The next day I decided to explore the palace, and perhap find answers to a lot of my lingering questions. I decided to first go to the library to freshen up on this world's knowledge.
The palace library was colder than I expected. Rows of golden bookshelves stretched higher than I could see, decades of built up dust could be seen due to the sunlight that streamed through tall stained glass.
I came here looking for answers. For fragments of Prince Kael's life that might fit into the gaps in my mind.
And I found them.
An old portrait hanging above the fireplace stopped me cold. A younger version of me—sharper jaw, brighter eyes—stood proudly in ceremonial armor. Beside him was the King, the Queen… and no one else.
No Liora.
My stomach knotted. If she'd truly been my fiancée, if we'd been "inseparable," wouldn't she have been at my side in the most important painting in the palace?
A chill slid down my spine.
She lied.
The sound of soft footsteps broke my thoughts. I turned, and there she was—Liora, gliding into the library like a shadow draped in silk, her crimson eyes finding me instantly.
"You disappeared," she said sweetly, though there was a sharpness under the words. "I was worried."
I forced a smile. "Just… clearing my head. This place feels…familiar"
She tilted her head, smile too warm, too knowing. "Your memories will return soon enough. Until then, you only need to remember me."
Her words clamped around my chest like chains.
I looked back at the portrait, pulse hammering. Not your wife. Not your fiancée. A liar.
But if I let that thought slip out, I had no doubt the dagger she hid in her gowns would find my ribs before nightfall.
So I swallowed the rejection in my mouth and made myself nod. "Of course. Only you."
The way her smile bloomed at those words sent a shiver down my spine.
I didn't know how long I could keep up this act. But until I understood what she had done to me—and why—I had no choice but to play along.