Page 62 of Revert
Castiel’s voice dropped, bitter with remembered pain. “You don’t need to remind me, since you saw fit to do it in front of me.”
“Ah yes, that was a good time.” The king sounded sickeningly amused, as if speaking of a lively theatrical performance rather than the execution of his son’s fiancée. “No real harm done, considering she’s alive and well now…though I hoped it would break you, and for so long you pretended it did.‘I loathe that woman with every fiber of my being.’” He mocked the hurtful words I had overheard from Castiel days ago. “Hatred indeed. You have an interesting way of expressing it.”
“I…don’t know what you mean.” But Castiel’s voice wavered, evidence of his unraveling composure.
The king gave a soft, undignified snort of disgust. “Still feigning ignorance, I see. I know about the kiss, Castiel. Did you truly think I wouldn’t find out? That with all my eyes and ears, you could lie tome, the master of deception? Ever since that girl stepped into court, she’s wrapped you around her finger…and I refuse to stand for it any longer.”
“She hasn’t,” Castiel insisted. “I’m loyal to this kingdom, this crown, our cause.” I heard his struggle to keep his tone low and even, a control undoubtedly not lost on the king.
“No matter how much you claim that in words, your actions repeatedly prove otherwise.” The king’s tone dropped, suddenly quiet and razor-sharp. “Then be honest. Do you love her?”
Castiel didn’t answer, but the silence spoke for him. I felt the weight of it in every beat of that unanswered question…as did the king.
“Wise of you not to speak,” he murmured. “You know how I despise that pathetic emotion that results in nothing but weakness. But you forget you cannot hide the truth, not when the emotion in your eyes betrays you.”
Still, Castiel said nothing, but the absence of denial was enough. Even through the shadows and my growing dread, something fragile and fierce bloomed inside me.
He loved me—not as a ploy or a performance, but in the tender emotions that had filled the kiss we’d shared and the memories I had once forgotten.
“Please,” Castiel said, his voice breaking on the word. “Don’t kill her again. I’ll do anything.”
The king exhaled a long, disappointed breath. “Except for what you already promised. How fickle your word is. You gave me your will, but your heart? That still wanders. You claim loyalty, but your affection for her makes you just as dangerous.”
Castiel didn’t reply, but one wasn’t necessary, for the king wasn’t finished.
The king’s voice sharpened. “She is a spy. A threat—as you are fully aware. And yet in my mercy, I allowed her to live because of her potential to be an asset, if she were molded to serve us. But even the most prized piece becomes a liability when it starts to influence the wrong king.“
His voice sharpened, curling with disgust.
“Your obsession with her sickens me. You’ve let your devotion cloud your vision, obscuring your purpose and duty. You think I don’t see it? You put on a convincing performance, I give you that. Yet even when you kept your distance, your longing for her bleeds through.”
The silence that followed was damning. I clenched my jaw, trying to still my tremors, impossible when I knew with dreaded certainty that the king would not allow this to continue—not the love, not the rebellion…and not me. Castiel seemed to sense it too—I could feel his despair, filling every rapid beat of both of our frantic heartbeats.
“Please…have mercy upon her,” Castiel finally pleaded, his pretense of cool control vanished.
The king’s voice dropped, a whisper of velvet and venom. “You don’t give me commands. Let me remind you, my son, that normally traitors are not allowed to live, and yet you mock my generous mercy. People—including your precious queen—are merely tools, kept only as long as they remain useful to secure the future of Thorndale. I will not have sentiment unravel what I’ve built.”
“If you truly wished her gone, you wouldn’t have allowed her to return.” Castiel said, his voice low but steady once more. “You kept her here because she’s useful to your vision of the future, making her not merely a disposable tool, but a valuable asset, one who is intelligent and strategic. Thorndale needs everyadvantage. I won’t discard someone essential just to satisfy your need for control.”
His voice dropped, firm as iron.
“You don’t fear her because she’s disloyal—you can’t stand the thought of anything in this kingdom being loved for its own sake. She was never a threat to you—only to what you can’t control.”
The words struck like a bell of defiance—treasonous, clear.
The king was silent a tense, breathless moment before his laugh came again, but this time there was no amusement in it, only steel. “Ah, so itisattachment, which is much worse than rebellion. How deeply you’ve strayed.” His boots moved closer, each step a deliberate echo against the stone. “Such a shame. You were always my sharpest piece. My fiercest shadow. And now you’ve dulled yourself on a girl’s tears.”
“I only act in our kingdom’s best interests,” Castiel said, voice strained but steady.
“You confuse their need with your own foolish whims.” The king sounded almost musing. “She’s cleverer than I gave her credit for. Even if you’re attached to her, do you think she could ever care for a man whose hands are stained with the blood of dozens? She’s manipulating your affections to gain control over the power that has made our kingdom what it is.” He sighed, sounding weary. “How many times now have we been forced to turn back the clock because of her interference? I have lost count. Things would be far simpler if you were betrothed to a stupid woman. Her potential is the only reason she still draws breath, but even that has limits.”
My mind reeled.Turn back the clock?He spoke not just of the timeline I’d died in…but others. Multiple. My head spun. I didn’t remember any others. And yet…there were those strange memories, the ones that didn’t belong to any life I knew yet had been haunting me like ghosts just beyond the veil.
“In the end, you too remember how much we need her,” Castiel said.
“Perhaps,” the king allowed after a beat of silence. “But I also remember the cost, and it’s growing higher than I care to pay.” A pause, then a sigh laced with contempt. “You do realize how weary I’ve grown of this little game? You’re fortunate her survival isn’t solely because of you—else I’d have ended her permanently by now.”
A sharp sound followed—steel unsheathing. I tensed, biting my lip hard enough to draw blood. Every muscle taut, I shifted just enough, straining to see through the narrow slit at the edge of the tapestry concealing my hiding place.
