Aria's POV
Cassian's chambers are nothing like I expected.
No gold. No luxury. Just stone walls, weapons everywhere, and a massive desk covered in maps and battle plans. It's the room of a soldier, not a prince.
He locks the door behind us. Three separate locks. Then checks the windows.
"Sit," he orders, pointing to a chair by the fireplace.
I don't move. "You're really keeping me here? In your private rooms? That's—"
"The only way you survive until morning." He pours wine into two cups, then slides one toward me. "Drink. You look like you're about to pass out."
I stare at the wine. After three poisonings, I'm not drinking anything I don't prepare myself.
Cassian notices. His jaw tightens. "It's not poisoned. I just drank from the same bottle." He takes a long swallow from his own cup to prove it.
I still don't touch mine.
"Smart," he admits. "Trust no one. Not even me."
"Especially not you. Six hours ago, you wanted me burned."
"Six hours ago, I thought you murdered my fiancée." He sits across from me, shadows dancing on his face from the fireplace. "Now I think you're either innocent or the most brilliant manipulator I've ever met. I haven't decided which."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"You killed a man tonight." His gray eyes pin me. "Slit his throat without hesitation. Where did a noblewoman learn to fight like that?"
My hands shake at the memory. The assassin lunging. The knife. The wet, horrible sound when the blade went in. The blood—
"I didn't think," I whisper. "He had poison. He was going to force it down my throat. I just... reacted."
"Self-defense," Cassian says. "I believe you. But my father won't. When he learns you killed someone—even an assassin—he'll use it as proof you're dangerous. Seraphina will definitely use it."
"So what do I do?"
"You stay hidden here while I investigate the dead man. Find out who he worked for, who paid him. Get actual proof connecting him to Seraphina." He leans forward. "But I need you to tell me everything you know. Every suspicion. Every detail you've noticed about the murders."
This is my chance. He's finally listening.
I take a breath and start explaining. The forged signature in the medicine room logs. Clara's death eliminating a witness. Lord Marcus poisoned before presenting evidence. The "golden rose" clue. Seraphina's access to the royal medicine rooms. Her motive—wanting to be Crown Princess.
Cassian listens without interrupting. His face reveals nothing, but I see his mind working, analyzing.
"It's all circumstantial," he finally says. "Smart observations but no hard proof. Seraphina can explain away everything—the medicine room key is official, she has alibis for the murders, and dozens of people had motive to want Elara dead. Political enemies. Rival kingdoms. Even members of my own court who opposed the Northern alliance."
Frustration burns through me. "Then what would count as proof?"
"Catching her in the act. Or finding physical evidence that can't be explained away. A confession. Witnesses who'll testify against her." His eyes meet mine. "Which is why she's eliminating witnesses and sending assassins after you. You're getting too close to something."
"But what? I still don't understand her full plan. If she wanted to be Crown Princess, why kill Elara? Why not just wait for you two to marry, then poison you and frame someone else?"
Cassian goes very still. "What did you say?"
"I said—oh my God." The pieces click together in my mind with horrible clarity. "That's the endgame. She doesn't just want to be your wife. She wants to be Queen. She needs both you and your father dead."
"Explain."
I stand, pacing now, my engineer's brain seeing the pattern. "Think about it. Princess Elara dies, and you're devastated. Vulnerable. Seraphina positions herself as a comfort, a suitable replacement bride. You marry her because your father demands an alliance. Then mysterious accidents start happening—your horse spooked during a hunt, food poisoning at a feast, an assassin in the night. Each one designed to kill you but look natural."
"And once I'm dead, my father is old and paranoid. Easy to manipulate or eliminate." Cassian's face darkens. "Seraphina becomes regent for whatever child she claims to be carrying. In reality, she controls the kingdom."
"Exactly. But I ruined it by being accused of Elara's murder. Instead of being invisible, the crime became public and investigated. Now she's racing to clean up loose ends before we expose her."
Cassian stands abruptly. "If you're right—if her plan is this elaborate—then we're both in immediate danger. She can't afford to let either of us live long enough to figure it out."
As if summoned by his words, a sound echoes through the stone walls.
Bells. Frantic, urgent bells.
Cassian's face goes white. "That's the alarm for the King's chambers."
He runs for the door. I follow without thinking.
"Stay here!" he orders.
"Not a chance. If something's happening, I need to—"
"You need to stay alive!" He grabs my shoulders. "Aria, if this is what I think it is, the whole castle is about to explode into chaos. You'll be blamed for whatever happens next. Stay here. Lock the door. Don't open it for anyone but me."
"What if you don't come back?"
His expression shifts—something almost tender breaking through the ice. "Then save yourself. However you can."
He's gone before I can argue, the door slamming behind him.
I stand alone in his chambers, heart pounding, while those terrible bells keep ringing.
Every instinct screams to run. Escape while everyone's distracted.
But I can't leave without knowing what happened. Can't abandon Cassian if he needs help.
When did I start caring about the Ice Prince who wanted me dead?
Minutes crawl past. The bells finally stop, leaving awful silence.
