Transmigrated as the Crown Prince's Mate-Chapter 139: Red Cloak; Golden Chain...

Evelina crossed her arms. "So... which way?"

Jasper rubbed his chin. "Good question."

Evelina sighed. "Let me guess. You don’t know."

Jasper smirked. "Nope. Not a clue."

Relia sighed dramatically. "Fantastic. I love being lost underground."

Evelina turned toward the paths. The left tunnel looked narrow and twisted, while the right one sloped downward into darkness. The middle tunnel was the widest, with faint markings along the walls.

"Left looks dangerous. Right looks like death. Middle looks... weird."

Jasper grinned. "I like weird."

Evelina rolled her eyes. "We should check this clearing first before making a decision."

Jasper shrugged. "Fine by me."

They split up, searching through the scattered books and objects. Evelina ran her fingers over the stone table, wiping away layers of dust. Who used this place? And why was it abandoned?

Then—

She saw it.

Tucked beneath a loose stone near the table’s base—a bottle.

Not just any bottle.

It was positioned carefully, almost hidden.

Evelina narrowed her eyes.

Jasper, noticing her pause, walked over. "What is it?"

She pointed. "That."

Jasper crouched down and carefully pulled the bottle free.

They both stared at it.

It looked like any ordinary wine bottle, but something about it felt... wrong.

Jasper turned it over in his hands. "Do you think this is the bottle?"

Evelina’s stomach twisted.

There was only one way to find out.

She reached forward—

And pressed her fingers against the glass.

The moment Evelina’s fingers brushed against the bottle, a sharp pulse ran through her.

The world tilted.

Her vision blurred—

And then she was there.

*************

The warm glow of candlelight flickered against stone walls. Shadows stretched long across the room, where a single wooden table sat at the center.

The bottle rested on the surface.

A hand reached for it.

Gloved. Precise. Steady.

Evelina’s pulse quickened as she tried to focus. The figure moved with purpose, carefully uncorking the bottle.

From beneath their cloak, they produced a small vial.

The liquid inside was thick, darker than wine.

Evelina’s breath caught as the figure poured a single drop into the bottle—

And the wine swallowed it whole.

No trace. No change. Nothing.

The perfect crime.

Another figure stood nearby, partially hidden in the shadows.

"Is it done?" The voice was low, controlled. Masculine.

The figure in the red cloak nodded once. "Yes."

Evelina strained to hear more, but the words slipped away, as if muffled by an unseen force.

The second figure moved closer, revealing only the edge of a golden chain hanging from their wrist before they stopped.

The red-cloaked figure carefully resealed the bottle and set it back onto the tray.

"We only need to swap it out," the first voice said. "No mistakes."

Evelina’s chest tightened.

The scene shifted—

The same gloved hands reached for a second bottle, identical to the first.

With practiced ease, they switched them.

The poisoned bottle was placed where it was meant to be served—

At the prince’s table.

The other bottle?

It was taken away.

The vision blurred—

And then snapped.

**************

Evelina stumbled backward, gasping as her mind reeled from the vision.

Jasper lunged, catching her arm before she could fall. "Whoa! Easy there."

She sucked in deep breaths, grounding herself, but the memory burned bright behind her eyes.

The red-cloaked figure.

The golden chain.

The poisoned bottle.

Evelina clenched her fists, trying to push through the lingering dizziness.

Jasper watched her carefully. "Well? What did you see?"

Evelina exhaled slowly. "The bottle... It was poisoned before it was even brought out to the feast."

Jasper straightened. "So, the switch happened before the wine ever made it to the table."

Evelina nodded, mind racing. "They had two identical bottles. One was normal, the other was poisoned. The poisoned one was placed where it would be poured into Damian’s goblet."

Jasper’s expression darkened. "Which means the real bottle—the one we should’ve been looking for—was taken somewhere else."

Relia growled in Evelina’s mind. "Which means we’ve been searching in the wrong damn place."

Evelina cursed under her breath. "It’s possible the real bottle never made it here at all."

Jasper sighed, rubbing his face. "Great. Just great."

Evelina tried to steady herself, her thoughts whirling. The golden chain flashed in her memory.

"Jasper," she said in a low voice. "Do you know anyone in the palace who wears a gold chain around their wrist?"

Jasper frowned. "Not off the top of my head, but... that’s definitely not standard palace attire." He eyed her. "You think it belongs to one of the conspirators?"

Evelina nodded. "It’s a start."

Jasper sighed, glancing at the bottle still in his hand. "So, what do we do now?"

Evelina exhaled, pushing her exhaustion aside. "We go back. We regroup."

Jasper huffed. "Thank the gods. I’m all for adventure, but I’d rather not die in a haunted underground maze."

Evelina shot him a look. "It’s not haunted."

Jasper smirked. "Sure. Keep telling yourself that."

"Let’s find a way out of here." Eve said, gesturing to a rusty ladder.

By the time they emerged from the hidden passageway, the palace was buzzing with activity.

Evelina wiped the dust off her dress, still shaken from what she had seen. Jasper, despite his usual sarcasm, was uncharacteristically serious.

They slipped out of the storage chamber, moving quickly through the halls.

But the moment they stepped back into the main corridors—

They froze. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The palace was filled with foreign guards.

Tall, broad-shouldered warriors dressed in deep navy cloaks lined the halls. Their armor bore an unfamiliar crest—one Evelina didn’t immediately recognize.

Jasper whistled low. "Well... that’s new."

Evelina’s stomach twisted. "Who the hell are they?"

Before Jasper could answer, a familiar voice cut through the air.

"Ah, there you are."

Evelina turned—and nearly groaned.

Selene.

She walked towards them with the poise of a queen, her golden hair shining in the sunlight that flowed through the palace windows. Her smile was polite, but Evelina noticed the pride hidden beneath it.

"You should get changed, Evelina. You look like you just dragged yourself from an abandoned chamber," Selene said smoothly, eyes flicking toward Jasper too.

Evelina narrowed her eyes. "Why does my clothing bother you, your smuginess?"

Selene’s lips curled. "Because we have distinguished guests, and surprisingly, they are asking for you. I wonder what you did to piss them off."