The gardens of Veyladoris bloomed with venom disguised as beauty.
Nymera Vaelis stepped onto the white stone pathways, the dawn light cutting silver edges across dew-slick roses and glass-lilies.
Every flower gleamed with unnatural perfection — vibrant, fragrant... and laced with hidden thorns that could pierce flesh without warning.
An appropriate stage for the Queen Consort's summons.
A place where even beauty bled.
[System Alert: High Probability of Political Ambush — 74%. Recommended Action: Maximize Diplomacy + Threat Assessment.]
Nymera breathed deeply, centering herself.
She wore a new gown — deep indigo silk, embroidered with silver thorns curling across her sleeves and bodice. Her hair, silver-white, was braided high and crowned with a simple circlet of iron.
No jewels.
No armor.
Only the cold weight of survival wrapped around her like a second skin.
As she approached the heart of the garden, the murmurs began.
Ladies in jeweled masks whispered behind painted fans.
Ministers sipped golden wine, pretending disinterest while their eyes devoured her every move.
The Queen waited at the center — a vision of regal poison.
Lady Selvaris sat beneath a flowering bloodvine, her gown a shimmering emerald cascade, delicate gloves concealing the sharp claws beneath her smile.
To her left, a small table was set: a tea service of crystal and gold, sweets arranged like offerings on silver trays.
Only two seats awaited.
One for the Queen.
One for Nymera.
Nymera slowed, reading the scene instantly.
An invitation to intimacy.
A trap designed to isolate.
Any slight refusal — a ruined alliance.
Any careless word — an invitation to ruin.
She smiled.
How quaint.
She swept into a low, flawless curtsey before the Queen Consort.
"My lady," Nymera murmured. "Your gardens shame the heavens themselves."
Selvaris laughed — a sound too sharp, too sweet.
"And yet they thrive on rot," she said. "Much like our dear kingdom."
She gestured gracefully.
"Sit, Lady Vaelis."
Nymera obeyed, folding herself into the offered chair with measured grace.
A servant poured tea — steaming scarlet liquid into delicate glass cups — and vanished without a word.
Selvaris lifted her cup but did not drink.
Neither did Nymera.
The first move was not hers to make.
The Queen Consort studied her over the rim of her cup.
"You caused quite the stir, returning alive," she said lightly. "There were wagers."
Nymera tilted her head, pretending innocence.
"Was the betting favorable, my lady?"
Selvaris's smile sharpened.
"Let's say... a few purses grew lighter."
A ripple of cruel amusement passed among the hidden listeners lurking behind hedges and pillars.
Nymera sipped her tea — careful to only touch it to her lips — and set it down untouched.
Two could play at civility.
Selvaris leaned closer, her voice a velvet knife.
"You must understand, Lady Vaelis, your... survival complicates many delicate arrangements."
Nymera met her gaze evenly.
"Delicacy seems a poor armor against reality, my lady."
A flicker of irritation crossed the Queen's face.
Brief.
Telling.
[Suspicion Sense Activated: Hostile Intent Detected — 48%.]
Good.
The Queen was already on edge.
Selvaris laughed again, this time a genuine peal of mirth.
"Blunt as ever," she said approvingly. "You remind me of myself... once."
She plucked a black rose from the arrangement beside her and twirled it between gloved fingers.
"But ambition," she continued, "without allies, is a noose woven of silk."
She held out the rose — a token, a challenge.
Nymera accepted it, careful not to let the unseen thorns pierce her skin.
"Then perhaps, my lady," she said softly, "it is time to teach the silk how to strangle its makers."
For a heartbeat, Selvaris's expression froze.
Then she laughed — rich and delighted.
[System Alert: Political Favor Shift Detected — Queen Consort's Interest: 41%. Threat Level: 58%. Potential Alliance Status: Weak.]
Progress.
Small, but real.
Selvaris leaned back, folding her hands.
"You intrigue me, Lady Vaelis," she said. "Perhaps even enough to spare."
"But," she added, voice dropping like a blade, "intrigue is a fragile thing."
She snapped her fingers.
A servant appeared, bearing a scroll bound in crimson ribbon.
Selvaris unrolled it slowly, letting Nymera see the bold inked letters: charges of treason, sedition, conspiracy.
Her death warrant.
Ready to be signed.
The Queen smiled sweetly.
"A test, my dear," she purred. "Prove yourself — or vanish."
Nymera's mind raced.
Trap upon trap.
If she refused, she confirmed guilt.
If she begged, she showed weakness.
If she attacked, she signed her own death.
No.
She would do none of those.
Nymera rose, the black rose still twirling in her fingers.
She dipped into another perfect curtsey.
"My lady," she said, voice cool and clear. "If survival against fate itself is insufficient proof, I offer a simpler token."
She threw the rose at Selvaris's feet.
Thorns struck stone — and where they landed, silver sparks hissed into the air, forming a simple glyph: an ancient sigil of sovereignty.
A symbol of defiance.
Of rightful power.
Magic — subtle and old.
The hidden magic of the Vaelis bloodline.
The Queen's eyes widened slightly.
Not fear.
Respect.
[Hidden Ability Revealed: Bloodline Magic — Sigil of Dominion (Locked at Lv.0). Potential for Political Leverage: High.]
Selvaris rose slowly, stepping over the burning glyph without hesitation.
She extended her hand — gloved, jeweled.
Nymera hesitated only a moment before accepting it.
The Queen's fingers were cold as winter glass.
Their grip — iron wrapped in velvet.
An accord.
Temporary.
Dangerous.
But real.
Selvaris leaned close, her breath a whisper of roses and poison.
"Welcome to the game, Lady Vaelis," she murmured. "Pray you play it better than your predecessors."
Then she released Nymera and swept away into the glittering maze of the garden, courtiers falling in line like vultures circling a wounded lion.
Nymera stood alone among the thorns.
Alive.
Undefeated.
And the first seeds of her true power stirring in her blood.
The System chimed sweetly.
[Quest Complete: Survive the Queen's Invitation.]
[Reward: Bloodline Magic Awakening Initiated.]
[New Quest: Establish Three Key Alliances Before 30 Days Expire.]
[Time Remaining: 28 Days.]
Nymera smiled to herself as she turned toward the labyrinthine paths of the royal gardens.
The court thought they had seen a villainess.
They had seen nothing yet.