Chapter 106: Dawn of Shadows

Olivia walked slowly, each movement feeling like she was approaching the edge of an abyss.

She stopped right in front of Avvion’s desk, bowing deeply to hide her pale face.

Avvion did not speak immediately. He leaned back in his chair, his fingers drumming against the teak desk surface with a steady rhythm a rhythm that made Olivia’s heart race uncontrollably.

Avvion was silent. He looked at the ceiling, then shifted his gaze to the fire roaring in the hearth.

He seemed to be weighing something in his mind, letting the silence torture Olivia.

He remained quiet for a long time.

"You know, Olivia..." Avvion finally spoke, his voice now lower, almost like a whisper.

He paused for a moment, his sharp eyes fixed on a point on the desk, as if searching for answers in the scattered maps. He did not look at Olivia, yet his focus was clearly on her.

"Curiosity is the slowest-acting poison,"

Avvion continued, his tone now flat.

"Many in this palace have died because they thought they were clever. They tried to dig up secrets that were not meant for their ears."

Avvion turned to look at Olivia. His gaze was no longer filled with anger, but with an empty stare that was far more terrifying.

"Do you think you are cleverer than them?"

Olivia held her breath.

"I have never considered myself clever, sir. I am only... I am only a servant."

Avvion did not answer. He returned to his thoughts, his eyes narrowing as if filtering every move Olivia made.

He seemed to be considering whether Olivia was merely a girl who had made a wrong turn, or someone dangerous who needed to be eliminated immediately.

The room fell silent again. Avvion was quiet once more, observing Olivia with a gaze full of calculation.

"Perhaps," Avvion whispered slowly to himself,

you are something I can use.

He looked at Olivia again, this time with the thinnest of smiles on his lips.

"From now on, keep your mouth shut about what you heard earlier. If you want to keep breathing in this palace, it is better to lock away the intentions piled up inside that mind of yours."

"Get out," Avvion commanded curtly, returning his attention to the documents on his desk as if Olivia no longer existed.

Olivia did not wait. She immediately bowed in respect before hurrying out. Her feelings were still in turmoil, and her heart was still pounding from the tension she had just endured.

As soon as the wooden door closed behind her, Olivia jolted.

An elderly woman in a crisp servant uniform with a very stern face was standing tall in front of the door. Her hair was pulled up in a tight bun, and she held a small oil lamp in her hand.

She was the head housekeeper of the palace.

The woman observed Olivia from head to toe with an evaluative gaze, as if searching for flaws in the girl’s appearance.

"Lord Avvion has given the order," the woman said in a very formal and cold tone.

"Follow me."

Olivia only nodded slightly, not daring to protest. She followed the housekeeper, who walked briskly through the dim corridors. The sound of their footsteps echoed throughout the quiet stone hallway.

They passed rows of tightly shut doors until they reached a somewhat isolated and poorly lit section of the palace.

The head housekeeper finally stopped in front of a somewhat worn wooden door. She took a large key from her pocket and turned it with a click that sounded incredibly sharp in the quiet corridor.

"This is your room," she said, pushing the door open.

The room was small and simple, containing only a hard wooden bed, a small table, and a narrow window facing the dark palace grounds.

There were no decorations, no luxury just an empty space that felt profoundly quiet.

"Your duties begin tomorrow before sunrise," the woman continued without looking at Olivia.

"Do not attempt to wander around the palace at night. If you go missing or are caught by the guards, do not expect anyone to come to your rescue."

The woman turned around and walked away without looking back, leaving Olivia standing at the threshold of the room.

Olivia stepped into her room. She closed the door tightly and leaned against it, letting out a long sigh. The room felt cold and foreign, but for the first time since arriving at this palace, she finally had space to be alone.

She observed the room with mixed feelings. Here, she was no longer the girl from the outside world. She was no longer the Olivia who had a normal life. She was merely a servant in a palace filled with secrets and danger.

She walked toward the narrow window and looked out. Under the dim moonlight, she could see the shadows of the high palace towers.

She knew she would not be able to sleep soundly tonight. There were too many unanswered questions and too many dangers waiting for her out there.

