"Are you sure you pronounced it right?" a frightened voice asked.

I opened my eyes. Who on earth had been allowed into my chambers?

"Of course I did. Which one of us passed Summoning, huh?"

Hold on. The ceiling was gray and made of stone, completely unlike the one in my bedroom.

"But you said yourself you cheated on the entire theory section!" The frightened one clearly didn't believe his friend. What were they babbling about?

"So what? The knowledge stuck!"

"Gentlemen," I said. I was tired of listening to this bizarre argument and decided to join the conversation. Still lying down, for now, as I wasn’t entirely sure I could get up. A strange weakness had seized my entire body. "What exactly is going on here?"

"It's alive!" two guys shrieked at the top of their lungs. There was a thud, a crash, and then the sound of rapidly retreating footsteps. I continued to stare at the ceiling. I didn't understand a thing. And didn't they teach young men in school that a lady is a "she," not an "it"?

No one else appeared. I turned my head to the right—a low wooden wall. There was an identical one on my left. Interesting. I grabbed both sides, pulling myself up into a sitting position.

"Ugh." Moving was unexpectedly difficult. "How lovely."

It turned out I was sitting in a very real coffin, resting on a large pedestal in the center of a stone crypt. The lid had been neatly propped against the side.

Whose doing was this? My dear brothers? They loved pranks, but they had never gone to such lengths before. Then again, neither of them had been thrilled about the news of my impending engagement, so it was entirely possible they had concocted something completely unhinged.

Never mind, I would absolutely tell Mother everything; she’d be thrilled to hear about this. To think they actually came up with this! And how did they even move me here without waking me? Their magical potions again?

"Idiots," I pronounced my verdict on my brothers and began climbing out of the decidedly uncomfortable bed.

Usually, after a curse slipped from my mouth (mostly by pure accident), my inner Miss Rosaria would start scolding me. She was the governess who had drilled good manners into me since childhood. She’d done such a spectacular job that my conscience had acquired a voice remarkably similar to hers.

But this time, for some reason, she remained silent. Perhaps, like me, she was too shell-shocked by my relatives' antics.

After a moment's hesitation, I hopped off the pedestal onto the stone floor. My strength was returning with every passing second. Apparently, the sleeping draught—or whatever the pranksters had slipped me—was wearing off.

I smoothed out the slightly crumpled skirts of my light-colored dress. I didn't recall having anything like this in my wardrobe. That was a little strange. Not far from the steps leading up to the stone dais, a book lay abandoned on the floor.

"Necromancy. Year Two," I read on the cover. "So, those two hooligans were from the Academy?"

The voices bickering by my coffin—how awful that sounded!—had been completely unfamiliar, which meant they had just stumbled in here by chance. Wandered into a random crypt hoping to practice raising the dead. Ugh, I should have scared them properly so they'd be stuttering for a week.

How interesting. I had never been a fan of bad jokes before.

Anyway, it didn't matter. I needed to get home, and as quickly as possible. If Mother found out I hadn't slept in my own room, she’d throw a tantrum that would last half the day. Her eloquent monologue on traditions and the proper conduct of young ladies wouldn't leave me a single opening to slip in an excuse. So, it was best I reach her bedroom before she made it to mine.

The crypt doors were wide open, letting light flood into the room—I could see everything around me with perfect clarity. That wasn't good; it meant dawn had broken. I carefully edged along the wall toward the left door and peeked outside. No, the sky hadn't even begun to lighten, and all the stars were still visible. Why was it so bright?

I stepped onto the paved path leading away from the crypt. I turned back to read the family name that was usually carved into the pediments of such buildings.

Amatto.

Highly commendable of my brothers to shove me into our own family vault.

Well, at least now I knew roughly which cemetery I was in. From the Eastern Cemetery to our house was about a forty-minute carriage ride. On foot, it would probably take an hour and a half. Oh well, I had wanted a bit of adventure before the wedding anyway. Might as well have some fun while I still could!

Gathering my skirts, I carefully strode forward, trying to step as quietly as possible. The soft, completely heel-less slippers I was wearing helped quite a bit. Another unusual sartorial choice; I usually wore entirely different styles.

Cemeteries had always frightened me, but tonight the atmosphere felt entirely different. Maybe because it was so unusually bright out? Or because I was furious about the stupid prank that had stranded me so far from home?

Entering this place at night was strictly forbidden. You could easily stumble upon a ghoul or something even worse. So, I was overjoyed when the wrought-iron entrance gates appeared ahead. I was barely a hundred paces from sweet freedom when a man stumbled out of the bushes right into my path. Or rather, tumbled out.

He was holding an armful of glowing purple flowers out in front of him. A faint hissing sound seemed to emanate from the bright bouquet. I froze, not knowing which way to dart. He looked alive, so he probably wouldn't attack, right?

