Sebastian paced the shadowed chamber deep within the palace’s ancient tower.

The stone walls were lined with flickering candles, their dancing flames casting eerie shadows across the cold floor.

At the center of the room sat an elderly woman—her eyes clouded with blindness, her skin weathered by countless years of serving the royal court.

She was the palace oracle, one who had guided his family for decades, offering wisdom when answers seemed impossible to find.

“Tell me about Princess Evangeline,” Sebastian commanded, his voice firm but edged with desperation. “And my sons.”

She had sent word to the Prince that she had an important message for him. Sebastian had assumed it was either about Evangeline or their children.

The oracle remained silent, her head tilting slightly as if listening to whispers from beyond the mortal realm. Sebastian’s hands clenched into fists at his sides as his frustration mounted. “I require answers,” he snapped.

The woman’s lips parted, and her voice emerged like wind through autumn leaves—raspy yet strangely calming. “The children… they dwell in shadows cast by mountain peaks. Their destiny remains shrouded, their future uncertain as morning mist.”

Sebastian stepped closer, his jaw tightening with impatience. “And Evangeline? What of her?”

The oracle’s head tilted again, and her expression shifted, almost as if she were smiling at visions only she could perceive. “Her heart bears wounds, yet her spirit burns with determination. She walks cautiously among both friends and foes. Trust and treachery dance together in her path.”

Sebastian’s patience was rapidly diminishing. He opened his mouth to demand more specific guidance, but the oracle raised a gnarled hand to silence him. “There is something else you must know, Your Highness.”

Her tone darkened ominously, and the very air in the chamber seemed to grow heavier, more oppressive. Sebastian stilled completely, his blue eyes narrowing as he waited for her revelation.

“The child,” she said slowly, her voice echoing strangely within the stone walls. “The child you were told belonged to your bloodline… does not.”

Sebastian’s entire body froze, his breath catching in his throat like a trapped bird. “What?” he whispered, his voice barely audible above the crackling candles.

The oracle’s sightless eyes seemed to pierce directly into his soul. “Lady Cordelia deceived you. The child she bore was never of your seed.”

Sebastian’s jaws dropped.

So the message was not about Evangelina or the boys. It was about Cordelia.

Enraged, she took the exit out and went in search of her.

“You have been lying to me, Cordelia!” Sebastian’s thunderous voice roared as he burst through the doors to Lady Cordelia’s private chambers.

His blue eyes blazed with unbridled fury, his entire frame trembling with barely restrained rage. Inside the lavishly appointed room, Lady Cordelia froze mid-step, instinctively clutching the hand of the small boy standing beside her, a child she had claimed as his for five long years.

“Sebastian, whatever are you speaking of?” Lady Cordelia asked, her voice carefully modulated despite the obvious panic flickering in her dark eyes.

She glanced nervously at five-year-old William, who now cowered behind her silk skirts. She reached back to stroke his auburn hair in what appeared to be a protective gesture. “You are frightening the child.”

“I care nothing for your fear or his,” Sebastian growled, pointing an accusatory finger toward young William. “I demand the truth, Cordelia. Who is the boy’s true father?”

Lady Cordelia’s eyes widened dramatically, her mouth opening and closing in apparent shock. “You are his father, Sebastian! You know this to be true! What madness has possessed you?”

“Liar!” Sebastian barked, his voice echoing off the tapestried walls. He stepped forward, his imposing figure towering over her as his voice dropped to a menacing growl. “You have been deceiving me for years. Do you comprehend what the palace oracle revealed to me? That child carries not one drop of my blood!”

Lady Cordelia flinched as if he had struck her, her cheeks draining of all color. “That is utterly false,” she stammered. “That ancient crone knows nothing. William is your son!”

“You persist in your lies,” Sebastian hissed, his fists clenching at his sides. “All these years, I felt bound to you—trapped by duty because you claimed this boy was my heir. Do you have any comprehension of what I sacrificed because of your deception?”

“Sebastian, cease this madness!” Lady Cordelia cried, pulling William closer to her side. Tears welled in her eyes, but her expression was hardening, panic giving way to defensive anger. “You have always been his father, whether you choose to acknowledge it or not!”

“No,” Sebastian growled, shaking his head with violent emphasis. His voice dropped, each word sharp and filled with venom. “I remained by your side because I believed I had responsibility toward this child. But now I see clearly—you used him as chains to bind me. You imprisoned me with lies, Cordelia, and I am finished.”

Lady Cordelia’s face contorted with desperation as Sebastian stepped forward, grasping her arm with iron strength. “What are you doing?” she shrieked, attempting to pull away from his grip.

“You are leaving this court,” Sebastian declared coldly. His voice was utterly devoid of any affection he had once felt for her. “You and the boy. Immediately.”

“You cannot do this!” Lady Cordelia screamed, struggling against him. “This is my home! Where am I to go?”

“That is no concern of mine,” Sebastian snapped. Without another word, he dragged her by the arm out into the marble corridor. William trailed behind, tears streaming down his small face as he sobbed.

“Sebastian, stop this immediately!” Lady Cordelia shrieked, twisting in his grasp, but his hold remained unbreakable.

Courtiers and nobles began gathering in the hallways, their faces filled with shock and confusion as they witnessed their Crown Prince storming through the corridors, dragging Lady Cordelia behind him.

Whispers started almost immediately. “What is happening?” “Why is he casting her out?” “Is she not his favored mistress?” The questions buzzed around them like angry wasps, but Sebastian paid them no heed.

When they reached the great entrance doors of the palace, Sebastian finally released her. She stumbled forward, clutching William tightly as the little boy wailed against her chest.

“You are no longer welcome at this court,” Sebastian proclaimed, his voice cutting through the air like a executioner’s blade. “You deceived me, manipulated me, and used an innocent child as your pawn. You are banished, Cordelia.”

Lady Cordelia’s eyes filled with tears, but they were no longer tears of sadness. They burned with pure hatred, fury simmering just beneath her composed facade.