Page 108 of Façade

Vulnerability eclipsed her hardened countenance before she hastily hid it firmly behind her emotionless composure. “I have little reason to believe you’ll have any use for a woman condemned to die even after I give you what you need. It’d be too dangerous to keep me alive with all the secrets I’ve come to uncover, and death is the simplest way to silence someone.”

“Death seems a poor reward for the invaluable service you’ve rendered me and my family,” I said. “We consider the identity of the mastermind behind the threats against our kingdom of the utmost importance. You can be assured we will keep our promise and grant what is most important to you.”

She studied me closely before lifting her chin. “Such a trade would indeed be equally beneficial if I could trust it, but words are meaningless. I want an official promise issued with the royal seal.”

Mother frowned. “Do you truly doubt our word in such a matter?”

“You’re asking me to gamble in this game of trust with my life. My previous experience with the royal family only testifies that the odds are already against me, especially considering you’re the ones who signed my execution warrant.”

Father flinched. I knew how deeply he regretted his duty as a ruler to maintain the law of the land in a way that condemned any of his precious subjects, but I knew his judgement was fair; he’d undoubtedly carefully considered Blair’s case and concluded that execution was the most just decision. What crime had she committed to deserve such a fate?

It no longer mattered, not when my own fate rested on her pardon in order to satisfy the Shadow’s demands and ensure she uncovered the threat determined to eliminate the only heir to the magical Estorian throne.

“My execution warrant isn’t my only grudge against you,” Blair continued. “Not with the punishment I so recently received despite my having done my best to uphold my part of our bargain.”

Father bit his lip in remorse, leaving me curious what incident she referred to. “That was truly unfortunate. Please be assured we had no knowledge of that particular decision; our advisor acted alone.”

“With evidence that he’s acted beyond your orders, who’s to say he won’t act alone by taking me to the noose when this is all over.” Fear filled her eyes…along with a hatred so deep I had to wonder at her history with our family. Just what had transpired within these walls during my absence?

“I understand your wariness,” I said. “If it’s an official contract you desire to guarantee your safety, then that is what we’ll provide.” I hadn’t intended to take over the decision; the role felt natural considering it was my life her dangerous position guarded. I glanced towards my parents and they nodded their approval.

Rummaging through the desk in the abandoned study yielded quill and parchment, which I used to carefully write an official royal promise to protect Blair, proceedings Luke in particular carefully watched with a protective air to ensure everything unfolded in her favor.

Upon finishing, I handed the contract to both her and, upon his insistence, Luke to approve before sealing it with the royal insignia. Father’s proud glint testified that I was living up to the expectations of my role that for so long I feared remained elusively out of reach.

My parents allowed me to act on their behalf and only interfered when I started to hand the sealed contract to Blair. Father took it instead with a look of warning. “Our concerns for our daughter’s safety have only escalated now that she’s returned to the palace. You will provide us the information we need to protect her while keeping both your role as the decoy as well as her presence within the palace secret. In exchange, we will give this to you once the assassin is unmasked and safely in our custody.”

Her fists clenched in silent defiance to such terms, and Luke rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. “There’s no need to worry; I have no doubt Princess Evelyn will keep her word.”

I frowned. With my attention diverted to him, he lifted his hand to drape his arm to entirely cover the lower half of his face. Not once did he sever our eye contact, as if to assure himself I deciphered his silent message, one I didn’t immediately understand…

…and then I saw it. In an instant, all the confusing pieces clicked into place in a sudden swell of clarity—the reason for his insistence on imposing his presence on our private discussion, and why the man seemed so familiar despite my certainty I’d never met him before. He and I had interacted only this morning under very different circumstances.

Lord Luke, heir to the Dukedom of Rosewood, was the Shadow.

My startled gasp snapped everyone’s attention to me…leaving the Shadow no witnesses but my own to his conniving smirk as he waggled his finger back and forth in adon’t even think about saying anythingmotion before pressing it to his lips in a second warning to remain silent, one only amplified by the dagger he subtly brought my attention to by parting his cloak just enough to stroke the hilt.

Midst my shock, I barely noticed Mother caress my arm. “What’s wrong, Nymph?”

I stared in disbelieving silence…and the Shadow stared evenly back. I could see it now—the familiar dark brown eyes filled with a dare to expose his identity when doing so would be suicidal. I’d witnessed his skills, knew I was his target. If I had any hope of surviving his desires to kill me, I must play this game according to his rules.

A smirk tugged on Luke’s lips as he watched my silent shock at finally putting the pieces together, an outcome that seemed to please him in this twisted diversion of his.

I still couldn’t believe it. The heir to theDuchy of Rosewoodpossessed the infamousShadowtitle? In contrast to the carnage rumored to tarnish his background, he stood handsome and poised, evidence of his noble upbringing that only made him all the more dangerous. To think such a seeming gentleman had not only earned the Shadow’s infamous reputation one kill at a time but had been within the palace this entire time, poised to strike at the earliest opportunity.

Under the protection of his noble title it’d likely been quite easy for Lord Luke to get close enough to the decoy in order to discover her true identity, while the truth about his own explained why he’d been so insistent on accompanying her—he wanted to ensure I upheld my end of our bargain…or to see whether he’d need to punish me for my noncompliance.

The Shadow seemed to take great satisfaction not just in my surprise but in the fact that I couldn’t say a word about my unexpected discovery, a reaction that only confirmed his shocking identity.

Fury emanated from Ryland standing beside me, as well as from Silas standing not far off, confirmation that they too had made the connection of Lord Luke’s true persona. By their silence, they understood that circumstances required that for now keep our shocking discovery quiet.

“Is everything alright, Princess?” Luke watched me with brows drawn in exaggerated concern, such a contrast to the taunting amusement filling his eyes.

I forced a smile. “Forgive me for my moment of inattention. I promise the Estorian royal family will uphold our end of the bargain.” I faced the decoy, watching warily. “You have nothing to fear, Blair.”

Luke’s relieved smile was much more friendly than his earlier sinister one as he turned to Blair. “There. You see? All will be well.”

By her frown, she suspected he’d played a part in my cooperation, which only increased my own suspicions that the two were in cahoots. When she remained doubtful, he leaned closer, his look reassuring.

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