The blue light pulsed slowly.
Like a heart.
Elisa held the medallion in both hands, unable to look away.
—Arthur... what's happening?
He looked just as surprised as she was.
—I... I don't know.
The glow grew brighter.
Symbols that had once looked like nothing more than scratches on the silver began to move, forming a perfect circle.
Then, as suddenly as it had begun...
The light vanished.
The corridor was illuminated once again by nothing but the torches.
The two of them remained silent.
—That never happened before—Arthur murmured.
Elisa took a deep breath.
—You said you found this hidden. Where?
—Inside a manuscript no one had opened in decades. It was wrapped in an old cloth, along with a single sentence.
—What sentence?
Arthur repeated the words from memory.
—"Only the true heir will awaken the Dawn Key."
Elisa looked at the medallion again.
—Key?
—I think this medallion is more than just an artifact.
Before they could say anything else, they heard voices coming from the hall.
Guards.
Arthur closed Elisa's hand around the medallion.
—Hide it. Don't let anyone see it.
She discreetly slipped it into the hidden pocket in her dress.
The next moment, two soldiers appeared in the corridor.
—Princess! His Majesty is looking for you. The next dance is about to begin.
Elisa smiled as naturally as she could.
—I'm coming.
Arthur bowed and returned to the library as if nothing had happened.
The rest of the ball passed slowly.
Elisa danced with princes from neighboring kingdoms, listened to compliments about her beauty, and politely answered the guests' questions.
But her mind was far away.
Several times, she noticed the king watching her.
It wasn't an affectionate look.
It was... attentive.
As if he were waiting for her to make some mistake.
When the last song ended, the king approached her.
—Are you tired?
—A little.
He smiled.
—Tomorrow we'll have an important meeting. Some of the nobles want to get to know you better. It's time for you to start taking on responsibilities as the future queen.
Those words, which once would have filled her with pride, now seemed heavy.
—Of course, Father.
The king caressed her cheek.
—You are the most precious thing this kingdom has.
Elisa forced a smile.
For the first time, she didn't know whether those words were sincere... or a warning.
It was past midnight by the time Elisa managed to return to her room.
As soon as she closed the door, she took the medallion from her pocket.
It was cold.
It looked like nothing more than an old piece of jewelry.
She placed it on the table.
Nothing happened.
—Then why did it glow...
Curious, she opened the small clasp.
Inside was a tiny compartment.
Empty.
Or almost.
At the bottom was a piece of parchment, carefully folded.
Elisa removed it delicately.
It was so small that she had to hold it close to the candle to read it.
It contained only these words:
"When the moon is full, follow the tree without leaves."
She read the sentence several times.
—A tree without leaves?
It seemed more like a riddle than an instruction.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
Three short knocks.
Elisa quickly hid the medallion beneath her pillow.
—Come in.
It was her maid, Helena.
She hurried inside and closed the door behind her.
Helena had worked for the royal family since before Elisa was born. She was a kind woman with graying hair and ever-watchful eyes.
But that night, there was something different about her face.
She looked frightened.
—Your Highness... I need to tell you something.
—What happened?
Helena approached and lowered her voice.
—I heard some guards talking.
—About what?
—About the librarian.
Elisa's heart began to race.
—Arthur?
Helena nodded.
—They received orders to search the library at dawn.
—Why?
—They said he was hiding forbidden documents.
A chill ran down Elisa's spine.
The pages.
The manuscripts.
The box hidden in the chapel.
If the soldiers found any of that evidence...
Arthur would be condemned.
—Are they going to arrest him?—Elisa asked.
Helena lowered her head.
—Or worse.
For a few seconds, Elisa remained motionless.
Then she made her decision.
She grabbed a dark cloak, hid the medallion in her pocket, and opened the door.
—Your Highness! Where are you going?
Elisa looked at Helena.
There was fear in her eyes.
But there was also a determination she had never felt before.
—If Arthur stays, he dies.
She left the room without waiting for a reply.
As she ran through the silent corridors of the castle toward the library, she had no idea that, that very night, hooded men had already arrived there first.
And that the library doors stood wide open.