Aria's POV
I can still feel his hand on my wrist.
Three hours since the garden. Three hours since Kael touched my scar and looked at me like he was trying to see through my skin.
I pace my guest room, heart racing.
He knows. He doesn't know he knows, but he knows.
The way he stared at dinner. The questions about my scar. That look in his eyes: I will figure out who you are.
I should have been more careful. Worn long sleeves. Eaten differently. Controlled my gestures better.
Five years of planning. And one dinner almost destroyed everything.
A knock on my door.
Ms. Winters? Prince Kael requests your presence in the east garden. Urgent.
My blood runs cold.
Tell him I've retired for the evening.
He was quite insistent, ma'am.
Of course he was.
I look at my reflection. Violet contacts. Auburn hair. The face that's not quite mine.
I can do this. I've been lying for five years.
Tell him I'll be there in ten minutes.
After the servant leaves, I take five deep breaths.
I am Aria Winters. Confident lawyer. I don't know Prince Kael.
I am not Princess Seraphina.
That girl drowned five years ago.
Kael waits by the rose bushes. Casual clothes now. No formal jacket.
He looks good. He always looked good.
Stop it.
Your Highness. Your servant said it was urgent.
Thank you for coming. I wanted to apologize for earlier. I was too forward.
I relax slightly. It's fine.
No. I was interrogating you. That was inappropriate.
We all get curious about new people.
It was more than curiosity. He steps closer. I can't stop thinking about you.
My heart skips. Your Highness
Please, call me Kael. When we're alone.
That wouldn't be appropriate. You're engaged.
A political arrangement. Nothing more. He's very close. But you're not here to discuss my love life.
Then why am I here?
Because I need to know. He reaches for my wrist. May I?
I should say no. Walk away. Protect my secret.
Instead, I let him take my hand.
Kael gently pushes back my sleeve, revealing the scar. His thumb traces it.
How did you get this?
My mouth goes dry. I told you. A childhood accident.
What kind of accident?
I fell from a horse. I was twelve. The truth slips out.
Kael goes very still. You fell from a horse.
Yes.
When you were twelve.
Yes.
That's exactly what Seraphina told me. Word for word.
Panic floods through me. I pull my hand back. It's a common accident. Many children fall from horses.
At exactly age twelve?
I don't know what you want me to say.
The truth. His eyes bore into mine. Who are you really?
I've told you
You're lying. I can see it. In your eyes. In how you're trembling.
I force myself to meet his gaze. I'm not lying. I'm a lawyer named Aria Winters. Columbia graduate. International trade. That's all there is.
Then why do you move like her? Talk like her? Have the same scar from the same accident at the same age?
Coincidence.
I don't believe in coincidences.
Then believe in grief making you see things that aren't there. The words come out sharp. I'm sorry for what you lost. But I'm not her. I'm not a ghost. I'm just a woman trying to do my job.
Kael flinches. You're right. I'm sorry. Grief has made me... He trails off. I've been searching for her in every woman I meet. It's not fair to you.
Guilt twists in my chest. It's okay to miss someone.
Do you? Miss someone?
Everyone. I lost everyone.
No, I lie. I'm lucky that way.
Lucky. He laughs bitterly. I used to think I was lucky. Then I watched someone die. Now I see her everywhere. In strangers. In dreams. In lawyers who negotiate trade deals.
Maybe you need to let her go.
I can't. I tried. For five years. His voice breaks. But she won't leave me alone. She's in my head. In my heart. In every breath.
Tears burn my eyes. I blink them back.
I should go, I whisper.
Wait. Kael catches my wrist again. That scar. Please. Just tell me the truth.
I did.
The whole truth.
I look at his hand on my wrist. At the scar that gave me away.
I could tell him. Right now. Remove my contacts. Show him my real eyes. Say: I'm Seraphina. I'm alive.
But then what? He's engaged to Celestia. Lives in the palace that tried to kill me.
No. I can't risk it.
Goodnight, Your Highness. I pull away and walk quickly toward the palace.
Aria, wait
But I'm already running.
I make it to my room and lock the door.
Then I collapse.
Five minutes. I allow myself five minutes to break down.
I slide to the floor and let the tears come.
Kael loved Seraphina. He's spent five years mourning her. Seeing her in strangers.
And I've been right here. And I can't tell him.
Because the moment I do, Celestia knows. Marcus knows. And they'll try to kill me again.
But God, it hurts.
It hurts to see the grief in his eyes. To hear him say he can't let her go. To know he loved me when I didn't even know.
I pull off my violet contacts and stare at them.
These tiny pieces of plastic. The only thing between his truth and mine.
Without them, he'd know immediately. One look at my sapphire eyes and he'd know.
But I can't. Not yet.
I put the contacts back in. Wipe my tears. Stand up.
Tomorrow I'll be cold again. Professional. Aria Winters.
But tonight, just for five minutes, I let myself be Seraphina.
The girl who loved a prince from afar.
The girl who never got to tell him.
My five minutes are up.
I stand, wash my face, look in the mirror.
Aria stares back.
Seraphina is gone.
I have to keep it that way.
Even if it's killing me.