The library was massive.
Vaulted ceilings. Endless shelves. The scent of ink, old parchment, and something herbal in the air. Books lined every wall — thick tomes on warfare, etiquette, magical theory, obscure politics. A fire crackled in the hearth, but the room still felt quiet. Watchful.
Jace stood just inside the threshold, momentarily stunned.
> "Okay. Hogwarts who?" he muttered under his breath.
Cassian said nothing. He walked a few paces ahead, his boots echoing softly on the stone, then turned to watch. As always.
Jace made his way to a reading alcove — a round table tucked into a windowed nook, bathed in soft, natural light. He grabbed an empty journal from a nearby shelf and selected a silver-nibbed quill with a carved handle — unnecessarily elegant, but it would do.
He sat.
Cassian remained by one of the nearby pillars, a book in hand — but he wasn't reading. Not really. Just standing there, pretending to be disinterested.
Jace's skin prickled.
There was something about the way Cassian looked at him now. Not hostile. Not warm, either. Just... precise. Like he was measuring him.
It made it hard to breathe.
> "I haven't even done anything suspicious yet," Jace thought.
"Unless acting like a decent human being counts as suspicious around here."
He dipped the quill and opened the journal to the first page.
Major Events — Timeline
This one, he titled carefully.
What I Remember — Plot Disasters Ahead
Assassination Attempt – Palace Gala (5 days)
King targeted. Jun blamed by association.
Flora plays innocent. Cassian saves Jun.
→ Aftermath: Political fallout. Jun's standing collapses.
Royal Academy Scandal – Month After
Accused of adultery. Whole trial rigged.
Public humiliation. Cassian defends him.
→ Trust in royal family erodes further.
Kingdom Famine – Mid-Year
Crops fail. Relief mishandled.
Commoners riot. Blame lands squarely on Jun.
→ Nobles turn opportunistic. Jun isolated.
Plague Outbreak – Western Border
Released by Western noble trying to seize land.
Spreads fast. Magic can't contain it fully.
Stopped — but hundreds die, including royal allies.
→ Kingdom weak. Foreign powers smell blood.
Coup d'état – Late Year
Orchestrated by nobles + foreign aid.
People turn fully against the crown.
→ Jun flees the capital with Cassian. Barely survives. Cassian confesses feelings before departure. Jun doesn't answer.
Never gets the chance.
Final Assassination Attempt – Cliffhanger Ending
Entire royal line targeted. Jun, Cassian, remaining heirs ambushed.
→ Book ends on this note. Hiatus. No closure.
Jace stared at the page.
So much of it blurred together — all the betrayals, the deaths, the slow unraveling. But the order felt right. The pain behind it felt real.
He pressed the quill to the paper one last time.
My Goal:
Change the story.
Save the king.
Expose Flora.
Avoid the scandals.
Stop the plague.
Stop the coup.
And if I can't fix everything— At least make sure Cassian lives.
He stared at the list.
Assassination. Scandal. Coup.
And yet—
"Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?"
The kind of thing that gets you killed if you remember too late.
Cassian shifted slightly across the room, and Jace flinched — like the knight had somehow read the page from across the marble floor.
He didn't look over, just kept his eyes on the parchment.
But that chill was back.
Not from the room. From Cassian.
There was something in the way he stood there. Straight-backed, expression neutral. Like a statue that might move when you weren't looking. Like he could see straight through the new Jun and was just waiting for the mask to slip.
Jace swallowed hard.
> "He's not the problem," he reminded himself.
"The problem is Flora. The problem is the timeline. The problem is—"
He stopped.
Because a single question lodged itself in his chest like a splinter.
> What if he already knows I'm not him?
Cassian's gaze flicked toward him again. Brief. Barely a second.
But Jace felt it like a blade grazing skin.
He turned back to his journal, trying to steady his breathing.
> "It doesn't matter," he told himself. "Even if he does.
He hasn't said anything.
And as long as he keeps watching —
I'll make damn sure there's something worth watching."
Jace thought again why do I feel like I am forgetting an event that is very life threatening.