Page 47 of Revert
With each step closer, memory of my nightmare unfurled from the lurking shadows, entangling me in its haunting tendrils like a snare—another time I had stood in this room at the mercy of the king that had ended with my blood staining the floor.
I struggled to control my tremors as I dropped into a curtsy. “Your Majesty.” Despite the pounding in my chest, I managed to keep my voice steady.
My gaze instinctively darted to the sword at his side. He noticed and stroked the ruby-encrusted hilt with a toying smirk, a reminder that my life hung once again at the mercy of a man who had already killed me once.
“Princess Bernice,” the king said smoothly, his smile thin. “Such punctuality. How curious to find you lingering near my private meetings. Some might call it eavesdropping.”
His voice remained mild, almost playful, but I knew better—every word was a hook, baited and barbed to snag me.
I lowered my gaze. “My apologies. I was lost in thought and didn’t realize I had wandered too near.”
“Ah, how often the mind leads us astray,” he mused. “A hazard of curious women, especially those with thoughts of their own.”
He rose and slowly descended the dais, each step deliberate, while I fought the primitive desire to turn and flee.
“You have a tendency for unnecessary wandering, don’t you? Seeing things you’re not meant to see, speaking with servants about how thingsshouldbe done in Thorndale. One must begin to question if you’re up to anything suspicious.”
Horror twisted in my stomach. Liora. Had she turned me in after all? Had it been a trap from the start—bait strungwith shared fear and a trusting hand? Or had we simply been overheard, the shadows full of ears I’d forgotten to fear?
In the end, it didn’t matter.
“Lucky for you,” the king continued, “you didn’t say anythingtooindiscreet. But how closely you danced to the edge. One step further, and you might’ve found yourself in the place of no return.” He smiled tightly. “Of course, I find nothing so charming as a clever queen-in-waiting, provided her loyalty remains...intact.”
A chill coiled down my spine.
“I trust itdoesremain intact?”
“It does,” I managed shakily. “Utterly.”
He stepped closer—not enough to touch me, but near enough that the sharp scent of spices and steel filled my lungs. I fought the urge to recoil.
“Good. Because you see, Thorndale is a kingdom balanced on many delicate threads.” He lifted a golden cord from his ceremonial robe and let it dangle between us, swaying slightly. “A whisper in the wrong place…” He let the cord fall; the sound of its soft brush against his sleeve made me flinch more than I meant to. “…and the whole weave can unravel.”
He circled behind me, his voice like silk drawn over a blade.
“A maid mentioned you spoke of darkness,in Thorndale,no less. A strange thing for our future queen to suggest.” He leaned closer, just enough for his breath to stir the hair at my temple. “One might think you…disloyal.”
My heart lurched at her mention. So shehadtold. For one breathless moment, betrayal seared through me…but it didn’t take root. I remembered the fear in Liora’s eyes, too raw to be an act, nor could I forget the pressure of her hand clasping mine. The connection we’d shared had been real. I couldn’t believe she would break that trust, even under the king’s weight.
I was certain it hadn’t been her, nor had it been the second most likely suspect, Castiel. Perhaps that blind trust made me naïve, but I was tired of the constant fear and doubt that permeated every aspect of my life. In a place where everything else was stolen or twisted, my trust was one of the only things that still felt like mine.
“Your silence is damning.” The king’s words pierced my whirling thoughts that had strayed too long. “Truly nothing to say? A pity.”
His cold gaze remained locked on me, but behind him, Castiel shifted slightly, an unspoken warning:speak.
I didn’t know where my lies would lead, but silence would only damn me further. I had been given another chance—whether by fate or by force—and I couldn’t afford to waste it by standing still. Whatever this second life was meant for, I would seize it with everything I had.
With a wavering breath, I pushed past the fear clogging my throat and lifted my gaze to meet the king’s cold stare. “I believe the words were taken out of context,” I said carefully. “It was a private moment of reflection, nothing more, and only born of my true care for Thorndale.”
“Ah, to think you’re dutiful enough to already ponder your future role with such care,” the king purred. “But context is such a luxury in court, isn’t it? People do so love a scandal, and what greater scandal than a princess whispering treason?”
I opened my mouth to object, but he raised a single finger.
“I’m sure you meant no harm,” he said, his voice conveying that he was by no means sure. “And yet harm so often grows from good intentions, does it not? Fires are started by careless hands, kingdoms fall by reckless hearts.”
“A rather fragile system, to break so easily.” I hadn’t realized I’d spoken the treacherous thought aloud until the surroundingguards raised their swords, only lowering them at a lazy wave from the king.
He stared at me for a long moment, eyes narrowed. “Indeed,” he said at last. “Which is why I must do all in my power to ensure every single crack is…eradicated.”
