Page 98 of Alien Prince

Chapter Nineteen

Emily

I pause outside the grand council chamber, the hum of voices drifting through the partially open door. I hadn’t meant to stop here—I was on my way to the library with Karlia and a guard to watch over us—but something about the tone of their conversation draws me in.

“—a liability,” one voice says, sharp and clipped. “The vessel’s choice was questionable at best. She doesn’t belong here.”

“She’s an outsider,” another voice chimes in. “And there are whispers… suggestions that she’s working with the rebels.”

My heart stops.

Working with the rebels? Where could they possibly have gotten that idea?

“Do we have proof?” a calmer voice asks, but even they sound skeptical.

“Proof isn’t necessary,” the first voice says, smug and assured. “Perception is enough. The people are already talking, and her presence weakens the prince’s position.”

The words hit like a physical blow, and I press myself against the wall, my hands trembling. Karlia pats my shoulder, and the guard wrinkles his nose.

“Do not listen to them,” he murmurs.

I look away, appreciating their support, but I feel almost compelled to continue listening.

“And what does Prince Kael have to say about this?” the calmer voice asks.

There’s a pause, heavy and damning.

“He hasn’t denied it,” someone finally says.

Kael.

The name echoes in my mind, tangled with the weight of the accusations. He hasn’t denied it? He hasn’t defended me?

My heart sinks, and I blink back tears. I thought we were in this together. I thought that after everything we’d been through—after everything we’d shared—he would stand by me.

But his silence says otherwise.

The voices continue, but I don’t hear the rest. My mind is already spinning, my heart breaking under the weight of betrayal.

I turn and walk away, each step heavier than the last. Karlia says something, but my mind doesn’t register her speech. The corridors blur as I navigate them, my thoughts racing too fast to process.

Kael didn’t defend me.

He didn’t deny the accusations.

Does he believe them? Does he think I’m a spy, working with the very people who tried to kill me?

I stop in the middle of an empty hallway, my chest heaving as the reality sets in. Karlia hugs me, and the guard hovers nearby, but I barely pay them any heed.

I can’t stay here. Not when the people of this world hate me, and the man I…

I bite back a sob, forcing the thought away.

I can’t do this anymore.

“Don’t listen to them,” Karlia says, her words finally reaching me.

“I need to go to my room,” I tell her.

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