Olivia sat on the edge of the hard bed. She tried to close her eyes, but every time she did, Avvion’s cold face and his warnings would flash in her mind.

Every small sound outside the room the footsteps of guards passing in the corridor, the wind slapping the window, even the sound of tree branches scraping against the stone walls of the palace made her flinch. She felt as if everything happening around her required caution and vigilance.

Her head was spinning endlessly. She was busy thinking about her lost life and then shifting back to Avvion’s words that had pierced her soul.

She was stunned.

Question after question spun in her head.

Why was she brought here? What secrets was this family trying to hide? And how could she survive as a shadow when her soul was rebelling for freedom?

Olivia tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable position on the unpadded bed.

Extreme exhaustion began to grip her body. After hours of battling her own mind that kept whispering incessantly, she finally drifted into a deep exhaustion.

Without realizing it, her head grew heavy, and her eyelids slowly closed shut.

The silence of the night finally swallowed all her anxieties.

Suddenly, she woke up when the sharp sunlight pierced through the small window of her room. Olivia opened her eyes, squinting. She felt confused for a moment, trying to remember where she was.

The room was quiet. The morning air felt cold.

She immediately got up upon realizing the sunlight was already shining high.

Morning already!!.

Her heart beat rapidly. She remembered the housekeeper’s order

Your duties begin tomorrow before sunrise.

She was late. Quickly, she prepared everything necessary and ran out of her room. She no longer noticed her surroundings because her mind was fixated solely on Avvion’s words from last night.

I’m dead! I’m dead!

She muttered repeatedly. The servants she passed were startled to see her behavior. Everyone was confused. Before Olivia reached the office door, she passed by someone...

Olivia ran as hard as she could through the cold stone corridor. Her breathing was gasping, and every sound of her hurried footsteps broke the silence of the palace morning, drawing the attention of several other servants performing their duties.

Their faces were full of confusion and a hint of cynicism at seeing the new servant running like someone lost.

As she turned a sharp corner toward Avvion’s office, she did not notice someone walking calmly from the opposite direction.

BUM!

Olivia collided with that figure so hard that she fell to the floor. The items she was carrying scattered.

"Oh, forgive me! I—" Olivia immediately looked up, wanting to apologize with all her soul.

However, her words caught in her throat.

In front of her stood Avelvion. The younger brother of Avvion was looking at her with a cold and bored expression.

He did not help Olivia up; instead, he just stood stiffly, watching the servant who looked very anxious on the floor.

Avelvion lowered his body slightly, his face now only a few inches from Olivia’s pale, haggard face.

"Running from death, or heading toward it?"

Avelvion’s voice sounded calm yet sharp.

He directed his gaze toward his brother’s office door not far away. He knew exactly why Olivia was there at this time.

"Ah! Your Highness..." Olivia’s voice was broken.

Avelvion smiled cynically. That smile was not a friendly one, but the smile of someone watching prey about to enter a crocodile’s mouth.

"Go on... you miserable woman," Avelvion said while standing straight again, adjusting the hem of his robe that had wrinkled slightly due to the collision.

"That human doesn’t like to wait. If you go in now, perhaps your head will still be on your shoulders. But if you are late again..."

Avelvion did not finish his sentence. He continued walking, leaving Olivia still sitting on the floor with feelings that were crumbling further.

Olivia took a deep breath, trying to gather the remains of her courage. She picked up her belongings with trembling hands. She had no choice. She had to face Avvion.

She stood up, adjusted her slightly crooked headscarf, and walked slowly toward the office door. Every step felt like a thousand miles. Her hand rose, and slowly, she knocked on the heavy wooden door.

Tok tok tok

The door was knocked, and Avvion’s gravelly voice spoke from inside, calm yet carrying a thousand meanings.

"Come in," Avvion’s gravelly voice sounded from inside, cold and demanding.

Olivia pushed the door open. As soon as she stepped inside, she could feel the temperature in the room drop drastically.

Avvion was sitting with his back to the door, facing the large window, staring out with a tense posture.

"Do you know how late you are, Olivia?" Avvion did not turn around.

His voice was no longer a whisper, but a very dangerous growl.

Olivia felt as if she were standing on the edge of a precipice ready to collapse.