Aria's POV
"Drink this."
The prince thrust a steaming cup into my hands before I could even ask what it was.
"What—"
"Antidote tea," he said, already preparing another cup. "You'll drink one every three hours today. It will neutralize most poisons in your system."
We were in his private study, the door locked and sealed with silver magic. Outside, the sun was just rising. We'd been awake all night planning.
I sniffed the tea. It smelled bitter and sharp, like burnt herbs mixed with metal.
"Most poisons?" I asked nervously.
"There are thousands of poisons. This covers about ninety percent." He sat across from me, his silver eyes intense. "The other ten percent we'll just have to hope Cassandra doesn't know about."
"That's not comforting."
"It's not meant to be comforting. It's meant to keep you alive." He gestured at the cup. "Drink."
I drank. It tasted even worse than it smelled—like licking a rusty nail wrapped in rotten leaves. I gagged.
"All of it," the prince ordered.
I forced down the rest, my eyes watering. "How do you drink this regularly?"
"I don't. I have guards taste all my food and drink first." Something dark crossed his face. "After my family died, I learned paranoia is better than being dead."
He stood and walked to his desk, pulling out papers covered in notes and diagrams.
"Here's the plan," he said. "Today, Cassandra will try to get close to you. Invite you to tea, offer you wine, suggest a walk in the garden. You'll accept whatever she offers, but you won't actually consume anything. I'll have servants swap every drink and plate before it reaches you."
"What if she notices?"
"She won't. My most loyal servants are experts at deception." His jaw tightened. "They've been protecting me from assassination attempts for seven years. They know how this works."
I stared at the diagrams. At all the planning that went into just staying alive in this palace.
"Does it ever get easier?" I asked quietly. "Living like this? Never trusting anyone? Always waiting for the knife?"
He was quiet for a moment. "No. It gets harder. Every day you survive is another day they want you dead."
"That's depressing."
"That's reality." He looked at me. "But if we do this right, if we catch Cassandra trying to poison you, we'll have proof. Evidence to show the kingdom she's a traitor. Then we can move against her and Darian legally, without starting a war."
Hope sparked in my chest. "And then?"
"Then you break my curse. Save your village. Go home to your brother." He said it like it was simple. Like none of it was impossible.
"And you?" I asked. "What happens to you after the curse is broken?"
Something flickered in his eyes. Something almost like loneliness.
"I keep being king," he said flatly. "Keep ruling. Keep surviving. Same as always."
"That sounds lonely."
"It is." He turned away. "But at least I'll be alive to be lonely."
Before I could respond, someone knocked on the door—three times, deliberately.
The prince relaxed slightly. "That's Mrs. Helga. She's bringing breakfast."
He unsealed the door. Mrs. Helga entered with a large tray, her sharp eyes immediately finding mine.
"Good. You survived the night," she said, setting down the tray. "I was half-expecting to find you dead this morning."
"Encouraging as always," I muttered.
"I'm not here to encourage. I'm here to feed you." She uncovered plates of eggs, bread, and fruit. "I've tested everything myself. No poison. You can eat safely."
"Thank you."
She nodded and left, sealing the door behind her.
The prince and I ate in silence. My mind was racing with everything that could go wrong today.
"What if this doesn't work?" I asked. "What if Cassandra gets away with it?"
"Then we try something else." His voice was firm. "I won't let her kill you, Aria. I—" He stopped abruptly.
"You what?"
"Nothing." He stood quickly. "Finish eating. We have work to do."
But I'd seen his face. Seen something there that looked almost like... caring?
No. That was impossible. The curse made him unable to care about anyone.
Except... he'd given me medicine for Finn. Protected me from the Shade. Spent all night planning to save my life.
Maybe the curse was breaking. Little by little.
Maybe I was actually succeeding without realizing it.
An hour later, I was walking through the palace corridors when I heard my name.
"Miss Sunfield!"
I turned to see a young servant running toward me, breathless.
"What's wrong?"
"A package came for you. At the gates. The guards said it's urgent." He held out a small wooden box, wrapped in simple brown paper.
