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Chapter 59: A Message from the Shadows
Chapter 59: A Message from the Shadows
The morning sun crept through the curtains of the royal office, casting long golden streaks across stacks of documents, half-melted candles, and an untouched breakfast tray. The scent of parchment and ink filled the air, but Queen Alice barely noticed.
Her fingers traced the edge of a single letter resting atop her pile of reports.
No wax seal. No official crest.
Just a simple white envelope.
Alice frowned. This wasn’t from her ministers. Not from an ally. Not even from an enemy.
She flipped it open, her sharp eyes scanning the paper.
Dear Alice,
I hope you’ve been doing well, because I sure have.
A little birdie told me about a big game happening—one you might want to join. Some noble snowballs thought they could start planning without you. Shame, really.
I took care of it. But since I’m feeling generous, I figured you should get the credit. After all, isn’t that what Queens do?
Here’s an address. Thought you might be interested.
-White Raven
Alice’s breath slowed.
She recognized that name.
The White Raven.
She had heard the whispers, the rumors, the ghost stories told in the darkened corners of taverns and behind locked doors.
A name that came and went like a shadow. A figure that existed yet didn’t.
A legend in the underworld.
And now, she was holding a letter personally addressed to her.
Alice set the letter down on the desk, staring at it. The ink was still fresh, the strokes sharp and deliberate. Whoever had left this message had done so recently.
She leaned back in her chair, staring at the high ceiling of her office.
"Who are you, White Raven?"
The answer hit her like a lightning strike.
Everything clicked.
It was her.
The one who helped her become Queen.
The one who sat in the shadows while Alice rose to the throne.
The one who whispered truths, destroyed enemies, and guided her steps without ever demanding repayment.
She had assumed the mysterious assassin had disappeared after she took the throne. But she was wrong.
The White Raven had never left.
Alice let out a breath. Her fingers drummed against the polished wood of her desk.
"Why?"
Why would someone like that still linger in the shadows, pulling strings? Why continue to help her without asking for anything in return?
There were only two possibilities.
Loyalty.
Or manipulation.
Alice’s gaze hardened.
She picked up the letter again and scanned the address.
It led to a district at the edge of the capital, a place filled with noble estates, but also hidden corruption.
A dangerous part of the city, where secrets were currency and knives gleamed in the dark.
If White Raven was pointing her there, it meant something was happening.
Something big.
Alice stood abruptly, her chair scraping against the marble floor. She grabbed the letter and marched toward the door.
She flung it open and called for the nearest guard.
"Summon Commander Renford. Immediately."
The guard bowed and sprinted away.
Alice clenched the letter in her fist.
She would play along.
She would follow the lead.
But this time, she wasn’t going in blind.
The White Raven had been watching from the shadows for long enough.
It was time to meet the ghost face-to-face.
And this time, Alice would be the one asking the questions.