KAI:
Sophie leads Kai through the palace corridors like she has done this a hundred times.
The servants do not stop them. No one questions a noblewoman escorting the princess. They move through white stone hallways and down a narrow staircase that feels hidden, deliberately placed away from main traffic.
The garden is small. Private. Surrounded by high stone walls covered in flowering vines. Fountains bubble softly in corners. There is nowhere to hide. Nowhere for guards to lurk unseen.
Sophie sits on a stone bench and pats the space beside her.
"Sit," she says, not unkindly.
Kai sits because he is too exhausted and confused to do anything else.
"My name is Lady Sophie Reed," Sophie says. "I am Crown Prince Liam's cousin. I have known him my whole life. And I know exactly what he is."
Kai's entire body goes rigid.
"Do not be afraid," Sophie continues. "I am not going to expose him. I have known his secret since we were children and I have kept it faithfully because he is my family and I love him."
"Why are you telling me this?" Kai asks, keeping his voice in Elena's careful tone.
"Because I figured out your secret within an hour of meeting you," Sophie says. She turns to look at Kai directly. "You are not Princess Elena. I do not know who you are, but you are definitely not the princess we were expecting to meet."
Kai's hand moves toward a hidden blade before he remembers he is wearing a gown with nowhere to hide weapons.
"Do not worry," Sophie says, amused. "I am not going to tell anyone. If I were, I would have done it already. Instead, I am going to help you."
"Why?" Kai asks.
"Because my cousin has been miserable his entire life," Sophie says. "He has never been allowed to be himself. He has spent twenty-six years pretending to be something he is not, pushing away anyone who might get close enough to see the truth. And then he married a princess who turned out to be someone equally broken."
She leans back on the bench.
"Two people living in the same palace, both hiding who they really are," Sophie continues. "Both carrying secrets that could destroy kingdoms. I think that is actually beautiful in a terrible way. And I think you might be exactly what he needs, even if you do not know it yet."
"I am not here to be what anyone needs," Kai says, anger creeping into his voice. "I am here to find my sister and prevent a war."
"I know," Sophie says. "But you are going to have to live with Liam while you do those things. You are going to have to share quarters with him. You are going to have to appear together in public and pretend to be married. And somewhere in all of that, you are going to discover that he is not your enemy."
"He might be," Kai says. "My sister ran away to escape something. Something about him or his kingdom or his plans."
Sophie nods slowly.
"That is true," she admits. "And we should talk about that. But not here. Not yet. First, you need to understand the landscape you are navigating. You need to know who the dangerous people are and who might become your allies."
For the next hour, Sophie talks.
She explains the politics of Sun Crest's court. She names the nobles who are ambitious. She identifies the ones who might support Liam if his secret were exposed. She describes Lord Marcus Grey as someone who knows something is wrong but has not figured out what yet. She warns Kai about Victoria's obsessive love for Liam and her hatred for the princess who took her place.
"Victoria will try to destroy you," Sophie says bluntly. "She will use any weapon she can find. She will accuse you of infidelity. She will spread rumors about your family. She will make your life as difficult as possible."
"Why would Liam let her remain in the palace if she is so dangerous?" Kai asks.
"Because exile would look like he is hiding something," Sophie explains. "Because Victoria has powerful family connections that could cause problems if she becomes an enemy. Because Liam has learned to keep dangerous people close where he can watch them."
Sophie stands and brushes off her dress.
"There is something else you should know," Sophie says. "Liam has taken suppressants his entire life. The medication has side effects. Physical weakness. Mental fog. Sometimes emotional disconnection. He has learned to function through all of it, but it means he is not always as strong as he appears."
"Why are you telling me this?" Kai asks. "Why would you give me weapons against him?"
"Because I want you to understand him," Sophie says. "Not so you can use him, but so you can help him. Liam has never had anyone in his corner. Everyone around him wants something from the prince. No one wants to help the person underneath."
She extends her hand to help Kai stand.
"I am going to teach you how to be Elena," Sophie says. "I am going to help you survive in this palace. And if you are very smart and very lucky, you might help my cousin survive as well."
Kai takes her hand and stands.
"Why should I trust you?" Kai asks.
"Because I have already kept your secret for hours and I have not told a soul," Sophie says. "Because I have every reason to expose you and gain power, and instead I am offering to help you. Because sometimes people are good for no reason except that being good is the right choice."
She starts walking back toward the palace.
"Also," Sophie adds, "I adore Liam and I think he deserves to be happy. You are probably the first person in his entire life who could actually understand what it means to hide who you really are. That is worth protecting."
They walk through the corridors in silence.
When they reach Kai's chamber, Sophie pauses.
"One more thing," Sophie says. "Liam will probably be distant with you. He will try to maintain the contract terms. He will try to keep his walls up. Do not interpret that as disinterest. It is survival. He does not know how to do anything else."
"Is he dangerous?" Kai asks directly.
Sophie considers the question seriously.
"No," she says finally. "He is not dangerous. He is dangerous to himself maybe. But not to you. Not if you are honest with him."
Sophie disappears down the corridor, leaving Kai alone with new knowledge and the growing certainty that the next few days are going to change everything.
Because Kai just made an ally.
And that ally just told him that Liam is broken in ways that match Kai's own breaking.