoughts remained fixed on one thing.

Lucien.

Alive.

Not only alive—

Growing.

The prince descended toward the inner palace wing reserved for royal administration before finally entering his private study chambers.

The guards outside closed the doors immediately behind him.

Silence settled across the room.

Unlike most noble studies, Cassian’s chamber contained very little decoration. Maps covered entire sections of the walls while stacks of organized documents rested across several tables beside sealed letters and intelligence reports.

Practical.

Controlled.

Cassian preferred rooms that served purposes.

He removed his gloves slowly before walking toward the northern regional map hanging near the central desk.

Elarion sat near the edge of the kingdom.

A frozen wasteland most southern nobles ignored unless taxes or military routes became inconvenient.

And yet recently—

Too many reports had begun returning from that wasteland.

Trade increases.

Fortified roads.

Metal production.

Military discipline.

Then came rumors.

A dragon.

Cassian exhaled quietly.

Ridiculous.

And yet royal investigators apparently confirmed it.

The prince rested one hand against the edge of the desk afterward.

For several moments he simply stood there silently.

Thinking.

Then finally spoke.

"Come out."

The room remained still at first.

Then a figure emerged quietly from behind the shadowed section near the western bookshelves.

Black clothing.

Calm movements.

A man difficult to remember the moment one looked away from him.

Cassian never asked his real name.

Most people in the intelligence circles simply called him Raven.

The shadow operative bowed slightly.

"Your Highness."

Cassian walked toward the desk slowly.

"I want everything."

Raven remained silent.

"The north," Cassian continued. "Elarion. Trade movements. Military growth. Political contacts."

A colder expression settled across the prince’s face.

"And Lucien."

The operative finally spoke.

"We already have agents monitoring the northern trade routes."

"Not enough."

Cassian looked toward the map again.

"I want reports from merchants, mercenaries, caravans, anyone entering or leaving the frontier."

Another pause.

"And verify the dragon rumors personally."

For the first time, Raven seemed slightly uncertain.

"...Personally?"

Cassian’s eyes narrowed faintly.

"If a dragon truly formed a contract with Lucien, then the situation changes completely."

The room became quieter after that.

Because both men understood what that meant.

Power shifted kingdoms.

But dragons?

Dragons reshaped them.

Raven finally nodded once.

"It will take time."

"You have two weeks."

"That is not much time."

Cassian looked at him calmly.

"I’m aware." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

The operative lowered his head slightly in acknowledgment.

Then hesitated.

"There is another matter."

Cassian sat behind the desk.

"Speak."

"The Royal Intelligence Bureau has also begun investigating Elarion independently."

The prince’s fingers paused lightly against the desk surface.

Interesting.

Annoying.

But not surprising.

"Do we know why?"

"Not fully."

Raven stepped closer before placing several sealed documents onto the table.

"But we intercepted mentions of industrial activity beneath the northern ruins."

Cassian opened one of the reports silently.

Furnace expansion.

Mining increases.

Unusual steel quality.

His expression darkened slightly.

Lucien should not have been capable of this.

Not alone.

Not after exile.

Not after the poisoning.

That final thought lingered longer than expected.

Cassian slowly leaned back into his chair afterward.

For years Lucien had been quiet.

Passive.

Easy to overlook.

Even when removing him from succession became necessary, Cassian never truly considered him dangerous.

Just inconvenient.

But now?

Now royal investigators returned speaking carefully.

Now intelligence agents moved north secretly.

Now the princess herself looked relieved hearing Lucien survived.

That irritated him more than expected.

The prince closed the report calmly.

Then asked the question truly bothering him.

"...What changed him?"

Raven remained silent.

Because there was no answer yet.

Outside the study windows, bells echoed faintly across the capital as the city fully awakened beneath morning sunlight.

Far away beyond the southern warmth—

Snow still covered Elarion.

And somewhere in those frozen mountains, the forgotten exile was becoming impossible to ignore.