Page 70 of Façade

“There isn’t.” Agitation filled each of Father’s strides. “Our spies have focused on nothing else for months, and the information they’ve discovered is too dire to ignore any longer. We cannot deny what they’ve found, the prophecy we ourselves have received. We’ve already delayed too long by waiting for confirmation, and now we’ve run out of time. The threat—“

“—is still only whispers,” Mother protested. “We’re merely speculating about the dangers. Until we know for sure, how can we do something so drastic?”

Father abruptly stopped to face her. “Awaiting certainty might come at the cost of it being too late once we receive it. Would you rather learn the truth about the assassin hunting Evelynafterthey succeed?”

At Mother’s strangled sob, the worry tightening Father’s expression softened. He approached to wrap his arms tenderly around her, and she pressed herself against him, clinging to him in her desperation.

“I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to Evelyn, but this plan to protect her…must it be so extreme?”

Gravity filled Father’s expression. “We’re left without any other choice. As such, we must somehow convince her that she isn’t truly our daughter.”

Mother’s breath hooked even as her horrified gaze snapped up to meet his. “What?I thought we were only going to send her away. We could never—“

“We must; there’s no other way to protect her.”

“But why must we resort to such an extreme?”

“So the threat believes there’s no possibility she’s our true daughter and thus shifts their focus away from her. Evelyn must believe it too; she’s too loyal to her duties not to remain and face the dangers alongside us. Stripping away her identity ensures she remains as far away as possible.” He considered the matter an agonized moment before releasing a weary sigh. “I have it: we will tell her that the prophecy concerning her death was given not recently, but shortly after her birth, and that she was brought in to take the true princess’s place. In essence, we’ll make her believe that she’s nothing more than a decoy.”

Mother’s expression paled. “You want her to think…no,no!I could never do such a thing. I cannot bear for our daughter to believe—“

“Wemust,” Father insisted. “Only a lie so drastic will cause her to leave without question and remain far from the palace until the threat has passed, and give the assassin no reason to target her. We’ll bring another in as the real decoy, whom we’ll pretend is our real daughter until the threat is gone, all the while ensuring our real one remains protected.”

Rather than speak, Mother continued to cry while Father nestled his cheek against her hair and stroked her back in the same tender way I’d seen him do many times.

“We must,” he repeated soothingly. “You know we must. I know it’ll be difficult, but if we want any hope that she’ll survive the threats against her…”

“She’ll think we don’t love her,” Mother stuttered. “That she has no identity, no family, no home…” Her emotions overcame her and she couldn’t finish.

“Better for her to believe such painful lies than to lose her completely,” he said. “It’s not forever; when the threat has passed, we’ll restore her to us.”

“But what if this is only the beginning of many threats to come?” Mother demanded. “I refuse to remain separated from my daughter indefinitely.”

“We won’t be,” Father assured her. “We’ll take care of each threat until none remain. We’ve already dealt with the one from Brimoire by severing the arrangement with Prince Ryland, so we need no longer worry he’ll steal her powers upon their union. Now we’ll deal with the most imminent threat by uncovering the prophesied assassin; I imagine it’s one of the neighboring kingdoms, considering murdering our only heir will leave Estoria susceptible to an annexation. It may take time, but we’ll uncover the mastermind and eliminate the threat to keep her safe. I promise.”

Heavy silence settled around them, only punctuated by Mother’s continued sobs. “What if she doesn’t believe she’s a decoy?” she eventually asked. “Or worse, what if shedoes?To think she might so easily be tricked into thinking we don’t love her…”

Pain filled Father’s eyes. “If that is the cost required, then so be it. She has no reason to believe we’d make such a thing up; she will not question it, especially as her powers are so delayed in coming.”

A fresh tear trickled down Mother’s cheek as she reburied herself against Father’s chest. “Evelyn.” So much love, despair, and need filled my name spoken in her tear-wrenched voice.

Father pressed a soothing kiss atop her head. “You most compose yourself so that Evelyn has no reason to believe anything is amiss when we send for her. She must believe every lie we speak is the truth.”

“But it’s sohorrible. How can we—“

“It’s to protect her,” he repeated gravely. “Love is our sole motivation for sending her away—both our love for her and for the kingdom she’s destined to rule. I know that even midst your heartache you understand this. Your love will give you the strength to do what must be done, no matter how difficult.”

For a long moment Mother only continued to silently cry, and Father allowed her time to grieve. Then all at once she seized enough control of her emotions to straighten resolutely and hastily wipe her eyes, erasing all evidence of her distress.

“I will do all in my power to protect our daughter…even if it breaks my heart.”

Emotion wrenched Father’s own expression as he nodded, but he hastily tucked it away, leaving only the indifference that still haunted my nightmares when I revisited the memory of his cold pronouncement. He strode purposefully to the door and opened it to address one of the footmen. “Send for Princess Evelyn. We must speak with her about something of the utmost importance.”

The footman bowed and immediately departed. Father closed the door with a heavy sigh. He stood there for a long moment, forehead pressed against the wood and agony lacing his expression…before he buried it and faced Mother, who once more looked on the brink of tears.

“We must be strong, darling. To protect Evelyn.”

At these words the vision blurred, then faded, causing my parents to vanish, swallowed by the starry night filling the room. The star cradled in my palm dimmed as it withdrew its light now that it’d imparted its knowledge; I watched it float away and melt into the velvety backdrop to become just another glistening star in the heavens.

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