Transmigrated as the Crown Prince's Mate
Chapter 202: A WinWin Proposal?...

Chapter 202: A WinWin Proposal?...

Evelina didn’t remember getting back to Damian’s chambers.

The hallways all started to look the same as she moved quietly, her footsteps barely making a sound. She held the pearl tightly in her hand; it felt cold and lifeless. By the time she grasped the door handle, the blood under her nose had already dried.

All she remembered was warmth.

A familiar scent. The gentle sound of Damian’s breathing. The soft brush of fur blankets as she climbed into bed, curling into the place where his body had left heat behind.

And then—

A shift.

He stirred beside her, his voice rough with sleep, "Eve?"

She didn’t answer.

His arm reached out instantly, pulling her close. His hand pressed against her back, soothing, grounding. "You’re cold," he murmured, frowning against her hair. "Where did you go?"

Still, she said nothing.

He didn’t push.

Didn’t ask again.

He just held her—like a promise.

Her head rested against his chest, and slowly, painfully, her racing heart began to settle. The pearl was still clutched between her fingers beneath the covers, and her mind spun in endless, circling loops.

Luther knew.

And the peace was over.

—

The next morning broke with gold spilling across the castle walls, but for Evelina, the light brought no comfort.

She didn’t attend council. Didn’t train. Instead, she sat in the sun-drenched garden, face pale, hands shaking slightly as she stared at the pearl on her palm.

"You’re scaring me," Damian said softly as he approached.

She glanced up, then over her shoulder—Jasper was already coming down the steps behind him, a cautious look in his eyes.

"Both of you," she said, gesturing them closer. "Sit. This isn’t something I can explain twice."

They obeyed.

Jasper knelt on one side. Damian, his mate, never stopped watching her face.

She held out the pearl. "Last night... I went to Luther’s chambers."

"Eve—" Damian started, but she lifted a hand.

"Something called me there. I used the pearl. My power connected to what he left behind. There were visions. Glimpses."

Jasper’s eyes sharpened. "And?"

"He’s alive," Evelina said finally.

Jasper stiffened. Damian swore under his breath.

"I touched something of his," she explained, choosing her words carefully. "Used the dragon pearl. I didn’t get much... just a glimpse. But he’s planning. He’s waiting for something. I don’t know what. I just know it’s not over."

Damian paced. "We’ve scoured the northern woods, checked every old tunnel we knew of. Nothing. He’s gone underground."

Jasper frowned. "And if he’s planning something, we can assume it’ll be calculated. He’s too quiet for it to be anything else."

Evelina nodded. "He’s watching. And we don’t know what or who he’s watching through."

Neither of them asked how much she saw. Neither pressed for what she wasn’t saying.

They trusted her.

And for now, that would have to be enough.

—

Selene stood on the balcony of her private chamber, surrounded by white marble and rose-gold silk. She looked down at the upper courtyard below, where she could see the people going about their day.

Some were training, others were laughing, and small groups were chatting quietly. Arcadia seemed to come alive again.

And Evelina stood at the centre of it all.

Selene’s fingers curled around the iron railing, knuckles white.

The council had cleared her. Stripped Selene’s accusations of weight. They’d declared Evelina a noble again. As if the fire, the near-collapse, the whispered treason meant nothing.

And then there had been that blasted picnic.

She hadn’t seen it herself, but she’d heard. The way they looked at each other. The way they danced. Word travelled fast when everyone was watching for a scandal. Or a crown.

Soon, they would be official. It was only a matter of time.

She had no chance of defeating Evelina in a direct confrontation. Not now. Not with the city behind her, not with Damian beside her.

But fear?

Fear turned people.

Fear made them question everything—even their heroes.

Selene’s mind whirred, piecing together threads of something that had been brewing since the moment Evelina had been vindicated of all accusations.

Someone else had as much to gain from this whole situation as she did. Someone who might just be bold enough to act where she could not.

She smiled coldly to herself.

She didn’t need to win alone.

She just needed to plant the seed.

Selene turned from the balcony, the smile already smoothing into something pleasant as she faced her waiting handmaid.

"Lily," she said sweetly. "Can you help find Prince Zade?"

The girl blinked, surprised. "Prince Zade, my lady?"

"Yes," Selene said, brushing invisible dust from her sleeve. "Tell him I’d like a word with him. Privately."

Lily bowed and hurried off, leaving Selene alone once more.

She turned back toward the window.

She wanted Evelina gone so she could have Damian to herself, and Zade wanted Damian gone so he could have Evelina to himself.

If they can both work together, they can get what they want... it’s a win-win situation if they both played their cards right.

—

Zade arrived just before dusk.

Selene was waiting for him in the gallery wing, where sunlight filtered through stained glass, painting fractured colors across the marble floor.

She stood with perfect poise, a glass of wine in hand, the image of elegance and serenity—though her eyes, when they met his, held no warmth.

"You asked for me," Zade said in a guarded tone, hands tucked into his coat.

"I did," Selene replied, offering him a polite smile. "I thought perhaps... we might be of use to one another."

Zade’s brow rose. "Is that so?"

"I want Damian," she said bluntly. "And you want Evelina."

Zade’s jaw tightened.

Selene tilted her head. "You’ll never have her while he stands beside her. And I’ll never have him while she’s in the way. But if we work together, perhaps we can... rearrange things."

"I’m not in the habit of alliances built on spite," Zade muttered.

"No," she said, stepping closer. "But you are in the habit of wanting what you can’t have. Aren’t we all?"