My heart jumped. "From where?"
"No return address. But it's marked 'For Aria Sunfield - Urgent.'"
I took the box carefully. It was light, barely weighing anything.
"Thank you," I told the servant, and he hurried away.
I found a quiet corner and opened the package.
Inside was a small glass vial—identical to the one the prince had given me last night—and a folded note.
My hands shook as I unfolded it:
For your brother. Get well soon.
- A friend
I stared at the vial, confused.
Another one? But the prince had already given me medicine. I'd sent it with the messenger last night.
Unless...
Unless the messenger never left. Unless Cassandra had stopped him, just like she threatened.
Panic flooded through me. I had to find out.
I ran to the messenger quarters near the palace gates. Found the stable master.
"The messenger who came yesterday from Sunhaven," I said breathlessly. "Did he leave last night?"
The stable master checked his records. "Says here he left this morning. Dawn. Lady Cassandra insisted he stay the night for safety."
My stomach dropped.
This morning. Not last night like I'd asked.
Which meant the medicine I'd given him had been in the palace all night.
In Cassandra's reach.
"Did anyone else go near his things?" I asked desperately. "Anyone touch his bags?"
The stable master shifted uncomfortably. "Well... Lady Cassandra did visit him last night. Brought him dinner personally. Said she wanted to ensure he was comfortable."
I felt sick.
She'd poisoned the medicine. I knew it. She'd switched it out or contaminated it somehow.
Which meant this vial—this new one—was a replacement.
But who sent it?
I ran back through the palace, clutching the new vial, my mind racing.
If the first medicine was poisoned, Finn would die drinking it. I had to warn him. Had to send a new messenger with the real medicine.
But would there be time?
I burst into the prince's study without knocking.
He looked up from his desk, startled. "What—"
"The medicine!" I gasped. "The one you gave me. Cassandra got to it. I need to send this new one—" I held up the vial. "But I don't know who sent it or if it's even safe—"
The prince stood and took the vial from me, examining it carefully.
"This is from the royal stores," he said quietly. "I recognize the seal on the glass."
"But you already gave me one—"
"I know." He looked at me strangely. "Someone else accessed the stores. Someone with authority."
"Who?"
Before he could answer, Mrs. Helga appeared in the doorway, looking grim.
"Your Highness, Lady Cassandra is requesting Miss Sunfield's presence. She's invited her to afternoon tea in the garden. She's quite insistent."
The prince and I looked at each other.
This was it. The trap was being set.
"Tell Lady Cassandra that Miss Sunfield accepts," the prince said. "And prepare the servants as we discussed."
Mrs. Helga nodded and left.
The prince turned to me. "Remember—accept everything she offers, but consume nothing. The servants will handle the rest."
"What about this?" I held up the new vial. "What do I do about Finn's medicine?"
The prince was quiet for a moment. Then he did something unexpected.
He took my hand—actually took my hand—and pressed the vial back into my palm.
"Send it," he said quietly. "With a rider I trust personally. He'll leave immediately and ride straight through. Your brother will have it by tomorrow night."
"But what if it's poisoned too? What if—"
"It's not." His silver eyes held mine. "I checked. It's genuine. Your brother will be safe."
"How can you be sure?"
"Because..." He seemed to struggle with something. "Because I'm the one who had it delivered to you this morning."
I stared at him, shocked.
"You sent this? But you already gave me medicine last night—"
"Which I suspected Cassandra would sabotage. So I had a backup prepared." His jaw tightened. "I told you I'd protect you. That includes protecting the people you love."
Something warm and painful bloomed in my chest.
"Why?" I whispered. "Why would you do this?"
He dropped my hand and stepped back, his mask sliding into place.
"Because you can't break the curse if you're distracted by grief," he said coldly. "Consider it a strategic investment."
But I'd seen his face before the mask. Seen the truth there.
He wasn't doing this for strategy.
He was doing it because he cared.
The curse was definitely breaking.
"Thank you," I said softly. "Really. Thank you."
He didn't respond. Just turned back to his desk.
But I saw his hand touch his chest again. That same confused gesture, like something there hurt.