Cursing at something with language that would have sent Miss Rosaria into a deep swoon, he lifted his head and, of course, spotted me. It wasn't hard. In a white dress against a backdrop of dark tombstones, I stood out rather well.

"Miss?" For some reason, I could see him with striking clarity. I think I could even make out the color of his eyes. "Do you need help?"

"No, thank you," I declined politely. "I'm just heading home."

"At this hour?" A note of suspicion crept into his tone.

I don't know what came over me. He seemed perfectly human; I could have just asked him for help, but instead, I spun on my heels and bolted back into the depths of the cemetery as fast as my legs could carry me.

"Miss!" he called out behind me.

Nope, I didn't hear a thing!

My panicked flight ended back at the family crypt. Not my smartest move, considering it only had one entrance and, consequently, one exit. But for some reason, I was drawn right back here. Only, locking the doors proved impossible—the heavy stone slabs refused to slide shut.

Besides, he probably wouldn't chase after me. The man clearly had his own business to attend to. Like delivering his hissing bouquet to someone, for instance.

I paced erratically around the hall, at a loss for what to do. Why had he scared me so much? Well-bred ladies try to avoid being alone with men, naturally, but in my current predicament, finding someone to escort me home would have been ideal.

The coffin lid hit the floor with a deafening crash—I had accidentally clipped the edge as I brushed past. It left a long scratch on my skin, but I didn't feel any pain. I was probably in some strange state of shock.

"I don't understand," I murmured, nervously fixing my hair as I examined the neat, calligraphic engraving on the lid.

Noemi Amatto was burned into the wood right above our family crest.

Now this was genuinely terrifying. My brothers couldn't possibly have gone to the trouble of ordering a custom-engraved coffin just for me, could they?

By tradition, the wooden coffin was supposed to be placed inside one of the stone sarcophagi located in the side alcoves of the main hall, accessible only after passing through the front memorial room. The deceased was kept there for several days after the funeral while the necessary rites were performed. Only then was the body laid to rest in the sarcophagus.

"Amatto… I believe I read the news." I spun around. He had followed me after all! "Two days ago, the daughter of a rather prominent family passed away. Such tragic news; she was in the prime of her life."

"Excuse me?" The man was standing right in the doorway, hands tucked into the pockets of his leather jacket. He’d lost his bouquet somewhere. Definitely not an aristocrat; more likely a mage. But even they weren't allowed to say such horrible things in the presence of a lady!

"I assume you woke up in the coffin?" the blond asked softly, stirring an intense desire in me to shut him up immediately.

"What makes you say that?"

"Just a guess." He took a step forward.

"My relatives have a very specific sense of humor." I tilted my chin up. "What are you even talking about? What news? And stay right where you are, if you please!"

"About the death of an Amatto?" the stranger clarified. "Unfortunately, I didn't attend the funeral, but I saw the ceremony from afar. It was a lavish send-off, which isn't surprising, given the family's ties to the royal bloodline. A terrible loss for everyone. Now, what was the girl's name? I believe..."

He narrowed his eyes slightly, reading the engraving on the lid.

"...Noemi?"

"What on..." I choked on my own indignation. "Stop this at once!"

He must be mad! Wandering around a graveyard and spouting such nonsense to decent people.

"But I haven't even started," the man said calmly, taking another cautious step forward.

That was his mistake.

I completely snapped. The indifferent tone he used to discuss my "death" pushed me over the edge. Letting out a snarl that scared even me, I lunged at the man with the distinct urge to rip his throat out.

He twirled something in his fingers, and some invisible force stopped me from reaching him, halting me dead in my tracks barely two steps away. Frustrated, I slashed at the air, only to stare in surprise at my suddenly overgrown nails. Actually, they looked more like sharpened claws.

"I take it you haven't realized what's happening yet," the blond said thoughtfully, examining me up close. His polite tone had vanished. "It happens."

"What exactly?" He was infuriating me to no end. And the feeling was completely irrational, as if my worst enemy were standing right in front of me. Only, I was certain I didn't know this man and had never met him before. "Please, drop these unfunny jokes. And let me pass, already!"

"Unfortunately, that's impossible." The stranger shook his head. "You are not leaving this cemetery."

"Are you out of your mind?" I mentally diagnosed the lunatic. "My family will destroy you."

"I think not." He sounded supremely confident. "On the contrary, they will thank me."

I laughed out loud. I pushed against the invisible wall once more, hoping it had vanished by now. No such luck. The man was still out of reach.

"And why is that, pray tell? My parents love me and would never leave me in trouble."

"I'm sure they do." I thought I caught a flicker of sympathy in his eyes. "But, as I said before, you are dead, Noemi."