Then footsteps. Running. Getting closer.
I grab a dagger from Cassian's weapon wall. Press against the door to listen.
Voices in the corridor—panicked, shouting.
"—found him collapsed—"
"—poison in his wine—"
"—the King is dying—"
My blood turns to ice. King Aldric. Poisoned.
The door handle rattles. Someone's trying to get in.
"Aria!" Cassian's voice, urgent. "Open the door. Now."
I fumble with the locks. He bursts in, face pale with shock and fury.
"My father's been poisoned. Same symptoms as the others—hemlock. He's alive but barely." His hands shake as he grips his sword. "The guards found this in his chambers."
He holds up a small vial. Empty. With a label that makes my heart stop.
It's marked with Lady Aria's personal seal.
"No," I breathe. "I didn't—that's not mine—"
"I know." His voice is steel. "But everyone else thinks you did it. They're searching the castle for you right now. Seraphina told them you escaped and poisoned the King before fleeing."
"But I was here! With you! You're my alibi—"
"Which makes me look like your accomplice." His laugh is bitter. "She's brilliant. One move and she's framed us both. If my father dies, I'm the obvious suspect—the son who inherits. You're the witch with the unnatural knowledge. Together, we're the perfect conspiracy."
Shouting erupts in the corridor. Guards getting closer.
"Your Highness! Is Lady Aria in there? Open the door by order of the Queen Mother!"
Cassian's eyes meet mine. "We have seconds to decide. I open that door, and they arrest us both. We'll be tried and executed before dawn—my father's dying word will be our death sentence. Or—"
"Or we run," I finish.
"We run. Escape the castle. Find proof while we're fugitives. Come back when we can actually prove our innocence."
It's insane. We'll be hunted. Outlawed. Seraphina wins if we flee.
But we're dead if we stay.
"There's a servants' tunnel," Cassian says rapidly. "Leads to the old city gates. I can get us out, but we need to move now."
The door shudders. They're breaking it down.
"Your Highness! Last warning!"
I look at this prince who's risking everything to save me. This stranger who became my only ally.
"I trust you," I say.
Something flashes in his eyes—surprise, relief, determination.
"Then follow me and don't stop running."
He grabs my hand. Pulls me toward a tapestry on the wall. Behind it, a hidden door I never noticed.
The main door crashes open. Guards flood in.
"There! Stop them!"
But we're already through the hidden passage. Cassian slams it shut and throws a bolt. It won't hold long.
We run through darkness, his hand tight around mine. Stone passages twist and turn. I can hear pursuit behind us—getting closer.
"Faster," Cassian urges.
We burst out into the castle kitchens. Servants scream and scatter. We race through, knocking over pots and tables to slow our pursuers.
Out into the courtyard. The night air hits my face. Guards shout. Arrows whistle past.
Cassian pulls me toward the stables. We reach the horses—
A figure steps from the shadows, blocking our path.
Seraphina.
She's alone, smiling that poisonous smile. In her hand, a crossbow aimed directly at my heart.
"Going somewhere, cousin?"
Cassian moves between us instantly. "Lower the weapon, Seraphina."
"Or what, Your Highness? You'll kill me? That would look wonderful—the Crown Prince murdering a lady to protect his murderess lover." Her eyes gleam with triumph. "You've lost. Father King is dying. The kingdom thinks you're traitors. And in about thirty seconds, those guards will arrest you both."
"You orchestrated everything," I say, anger overriding fear. "The murders. The frame-ups. All of it."
"Prove it," she challenges. "Oh wait—you can't. Because I'm careful. Patient. And now I'm about to become Queen."
The guards are almost here. We're out of time.
Cassian's hand tightens on his sword. "If you're going to shoot, do it now. Otherwise move."
"I'm not going to shoot her." Seraphina's smile widens. "I'm going to shoot you."
She pulls the trigger.
Everything happens in slow motion. The crossbow bolt flies. Cassian tries to dodge but there's no time—
I shove him aside. Hard.
The bolt hits me instead. Slams into my shoulder. Pain explodes through my body.
I fall.
Cassian catches me before I hit the ground. His face above me is shocked. Terrified.
"Aria! No—"
"Run," I gasp. Blood spreads across my dress. "Just run—"
"I'm not leaving you!"
"You have to! Find proof. Clear our names. Stop her—"
Guards surround us. Seraphina laughs.
"How touching. The witch dies protecting her prince. What a story."
Cassian looks at me. At the guards. At certain death closing in.
I see the moment he makes the choice.
"I'll come back for you," he swears. "I promise."
Then he's gone. Running into the darkness. Guards chase him, but he's faster. Vanishes into the night.
I'm dragged to my feet despite the bolt in my shoulder. The pain is unbearable.
Seraphina leans close. "You saved him. How noble. Too bad you'll die before he gets back. And when he does—if he does—I'll have him executed for treason."
She walks away, victorious.
The guards drag me toward the dungeons. Toward a cell where I'll bleed out alone.
And as consciousness fades, one thought burns through the pain:
Cassian promised to come back.
I just have to survive long enough for him to keep that promise.