The palace was quieter than usual the next morning, but quiet didn't mean peace,it meant planning.
Lydia tightened the laces of my dress with a little more force than usual. "Be careful today, mi lady," she whispered.
"Careful?" I echoed.
"There are ears everywhere," she said, then added in a lower voice, "and tongues sharper than blades."
I didn't reply. I didn't have to. The tension from yesterday's court session still clung to the walls like smoke. The nobles had left shaken,some angry, others terrified. Leonard hadn't come back to our chamber after that conversation at the window. He hadn't needed to. His message was clear.
This world would not grow gentler.
⸻
The feast was to take place at dusk in the eastern wing,an open marble hall with vine-wrapped columns and glass chandeliers imported from the coastal kingdom of Serin. The nobles called it the Hall of Bloom, but no flower ever bloomed there unless it was for show.
By the time I entered, escorted by the maids, the hall was already swarming with silk, perfume, and politics.
Eyes followed me again. But this time, I looked back.
Lady Verona stood in a velvet maroon gown, her hair pinned with black pearls, her smile as gracious as a viper's hiss. She stood flanked by two other ladies who looked as if their lives depended on mimicking her every move.
To her right stood her brother, Lord Renner,a man known for his sharp tongue and sharper ambition. A quiet rival to Leonard. Dangerous in a different way.
I hadn't been seated for long when a voice broke the air.
"Mi lady," a man's voice drawled. "You've come alone this evening?"
I looked up to see a young lord with golden hair and too much confidence leaning near the edge of my table. I didn't recognize him.
"She is not alone," Caelum said suddenly from behind me. His voice was quiet, calm but deadly.
The young lord stiffened, turned without a word, and left.
I turned my head slightly toward Caelum, who now stood nearby, eyes fixed on the room like a hunting hawk.
"You don't have to protect me like that," I muttered.
"I do," he replied, "because if something happens to you, Leonard will raze this entire hall."
I looked away, heart tightening slightly.
⸻
Leonard entered late.
And when he did, the room fell silent.
He was dressed in deep navy, nearly black, embroidered with silver. His hair was slicked back, his posture terrifyingly regal. He didn't glance my way, but I could feel the storm that followed him,
an aura of untouchable power.
Rhys trailed behind him, speaking into his ear with a smirk on his lips, one hand holding a goblet of something rich and red. Rhys always looked like he was on the verge of laughter, even in the face of death.
The two men took their seats at the front of the room. Caelum left my side, returning to stand by Leonard's right, his usual post.
Then the toasts began.
Then the dances.
Then the venom.
⸻
I was on my second cup of wine when Lady Verona approached, her expression politely blank.
"Mi lady," she said sweetly, "do you dance?"
I looked up slowly. "Why?"
"Because the prince never does. It must be lonely, being married to a man who doesn't... partake in pleasure."
Behind her, the two noble girls giggled softly.
I stood. "Pleasure takes many forms, Lady Verona. Perhaps if you'd been better at offering them, you'd be the one sitting in my place."
Her smile didn't waver, but her eyes darkened.
"Enjoy it while it lasts," she murmured, and walked away, veil fluttering behind her like smoke.
⸻
Later that night, I slipped out of the feast.
The garden paths were lit with fireflies and low lanterns. I needed the silence, the distance from all those eyes. But I didn't get far before I found someone already there.
Rhys.
He was leaning against a wall, arms crossed, looking up at the sky like it owed him answers.
"You shouldn't be alone out here," he said without turning.
"Neither should you."
"I have knives," he replied. "What do you have?"
"Anger."
He chuckled. "Good start."
I joined him, both of us watching the stars.
"You're not like them," I said.
"Who, the nobles? No. I prefer honesty, even if it bleeds."
"You've known Leonard long?"
Rhys's grin faded just a little. "Long enough to know what he isn't telling you."
I turned to him, but he didn't meet my gaze.
"He doesn't love you," Rhys said softly, "but he'd burn the world for you. That's not romance, Lisa. That's something else entirely."
"Then why stay?"
Rhys looked at me, red eyes sharp. "Because I owe him my life. And because I want to see what you become."
"What do you mean?"
But he was already walking away, his coat trailing behind him.
⸻
When I returned to our chamber, Leonard was seated by the fireplace. He didn't look up when I entered.
"You shouldn't have walked off alone."
"Are you angry?"
"No," he said. "But they're watching you now. Every word. Every gesture. Verona won't stop. Neither will Renner."
"And what about you?" I asked, stepping closer. "Will you stop hiding things from me?"
He finally looked at me, eyes cold and unreadable. "Some truths are better hidden."
"Even from me?"
"Especially from you."
I stared at him, fury building under my skin.
"I'm not made of glass," I said.
"No," he replied. "You're made of something far more dangerous."
My heart stopped.
He rose, walking past me without another word.
And somehow, the silence he left behind hurt more than any secret.