h4Chapter 504: A SEED OF POISON/h4

The shadows of the forest still clung to Cherry as she returned to her chambers.

Her body dissolved from the clearing into a curl of ck smoke, reforming within the silken darkness of her royal bedroom. The moonlight poured faintly through jeweled windows, glinting against the silver embroidery of her bedding.

She crossed the room slowly, her mind a restless storm. Jasmine’s survival gnawed at her like a festering wound. A lost child should have ended her. A scandal should have broken her. But somehow, Jasmine endured. And worse, Rose’s kindness, the Queen’s softness, was still a threat.

If Jasmine came here... if Roseid eyes on her... everything would unravel.

Cherry paced, long nails trailing along the velvet arm of a chair. She needed to act before her sister’s mercy destroyed the careful bnce she had built.

She paused, tilting her head. There was one person who could decide Jasmine’s fate before it reached the pce. Rose herself. And Cherry knew exactly how to nt seeds in her sister’s heart.

With her decision made, she swept from her chamber. The corridors were hushed, the faint glow ofnterns flickering across stone walls. Her footsteps were silent, her expressionposed, though the dark fire of her thoughts burned just beneath the surface.

She reached the Queen’s apartments, her hand hesitating for only a moment on the gilded handle. From within, muffled voices rose, sharp and strained.

"You waste the kingdom’s resources, Rose!" King Rnd’s deep voice thundered, raw with anger. "Years, years! And still you cling to this foolish hope. First it was our daughter and now a grand child that doesn’t exist! And still you send men, you send letters, you stir the court into whispers of weakness."

"Scarlet is gone yes. I ept it. But she had a child!" Rose’s voice answered, steady but trembling at the edges. "He or she is out there. And as her grand mother, I will not rest until I find him or her. Do you hear me, Rnd? Never."

Cherry smiled faintly, leaning closer to listen, her ears sharpening.

Rnd barked augh, bitter and cold. "You shame yourself, Rose. You shame this kingdom. First it was an alive daughter and now graduated to a grandchild. Gods who ever is putting such words into you must be executed!"

"This is our responsibility and if you won’t take it doesn’t mean I won’t!," Rose said, the words breaking but firm.

Cherry pushed the door open lightly, arranging her features into something meek, careful. "Forgive me," she said softly, stepping into the room with a lowered head. "I did not mean to intrude. I... I heard voices."

Both heads turned. Rose, pale and flushed from the argument, looked weary but kind as always.

Rnd’s face hardened immediately, his jaw clenched. His piercing gaze swept across Cherry, distaste shing openly in his eyes. He said nothing.

Instead, he stormed past her, his shoulder nearly brushing hers. Cherry lowered her head politely, murmuring, "Your Majesty," though his silence was louder than any insult.

When the door shut behind him, the Queen sighed deeply, pressing a hand to her brow. "Do not mind him," Rose said, forcing a weary smile as she gestured toward her sister. "Come in, Cherry. Sit with me."

Cherry glided across the room, perching elegantly on the cushioned chair opposite Rose. "I am sorry," she whispered, lowering hershes. "I did not mean to overhear. To see you two quarrel pains me. It is not my ce to intrude."

Rose waved her hand with a tired chuckle. "Do not trouble yourself. Rnd and I rarely see eye to eye on this matter. He thinks I’m foolish, but... he has no mother’s heart. He cannot understand."

Cherry leaned forward slightly, her eyes softening though her heart was steel. "Still, it grieves me. You do not deserve such strain."

Rose reached for her hand, squeezing gently. "We are sisters. We share each other’s burdens. Tell me, what is it that brings you here at this hour?"

Cherry paused delicately, as though hesitant to speak. Then she let her voice slip into curiosity. "I heard, through the court, that you had sent a letter. An invitation... to the Crescent pack."

Rose’s face brightened, her weariness melting into something warmer. "Yes," she said, her eyes soft with hope. "It was before the attack, before the kidnappings. I had thought perhaps... if Jasmine was truly there, if fate had guided her steps to them... then maybe I might finally see her again."

Cherry’s pulse quickened, though her expression remainedposed. "You mean to invite them here? All of them?"

"Yes," Rose said simply. "Now that they are safe, I will renew the invitation. I want to see them all with my own eyes. Jasmine, of course... but also Xaden. And his sister, Anna. I have never met her, and it seems only right to wee them both."

Cherry stilled. The Queen’s words revealed a truth, Rose knew nothing of the whispers in the packs. No knowledge of the growing rumors that stained Jasmine’s name.

This was her chance.

With a carefully measured breath, Cherry lowered her gaze, her tone hushed with concern. "Rose... forgive me, but... are you certain it is wise? To bring them all here, into the heart of the pce?"

Rose frowned gently. "Why would it not be?"

Cherry hesitated, drawing out the silence just enough for doubt to stir. Then she spoke, each wordced with caution, as though reluctant to even say it. "I have heard troubling things. Rumors, whispered in corridors and carried by men who im to know. They say Jasmine... may have yed a hand in the attack upon the Crescent pack. That she is not the victim, but... perhaps the cause."

Rose’s face went pale, her lips parting in disbelief. "That is impossible," she said, though her voice trembled. "She would never—"

"I know," Cherry cut in quickly, reaching across to sp her sister’s hand. "I know, and I pray it is not true. But whispers like these... they spread, Rose. If you bring her here... and it proves to be more than rumor... think of the danger. To you. To the throne. To the kingdom."

Rose’s eyes clouded with doubt, pain etched across her features. She pulled her hand free slowly, pressing it to her chest. "I... I had not heard these whispers," she whispered.

Cherry lowered her head, her expression sorrowful. "I only tell you out of love, sister. I would never see harme to you."

Inside, however, her heart sang.

The seed was nted.

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