#Chapter 72 – Pawn to Check

Lila The gardens were different at night. They breathed slower. Softer. The scent of blooming jasmine drifted thick on the air, curling around the trimmed hedges like a secret. Moonlight spilled in silver pools across the stone pathways, catching on the edges of statues and fountain rims. The usual murmur of nobles and court attendants had quieted into the hush of distant wind and the occasional rustle of leaves. It should have been peaceful. It wasn’t. I walked barefoot along one of the side paths, my shoes abandoned at the edge of the stairs near the solarium. I needed the cold stone under my feet. Something real. Something grounding. The letter was still under my pillow. Emma’s still tucked in the spine of my journal. And every time I tried to close my eyes, I heard Ruby whispering—do something—until I had no choice but to move. I didn’t have a destination. I only meant to breathe. But as I neared the western hedge maze, I heard voices. Low. Intent. Male. I fr