The palace corridors felt too wide, too polished, too quiet.
I walked them with the stiffness of an actor stepping onto a stage without a script. Every servant bowed as I passed, but their eyes didn't quite meet mine. It was as if they were scared of me, as if the very act of glancing at me would have them killed. Just who was Prince Kael?
The name still didn't feel like mine.
And then there was her.
Liora trailed beside me like a shadow wrapped in silk, her crimson eyes glowing under the torchlight. Every time I glanced at her, she smiled—soft, warm, devoted. The kind of smile that should've been comforting.
But instead, it made my chest tighten.
"Liora," I began, my voice catching in my throat. "Tell me about… us. What were we like before?"
She blinked, almost too slowly, as if buying herself time. Then her lips curved again.
"We were inseparable," she said sweetly. "You once told me you couldn't breathe without me."
Her words settled on me like ice.
"I said that?" I asked, forcing a laugh that sounded hollow in my own ears.
"Every day," she murmured, slipping her arm through mine. "You adored me. You swore that even death couldn't take you away." The tone she spoke in had a sort of fervor in it that exuded possessiveness.
Her grip tightened, and I nearly winced.
"Then… what about my parents?" I pressed. "The King and Queen. What were they like with us?"
For the first time, her smile faltered. Just a flicker—but enough.
"They… supported us," she said, eyes darting toward a tapestry on the wall. "Yes. They thought we were a perfect match."
A strange heaviness filled my chest. The way she stumbled on they… told me that something wasn't right. Could I really trust this person?
I stopped walking. "What about the accident?"
Her head snapped toward me, crimson eyes wide, then narrowing almost instantly. "Accident?" she echoed, her voice soft, controlled.
"Yes," I said, heart pounding out of my chest. "I don't know why, but I feel like… something happened before. Something bad."
Her hand clutched mine harder, her nails digging into my skin. The smile returned, but this one shook around the edges.
"You don't need to think about that," she whispered. "The past doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're here now… with me."
Her gaze locked on mine, too intense, too unblinking. For a moment, I thought she might strike me right there for daring to ask.
I swallowed hard.
One thought kept circling in my head, chilling me more than her dagger ever could.
Is she actually telling me the truth? Or is something terrible being hidden from me?