The rain had passed, leaving the air fresh and cool. When Lena stepped into the courtyard at dawn, sunlight broke through the clouds, turning every drop of water into sparks of gold. The guards were already moving in formation, servants sweeping the marble paths, musicians tuning their instruments. The palace looked alive again, though the tension from the night before still lingered like a shadow.

Mira joined her, yawning as she adjusted her apron. “They say the prince ordered preparations for the Festival of Flames. It starts tonight. Maybe the storm was a good sign after all.”

“The Festival of Flames?” Lena asked.

“It’s an old tradition,” Mira said. “It honors the founding of the kingdom. Fire represents renewal. Everyone wears red. Even the royals light torches in the grand courtyard. You’ll see—it’s beautiful but dangerous too. Accidents happen every year.”

Lena tried to smile, though her heart was restless. She still carried the weight of Serah’s warning, and the memory of the guard’s death haunted her. Now she was being summoned to the prince’s hall, and she didn’t know why.

When she arrived, the hall doors stood open. Inside, the floor gleamed like a mirror. Prince Alden stood near the window, sunlight framing his shoulders. His expression was calm, unreadable. Guards lined the walls, their spears upright.

“Lena Carter,” he said without turning. “You came from nowhere, yet your name appears on the palace list without record. Tell me how that happened.”

Lena’s hands tightened at her sides. “I don’t know, Your Highness. I was found outside the gates.”

He faced her then, his eyes sharp. “And yet you speak unlike anyone in this court. Your manner, your words—they are foreign.”

She held his gaze. “Maybe I am just different.”

For a long moment, silence filled the room. Then he said, “Different can be dangerous.” He moved closer, stopping only a step away. “But perhaps also useful. You will assist the attendants during tonight’s festival. Stay near the flame platform. Observe everything and report directly to me afterward.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Do not fail.”

She bowed, feeling the weight of his words. As she left, she caught her reflection in the polished door—she looked calm, but inside her heart beat like a drum.

The day passed in a blur of preparation. Servants carried red banners, polished lanterns, arranged flowers of gold and scarlet. Musicians practiced near the outer gates, their drums echoing across the courtyards. Mira helped Lena tie a crimson ribbon around her wrist. “For luck,” she said with a smile. “Everyone wears one.”

When dusk came, the palace transformed. Thousands of candles flickered along the walls. The air smelled of spice and smoke. Crowds filled the main courtyard, nobles dressed in silks, guards in shining armor. At the center stood a tall iron platform where the ceremonial flame would be lit.

Lena moved among the attendants, carrying trays of torches and oil lamps. The heat from the fires warmed her skin. Above, fireworks painted the sky in bursts of red and gold. Music swelled, and for a moment she forgot her fear.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lady Serah standing near the royal balcony. Their eyes met across the crowd. Serah’s expression was calm but urgent. She made a small gesture toward the platform, almost like a warning.

Lena turned. Two guards were arguing near the flame basin, one shouting that the oil mixture was wrong. Another tried to light the torch too early. The fire flared too bright, spilling sparks onto the ground. The crowd gasped as smoke rose.

“Move back!” someone shouted.

Lena dropped her tray and ran forward without thinking. She grabbed a cloth and smothered the flames before they reached the oil barrels. Her hands burned from the heat, but she kept going until the danger passed.

When she looked up, silence had fallen. The crowd stared. Prince Alden stood on the balcony, watching her. His eyes met hers for a brief second, and something unreadable crossed his face—surprise, maybe even concern.

Guards rushed to contain the damage. Mira ran to her side, whispering, “Are you out of your mind? You could have been burned.”

“I didn’t think,” Lena said softly.

“Clearly.” Mira helped her stand. “But you just saved the ceremony.”

Later that night, after the fires were lit safely, the festival continued. Music returned, laughter filled the courtyard, and colored lights danced on the palace walls. Lena stood at the edge, her burned palms wrapped in linen. She watched the prince from afar as he lifted a golden torch, igniting the central flame. The light spread across the square, warm and alive.

But as the crowd cheered, Lena noticed Lady Serah slip into the shadows of a side passage. The same path that led beneath the palace.

Her heart tightened. She could still feel the heat from the earlier fire, but a colder kind of flame now burned inside her—a pull toward the unknown.

Without another thought, she followed Serah into the dark.

✅ Chapter 7 complete — approximately 4 200 characters

Would you like me to continue with Chapter 8 – The Hidden Passage Beneath the Flame under the same English style and length controls?