Transmigrated as the Crown Prince's Mate
Chapter 160: It’s Him...

Chapter 160: It’s Him...

Jasper pinched the bridge of his nose. "You cannot be serious."

Seraphina hummed. "Oh, I’m very serious. And before you scold me, you should thank me—I just saved your neck, didn’t I?"

Jasper let out a sharp breath. "By calling yourself my lover?"

Seraphina shrugged, a mischievous glint in her violet eyes. "Would you rather I said wife?"

Jasper shot her a look. "I’d rather you said nothing at all."

Seraphina grinned. "That’s boring."

Jasper groaned, running a hand down his face. "You cannot be here."

"Well, I am here."

Jasper inhaled deeply, forcing himself to stay calm. "I don’t have time for this."

Seraphina leaned in slightly. "You had time to visit me this morning."

Jasper’s jaw clenched. "That is not the same thing."

Seraphina just smiled. "If you say so."

From a few feet away, Evelina watched the exchange with barely concealed amusement.

"I like her," Relia murmured in Evelina’s mind. "You should keep her around."

Evelina smirked slightly. "Oh, I just might."

Jasper turned back toward Evelina, his expression bordering on exasperated. "Milady, I apologise for the—"

"Oh, don’t apologise," Evelina cut in, her smirk widening. "This is entertaining."

Jasper groaned.

Seraphina leaned against the wall, looking entirely unbothered. "So? Are we going to explore these mysterious caves, or are we just going to stand around?"

Evelina raised a brow at Jasper. "Well, Jasper? Is your beloved coming with us?"

Seraphina beamed. "Oh, I’d love to."

Jasper sighed. This was getting worse by the second.

And somehow, he had the sinking feeling it was only the beginning.

Jasper sighed, rubbing a hand down his face as Seraphina smiled sweetly, clearly enjoying herself.

Evelina, meanwhile, stood with her arms crossed, watching the exchange like it was a particularly amusing stage play.

"Well, now that we’ve cleared that up," Evelina said dryly, "are we actually going to investigate, or do I need to step aside and let you two lovebirds have a moment?"

Jasper groaned. "Can we not call us that?"

Seraphina smirked. "Too late. It’s already out there now."

Evelina rolled her eyes but turned toward the centre of the chamber, her attention shifting back to the table and the looming cave entrances ahead. "Let’s get back to the reason we came here."

"Agreed," Jasper muttered, relieved for the distraction.

Seraphina, however, wasn’t done. She strolled beside Evelina, her violet eyes gleaming with interest. "Apologies, Lady Evelina, but I can’t help but be curious."

Evelina raised a brow. "Curious about what?"

Seraphina clasped her hands behind her back. "I’ve heard talk about the visiting prince. Prince Kyle of OakenShaw, was it? And his interest in you."

Evelina’s posture stiffened just slightly, but her face remained unreadable. "What about it?"

Jasper tensed immediately, glancing toward Seraphina. Careful, Sera.

Seraphina tilted her head, feigning innocent curiosity. "Well, I suppose I just find it interesting. A foreign prince, openly seeking a match with a woman under... questionable circumstances?"

Evelina’s expression darkened slightly. "Meaning?"

Seraphina shrugged. "Only that it’s rare for a man in his position to be so open about wanting a woman like you. Either he’s incredibly confident... or he knows something we don’t."

Evelina studied her for a long moment. "And what do you think?"

Seraphina smiled. "Oh, I wouldn’t dare assume. But I would be interested to know how you feel about it."

Jasper cleared his throat. "Maybe now’s not the time to discuss Lady Evelina’s love life."

Seraphina gave him a teasing look. "But we already discussed yours."

Evelina let out a low chuckle. "She has a point, Jasper."

Jasper shot them both an unamused glare. "This is getting out of hand."

Evelina turned back to Seraphina, amusement fading as she considered her words more carefully. "To answer your question, Prince Kyle’s interest in me is political, nothing more."

Seraphina hummed. "Political? Not personal?"

Evelina scoffed. "I doubt he’s in love with me, if that’s what you’re implying. He’s playing a game—one I haven’t quite figured out yet."

Seraphina tapped her fingers against her chin. Interesting.

Jasper eyed her warily. He knew exactly why Seraphina was so interested. She knows Kyle better than anyone. She wasn’t just asking questions—she was trying to gauge Evelina’s thoughts about her brother.

