KAEL'S POV
The little girl's laughter stopped me dead in my tracks.
I crouched in the forest shadows, three days into my journey, watching a village celebration through the trees. Children ran in circles, playing some game I didn't recognize. Their parents sat around fires, sharing food and stories. Everyone was smiling.
It made no sense.
These people lived in rebellion territory. They should be starving, terrified, hiding from Imperial soldiers. Master Corvus always said rebels brought nothing but death and suffering.
But these villagers looked... happy.
A boy about seven years old chased the laughing girl past my hiding spot. "I'm gonna catch you, Mari!"
"You're too slow!" she giggled, darting between adults who patted her head affectionately.
My chest tightened with something I couldn't name. When I was seven, I'd been learning how to break fingers without making noise. I'd never played games. Never laughed like that.
Never been touched gently by anyone.
"Long live Prince Aldric!" someone shouted, raising a cup.
The whole village cheered. "Long live the prince!"
I melted deeper into shadows, confusion twisting my thoughts. These people loved Aldric Thornhaven. Actually loved him, not the fake respect fear creates. How was that possible?
Master Corvus taught me that leaders ruled through power. You controlled people by making them afraid. Love was a weakness that got you killed.
So why did this village look stronger and safer than anywhere I'd ever been?
I shadow-walked away before someone spotted me, moving through darkness between trees. The magic drained my energy with each jump, but it kept me invisible to patrols. I'd passed three Imperial checkpoints and two rebel guard posts without being seen once.
By the third day, I'd observed four more villages. All the same—children playing, families together, people working hard but smiling. One village had a school where kids learned to read. Another had a healer who treated sick people for free.
It was like stepping into a different world. A world the Veil never told me existed.
My hand touched the portrait in my pack, feeling its edges through the fabric. Was this the world Aldric Thornhaven had built? With his speeches about justice and dignity?
"Doesn't matter," I muttered. "He still has to die."
But the words felt hollow.
Thornhaven Castle appeared on the hilltop as the sun set, painting the sky blood-red. I waited in the forest until full darkness came, then approached carefully.
The guards surprised me immediately.
They were joking with each other.
"—and then Marcus drops the entire tray of dishes right in front of Lady Seraphina!" one guard laughed. "I thought she'd freeze him solid!"
"Did she?" another asked.
"Nah, she just helped him clean up. Said accidents happen to everyone."
They leaned against the wall, relaxed and comfortable. Their weapons hung loose at their sides. They trusted each other. Trusted their prince. Trusted that tonight would be safe like every other night.
Fools.
I shadow-walked past them easily, slipping through the castle wall like smoke through cracks. Inside, more guards patrolled, but they were just as careless. Talking, yawning, thinking about dinner instead of danger.
I'd infiltrated Imperial fortresses with triple the security. This was almost insulting.
I moved through corridors silently, following my memorized map. Left at the main hall. Up the east stairs. Past the library. The council room. The armory.
Then I heard voices and pressed myself into an alcove's shadows.
"—sure he's ready for tomorrow's negotiations?" A woman's voice, sharp and intelligent.
"Aldric's always ready." A man's deeper tone. "He actually cares about these people, Seraphina. That makes him stronger than any Imperial negotiator."
"Caring also makes him vulnerable," the woman—Seraphina—replied coldly. "Someone could use his compassion against him."
Their footsteps faded down another corridor.
So that was Seraphina Vale, the ice queen who'd killed six Veil assassins. She sounded exactly like I'd expected—calculating and paranoid. Good. Paranoid people made mistakes when nothing happened for too long.
I continued upward. The castle felt too open, too trusting. Windows without bars. Doors without extra locks. Servants walking freely without being watched.
Everything about this place went against what I'd learned. Strength came from control, not freedom. Safety came from fear, not trust.
Yet somehow, this castle stood strong while Imperial fortresses fell to rebel attacks.
I reached the top floor. According to my map, Aldric's private chambers were at the end of the hall. A single guard stood outside, but he was reading a book, his attention completely focused on the pages.
Amateur.
I shadow-walked past him and stopped at the door. My hand reached for the handle, then froze.
Behind this door was my target. The boy with my face. The prince who somehow made people love him without fear or force.
My heart hammered against my ribs for no reason I could understand. This was just another mission. Just another kill. I'd done this a thousand times in training.
But something felt different. Wrong. Like I was standing at the edge of a cliff I couldn't see.
Vera's warning echoed in my mind: Six assassins sent. Zero returned.
I pushed the thought away and gripped the door handle. It turned easily—not even locked. Who didn't lock their bedroom door?
Someone who'd never lived in fear.
I slipped inside, closing the door silently behind me.
The room was simple. A bed, a desk covered in papers, bookshelves stuffed with books. Moonlight streamed through an open window, bringing in the smell of night flowers.
And there, sleeping peacefully in the bed, was Aldric Thornhaven.
I approached slowly, my blade already in my hand. Three steps. Two steps. One step.
I looked down at his face, and my entire world shattered.
It wasn't just similar. It was identical. Every single feature matched mine exactly—the shape of his nose, the curve of his jaw, the way his hair fell across his forehead. Even the small scar above his left eyebrow that I'd gotten at age eight.
How did he have the same scar?
My blade trembled in my hand. My breath came too fast. This wasn't possible. People didn't look this identical unless they were—
Aldric's eyes opened.
Storm-gray eyes exactly like mine stared up at me. For three heartbeats, neither of us moved. Neither of us breathed.
Then his lips formed words that made my blood turn to ice:
"I knew you'd come. I've been dreaming about you my whole life." His voice cracked with emotion. "Hello, brother."