When Lyra awoke the second time, she was no longer in the treatment hall but in her own chamber. The familiar tapestry walls and scented candles whispered of safety, but her chest felt crushed beneath a weight heavier than stone.
The memory of Kaelin's lifeless body in Aiden's arms struck her in a single wave, stealing the breath from her lungs.
She sat upright, clutching her blanket.
'No, he can't be gone. Not him… not like that.'
The door creaked open. Ana slipped in, her expression sharp and unreadable.
"You fainted again," Ana said, placing a small tray of broth on the table. "The emperor ordered you confined here until further notice."
Lyra's hands curled into fists beneath the sheets.
'Confined? To keep me from seeing him?'
Her gaze flicked up at Ana. "Tell me… is he gone?"
Ana faltered, her lips parting, but no sound escaping. That silence was more terrifying than any words. Lyra's heart thudded.
Before she could press, the sound of footsteps echoed in the corridor. The chamber doors opened once again—this time revealing First Prince Viktor, his tall frame casting a long shadow against the room's lamplight.
Lyra stiffened.
He studied her with that cold, assessing stare of his. "Princess Lyra. You'll remain here until the emperor declares otherwise."
Lyra's throat tightened. "Why? I deserve to know if my betrothed—"
"—is beyond saving?" Viktor cut in, his tone unreadable. He is dead. He's none of your concern anymore. The emperor will decide your future."
Her nails dug into her palms beneath the sheets.
'Not my concern? He's my entire fate.'
But Viktor was already turning, his cloak whispering across the floor. Just before leaving, he paused, speaking without looking back.
"The crown prince's body is not to be touched. No one is to enter his chamber until dawn."
His words left a trail of unease in the air, lingering long after his departure.
Lyra's pulse quickened.
'Not to be touched? Why? What are they hiding?'
The night was restless. Shadows stretched long across Lyra's chamber, dancing with every flicker of the oil lamp. She lay still beneath her covers, though her eyes were wide open, watching the ceiling as if sleep had become a stranger.
Viktor's words echoed in her head. No one is to enter his chamber until dawn.
She bit her lip.
'And yet… I have to see him. One last time.'
Her body moved before her thoughts could dissuade her. Slipping from the bed, she wrapped herself in a black cloak and crept to the door. The guards stationed outside had grown lax—after all, who would expect the crown princess-to-be to defy orders in the dead of night?
With practiced silence, she slipped down the corridor, her bare feet gliding over the polished stone. Every corner seemed alive, every tapestry's shadow threatening to betray her. Still, she pressed on, her heart hammering louder with each step.
Two stern, unmoving men guarded the crown prince's chamber. Lyra's breath caught. She couldn't risk walking through the front.
Her hand moved to the gem lace around her neck. The crown prince's gift to her. The necklace resonated with her thought, and with a dim light, her body began to fade away from ordinary eyes.
She turned invisible. Yet, she couldn't risk triggering the energy-detection barriers installed in most corners of the palace.
Her mind raced. She recalled a side passage that once connected the healing wing to the ceremonial chambers. Hardly anyone used it anymore. Heart in her throat, she stole into the forgotten hall. Dust clung to her fingers as she pushed past the hidden door, every creak loud enough to set her nerves aflame.
When she emerged, the air was colder—far colder. A chill seeped into her bones.
And there, at the far end of the chamber, she saw it.
The crown prince's body lay upon a raised bier, draped in silken cloth of imperial black and gold. They combed his hair, cleaned his face of blood, and neatly crossed his hands over his chest. Candles flickered all around him, casting his skin in a ghostly pallor. The scent of incense choked the air, masking the copper tang of death.
Lyra's knees weakened. She stumbled closer, the sight hollowing her chest.
'They've already… prepared him for the funeral?'
Her trembling fingers reached out, stopping just short of touching his cold cheek.
"Kaelin…" her whisper cracked. "Why won't you open your eyes this time?"
As she gazed around, she instantly understood why the first prince had forbidden entry. Even in death, his shadow had stretched endlessly like wailing spikes across the room.
Tears stung her eyes as she cowered beside him.
'This is selfish to say, but... if you were going to die now, why didn't you die before we met?'
....
....
It has been a couple of hours since Lyra snuck into the chamber of the dead prince. Although the guards are not allowed to check on her, the maidens could easily notice her absence.
