Todays song is a bit more sad "If we have eachother" by Alec Benjamin
ENJOY
Steffano's POV
The study was silent, heavy with the weight of a thousand unfinished plans.A map of the Cerberus Kingdom sprawled across the desk, papers crumpled and torn from days of restless searching.
The knock at the door sliced through the silence.
I didn't look up."Come in," I barked, voice raw from exhaustion and rage.
The door creaked open, and a young soldier stepped inside, shoulders stiff, eyes darting.
"If it isn't about the princess, turn around and get the hell out," I snapped.
The boy swallowed."It is about her, sir."
I froze.Papers slipped from my hand onto the floor.
"Talk."
The soldier approached, holding out a magical tablet like it was something poisonous.
"There was an attack last night against the Cerberus royal castle. It failed... all our soldiers were slaughtered. But — we recovered one memory. You need to see it."
I snatched the tablet from his shaking hands.
The footage played — chaotic, brutal.
Blood.Steel.Screams.
One of our men crept closer to a figure — tall, commanding — his back exposed.
Winslow.
My jaw tightened.
The soldier raised his blade—
But before he could strike, a voice cut through the battlefield.
"ALEX!"
Female. Sharp. Panicked.
The soldier stabbed the Winslow in the back
But
The Cerberus heir spun, yanked the blade from his own body like it was nothing, and drove it straight into my soldier's forehead.
The screen went black.
I threw the tablet onto the desk
"What the fuck am I supposed to be seeing?"
"Watch closer, sir," the boy whispered, terrified.
He rewound the memory, slowing it down.
There — in the chaos — a blur of silver and blue.A face.
I leaned in.Ocean eyes.
Eyes I knew better than my own reflection.
Lilith.
Her voice, crystal clear even through the static, echoing across the battlefield.
"ALEX!"
I stared, heart clawing at my ribcage.
No.No, no, no.
"Explain," I growled.
"With the princess missing, and no trace of her in the kingdom... the major soldiers have a theory."
"A theory," I repeated, my voice dead.
"That she's betrayed us."
A crack splintered through me.Not rage — not yet.Just silence.Hollow.Endless.
"How many people have seen this?" I asked, each word sharp as a dagger.
"Three major officers... and myself."
I rose from the chair slowly, deliberately, until I was towering over him.
"Good. Then listen very carefully," I hissed, grabbing his tunic."You destroy every copy of that memory. Tonight, you meet with the three majors. In private."
"But sir— that's—"
My hand twisted into his collar, dragging him so close he could smell the bloodlust on me.
"If this leaks," I whispered into his ear, "I will bury you where your family can watch, You hear me boy"
The boy shook violently."Y-yes, sir."
I shoved him away.
"Now go."
The door slammed behind him.
And then—
The rage came.
I flipped the table.Papers, maps, books crashed against the walls.
"She wouldn't—" I roared.
I tore through the room like a hurricane, hands bleeding, heart breaking.
"Lilith," I gasped, falling to my knees, surrounded by the wreckage of my own lies."Please tell me this isn't true."
But her face — those eyes — burned behind my eyelids, haunting me.
And for the first time since she disappeared, doubt sank its claws into my spine.
Meanwhile, at the Royal Academy
Elizabeth rushed through the marble corridors, books pressed to her chest.
She didn't see the hand until it grabbed her, dragging her into a dark, empty classroom.
"What the fuck—!" she tried to scream, but a palm clamped over her mouth.
"Shut up, El. It's me," hissed a voice she knew too well.
Victor.
She spun around and punched him, hard enough to make him yelp.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" she hissed, furious.
"You're impossible to catch alone," he muttered, nursing his bruises.
"Maybe because I don't like being kidnapped in my own school?"
He shrugged, completely unbothered."Look, this is important."
She narrowed her eyes."You have sixty seconds."
Victor straightened, dropping the boyish grin he usually wore.
"You know I've been helping with Steffano's ceremony?"
"Yeah. Babysitting duty."
"Well... today I overheard something. Something about Lilith."
The air between them turned electric.
"Talk," Elizabeth demanded, voice low.
"I heard a soldier mention the Winslow family."
Her heart skipped.
"You mean the Cerberus royals? That's impossible."
Victor shook his head."I heard right."
"But— Lilith's here. She has to be here. No one's left or entered the kingdom in years."
"I know. But there's a meeting tonight — secret. Steffano and the three majors."
Elizabeth crossed her arms tightly, as if trying to hold herself together.
"You're insane if you think we can spy on the prince."
Victor leaned closer, fierce.
"It's for Lilith, El."
Her defenses cracked.
"oh why god why" she whines
"...Fine," she muttered. "But if we die, I'm haunting your ass."
Victor grinned — but it didn't reach his eyes.
Victor's POV
Night swallowed the castle whole.
I waited in Lilith's abandoned room, surrounded by the ghosts of who she used to be.
The books.The flowers.The tiny silver tiara she left on her dresser without caring if it got scratched.
Everything smelled like her — faintly of lavender and old paper.
It hurt to breathe.
I pressed my forehead against the cold stone wall.
Hang on, Lilith. Please.
The clock struck six.
I slipped into the shadows, my heart pounding.
Steffano walked past, trailed by a soldier.
"Is everything ready?" Steffano asked.
"Yes, young sir. The majors await in the Crown Room."
I followed, silent as death.
The Crown Room doors slammed shut before I could reach them.
Shit.
Think, Victor. THINK.
Flashback:
Lilith's giggle echoing around the throne."Hide better, dummy," she'd teased.
Hide and seek with Esteffano and Lilith
Kids laughing
Having fun
The broken vent. Behind the curtains.
End flashback.
I darted toward the throne.
There — hidden behind the heavy crimson fabric — the ancient vent.
"Bingo"
But um
Too small for me now.
"You're not seriously thinking about crawling up there," a voice whispered behind me.
I nearly had a heart attack.
"Jesus, El!" I hissed.
She smirked."Move over. I'm smaller."
In a blur, she squeezed inside.
I gave her directions through clenched teeth.
"Turn right. You'll see a hole overlooking the room."
Minutes passed.Agonizing.
Finally, Elizabeth emerged — pale, shaking, eyes glassy with terror.
"What happened?!" I grabbed her shoulders.
Her voice cracked.
"Victor... they're accusing Lilith of treason."
The words hit like a punch to the gut.
"No. No, you're wrong. She'd never—"
"They have memory footage."Her lips trembled."She's with a Winslow."
I stumbled back.
No.Not Lilith.Not my Lilith.
"She must have been forced," I said, desperate.
Elizabeth's tears spilled over.
"And it's worse. The attack... there were no survivors. They think she helped them."
She buried her face in her hands, shaking with sobs.
"This is all my fault," she choked out."I made her go to that party. She didn't want to — she said she didn't feel right — but I made her — and now— now she's gone—"
I pulled her into my arms, letting her cry against my chest.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, broken."I'm so sorry."
I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting the burn of my own grief.
It wasn't her fault.Not really.But still — somewhere deep inside — a tiny, bitter voice whispered:If Lilith hadn't gone... she'd still be here.
"We'll find her," I murmured into Elizabeth's hair."I swear it, El. We'll find her."
I didn't care how many kingdoms I had to burn.I didn't care who I had to betray.
The world tilted sideways — too much stone, too much silence, too many ghosts wearing her face.I stood there, hollowed out, breathing in the empty air she left behind.
I'll find you, Lilith.
No matter what it takes.
Just
Hold on, Lilith. Wherever you are... just hold on.