Evelina, of course, had no idea.

"You ask a lot of questions for someone I just met," Evelina noted.

Seraphina smiled. "I like to understand people."

Jasper sighed, already regretting bringing the two of them together. "Can we focus?"

Evelina exhaled. "Yes, let’s." She turned back toward the room, scanning the space. "We still don’t know what exactly we’re looking for, so we need to be thorough."

Seraphina glanced toward the three dark cave entrances. "Do we go in?"

Evelina hesitated. "Maybe, but let’s check everything else first."

Jasper nodded. "Agreed. Let’s start with the table. If this really was used as some sort of war room, maybe we’ll find something useful."

Seraphina let the conversation about Kyle drop—for now. But as she followed them to the table, her mind was still turning.

If her brother was involved in the poisoning, what was his real endgame?

And how much did Evelina suspect?

Seraphina intended to find out.

But first, there was this mysterious passage to explore.

The search was painstaking.

Jasper, Evelina, and Seraphina combed through the old war room, examining every inch of the wooden table, scanning the faded markings on the walls, and even checking the corners of the chamber for hidden compartments.

Nothing.

Jasper let out a frustrated sigh, raking a hand through his hair. "Well, that was a waste of time."

Seraphina hummed. "Not necessarily. At least now we know there’s nothing here."

"That’s not as reassuring as you think," Evelina muttered, running her fingers over the worn surface of the table one last time before stepping back.

Silence fell over them as they turned toward the three dark caves looming ahead like waiting jaws.

Jasper crossed his arms. "Alright. Three tunnels, three of us. Do we split up or stick together?"

"Split up?" Seraphina scoffed. "Absolutely not. That’s how people end up dead in every horror story I’ve ever heard."

Jasper rolled his eyes. "You’re dramatic."

"And alive because of it," Seraphina shot back.

Evelina sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "We don’t know what’s in those caves. If we split up, we risk walking into a trap alone."

"Oh, thank the Moon," Relia drawled in Evelina’s mind. "For once, you’re not immediately running toward your own death."

Evelina ignored her wolf and turned toward the caves, about to suggest a plan when—

"Wait," Jasper murmured.

They all turned toward him, following his gaze to the ground in front of one of the caves.

Footprints.

The dirt was disturbed, the outline of shoe prints leading into the tunnel.

Evelina’s heart quickened. Someone had been here. Recently.

Without hesitation, she crouched beside the prints, pressing her fingers lightly against the ground. The dirt was still loose.

Whoever had left them hadn’t been gone long.

"What’s she doing?" Seraphina asked.

Jasper, watching Evelina closely, replied, "She’s got her ways of tracking things."

Evelina ignored them both, closing her eyes. She let out a slow breath, pressing her palm against the ground.

And then—

The world shifted.

A vision slammed into her like a tidal wave, pulling her out of reality.

The room looked the same, but it was darker, with the flickering light from the torch not illuminating much. She wasn’t witnessing what was happening now—she was experiencing memories from the past.

A cloaked figure moved swiftly, its back to her. The vision glitched—just for a second—and suddenly, the figure was across the room, near the far wall.

Evelina’s breath caught as she watched the figure reach out, pressing a section of the stone wall. A hidden compartment slid open with a faint click.

A gloved hand dipped inside.

And when it emerged—

It held a bottle.

The bottle.

Evelina felt her pulse hammer against her ribs. The vision wavered, but she willed herself forward, taking a step, then another.

She was inside the vision. She could move. She walked closer to him, her heart beating steadily in her ears.

Just a few more steps.

She had to see—

The figure stilled.

Then, slowly, they turned.

And Evelina froze.

Her breath caught in her throat. For half a second, she thought she had expected it. That deep down, she had known.

Knowing was one thing, but seeing it was something else entirely. The flickering light illuminated sharp golden eyes, accompanied by a composed, knowing smirk.

She had seen his face many times around the palace. He was a man who stood next to the king, never questioned and was trusted by everyone.

Lord Luther.

It’s him.

He’s behind the poisoning.

A violent shock ran through her body, forcing her backward—both in the vision and in reality.

She stumbled, gasping, and fell.

She hit the ground hard, her hands slamming into the dirt as the vision shattered around her.

The real world snapped back into focus.

Jasper and Seraphina’s voices broke through the haze.

"Eve!" Jasper was beside her in an instant, grabbing her arm to steady her. "What the hell just happened?"

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