Like his frozen heart was learning to feel again, and it didn't know how.
Two hours later, I sat in the garden across from Lady Cassandra.
She looked perfect—golden hair shining in the sun, a sweet smile on her face, completely at ease.
Like she wasn't planning to murder me.
"I'm so glad you accepted my invitation," she said, pouring tea from an elegant silver pot. "We haven't had a chance to talk properly since you arrived."
"I've been busy," I said carefully.
"Oh, I'm sure! Teaching the prince to smile must be exhausting work." Her smile widened. "Tell me, how is that going? Any progress?"
"Some."
"Really?" She handed me a delicate cup filled with amber tea. "Because from what I've seen, he's just as cold as ever. Perhaps even colder, if that's possible."
I accepted the cup but didn't drink. Just held it, letting the steam rise.
"Things take time," I said.
"Time you don't have." Cassandra sipped her own tea. "The treaty gives you three months. You've already used a week. That leaves... what? About eleven weeks? Barely any time at all."
Behind her, I saw a servant approach with fresh plates. One of the prince's people, moving smoothly, professionally.
"I'll manage," I said.
"Will you?" Cassandra leaned forward, her voice dropping. "Between you and me, Aria—can I call you Aria?—I don't think you will. The prince doesn't want to be fixed. He likes being broken. It gives him an excuse not to feel, not to care, not to be hurt again."
Her words struck something true and painful.
"Maybe," I said quietly. "Or maybe he just needs the right reason to heal."
"And you think you're that reason?" Cassandra laughed lightly. "A peasant girl with no training, no magic control, no idea what she's doing? Please."
The servant behind her swapped our cups smoothly while she wasn't looking. My poisoned tea became hers. Her safe tea became mine.
"You never know," I said, watching the switch happen. "Sometimes the most unlikely people make the biggest difference."
"How inspirational." Cassandra raised her cup. "Shall we toast to unlikely success?"
"Sure."
We both drank.
Her tea—now mine—tasted fine. Sweet, floral, normal.
Mine—now hers—she drank without hesitation.
Nothing happened immediately. Poison rarely worked that fast.
We talked for another twenty minutes. About the palace. About the weather. About nothing important.
Then Cassandra started looking pale.
"Are you alright?" I asked innocently.
"I—" She touched her throat. "I feel strange. Dizzy."
"Maybe the sun is too bright?" I suggested. "Should I call for help?"
"No, I'm fine. I just need—" She tried to stand and stumbled.
Two guards appeared immediately—the prince's guards.
"Lady Cassandra?" one asked. "You don't look well. Perhaps you should see a healer?"
"I'm fine!" She snapped, but her voice was weak. "Just... tired..."
"We'll escort you to your rooms," the other guard said, already moving to support her.
They led her away, and I saw the prince watching from a window above. He nodded once.
It was done. Cassandra had poisoned herself.
Now we'd have proof.
I stood to leave the garden, feeling victorious.
Then I heard a sound that made my blood freeze.
A child's voice. Singing.
The same lullaby from the west wing.
I turned and saw him standing at the edge of the garden.
Prince Tobias. The ghost boy.
But this time, he wasn't alone.
Behind him stood dozens of shadow figures. The assassins from the west wing.
And they were all staring at me.
"You killed our friend," Tobias said, but his voice was wrong. Too old. Too dark. "You killed the Shade. Now we have no master. No purpose."
The shadows moved closer.
"So we've decided," Tobias continued, his little face twisted into something terrible. "If we can't serve the Shade, we'll become the Shade. All of us. Together. One massive shadow."
The ghost boy and all the shadow assassins started melting together, merging into one enormous darkness.
"And our first meal," the darkness said with a hundred voices at once, "will be the Lightbringer who destroyed our master."
The shadow monster lunged at me.
I screamed and ran.
Behind me, I heard it crashing through the garden, destroying everything in its path.
Guards shouted. Alarms rang.
I ran into the palace, the monster right behind me, and I knew one terrible truth:
Killing the Shade hadn't saved us.
It had made something worse.