Lyra had to return because of that fact. She felt incredibly out of place as she walked back to her chamber. It was during that time that she realized that she was barefoot.
As she dragged herself back to her chamber, she suddenly noticed an approaching silhouette in the dim light of a distant torch. Without giving it much thought, she pressed herself against the cold brick wall, her heart ramming against her ribs as the person got closer.
'Is this person also sneaking to see the crown prince?'
But as the shadow got closer, her eyes widened.
'Queen Namerie!'
It took every ounce of caution not to cry out—and risk exposing that she had defied the king's order by using the invisible necklace.
Queen Namerie walked past her, steps silent and composed. Lyra's eye followed her in sympathy.
'She must have missed him...huh?'
Expectantly, Queen Namerie was supposed to take the direction to the dead prince's chamber; instead, she went opposite, her step hurried.
''Where is she going?" Princess Lyra's voice was faint, even in the silent night. That way leads in only one direction.
'The hallway that leads to the dungeon?'
The Queen's sketchy movements piqued her interest. Knowing fully well that it's a bad idea, and getting caught could affect the kingdom's friendship, she snuck along.
Queen Namerie hurried. She glanced around occasionally; equally, Lyra made sure to stay out of sight, even if she was invisible.
'Extra caution won't hurt.'
As Lyra had suspected, the Queen's destination was the dungeon. She had glanced around before going into the foreboding cave.
Princess Lyra didn't go in immediately.
Instead, she weighed her pros and cons; at last, she convinced herself that it was for the best to know what the Queen had to discuss with a criminal in the middle of the night, so she went in.
Distant chatter reached her ear as she got closer and closer. As she suspected, it was the priestess and the Queen exchanging inaudible words.
'Ah! What is the point of following if I can't hear a thing?'
She crept closer, careful not to make a sound. Soon, the conversation became a bit audible to her.
''You lay down your life to stab him, for an unrealistic vision that you couldn't even explain,'' Queen Namerie said, her voice tingling with disbelief.
'A vision?' Lyra frowned, clenching her little fist. 'So it was not a mistake!'
From a little spot, she could see the priestess kneeling inside the dungeon.
''Your Highness, it is true that I do not understand it. However, I believe I made the right choice.''
At the priestess's words, a shivery feeling crept up Lyra's spine. She shuddered at the thought that the priestess might be right. After all, who will lay down their life to hurt the heir for nothing? But the next thing that the Queen did had her stumbling in shock.
Queen Namerie threw her head back and laughed. She laughed so hard she almost tripped over the cold stones.
''You really are stupid!''
''Your...Highness?'' The priestess recoiled.
''How amusing,'' Queen Namerie continued to laugh.
'Amusing?' Lyra crept closer.
'Aah,' the queen's laughter dies down, and she wipes her face with the hem of her robe.
''Nevertheless, you made things easy for me.''
''Ma..de things...easy?'' The priestess was equally as confused.
''Yeah,'' Queen Namerie grinned. ''I won't have to kill him myself!''
Lyra's breath hitched as she absorbed the venom in Queen Namerie's laughter and words. The dignity that once haloed the priestess now seemed shattered, her kneeling form almost fragile in the dungeon's cold gloom.
''Kill...him? You wanted to kill the crown prince?''
Queen Namerie's eyes gleamed with cold amusement as she spoke low in the dungeon's shadows. "You believe your attack was the first? How naïve."
The priestess stiffened, confusion flickering on her pale face.
"I had already laced his cup with poison," the queen continued, voice sharp as a blade. "I intended a silent end, and I would be the only suspect. It was worth it all—for my son!"
Lyra's heart pounded, torn between shock and anger. Could the Queen truly harbor such darkness in mind? She was determined to end his life, with no remorse.
Her grin twisted cruelly. "But you… You stole that moment. You killed him before the poison even took hold."
A stunned silence fell.
Lyra pressed forward unseen, heart pounding. The crown prince was taken not once, but twice—by poison and by blade.
Queen Namerie's tone dropped to a whisper dripping with menace.
''So now, the corpse you see is of a boy claimed by death twice over, and you're taking the blame for it.''
By this time, the princess was already shivering. The air suddenly felt heavy, and the walls seemed to spin.
Before she could hold herself, she tripped, catching herself only after making a sound.
The noise drew both their attention to her side.
''Who's that?!''
TBC...