Page 23 of A Kingdom's Heart
I blinked, realizing I had been staring at the door for far too long. My thoughts still echoed with his voice and the sound of my false name on his tongue.
“There’s nothing to tell.” I said at last.
Raven gave a soft laugh, not unkind. “You expect me to believe that? You froze when he said your name, and he looked like he’d just seen a ghost.”
I turned away, pretending to tidy the table, though my hands were shaking. “He helped me once. That’s all.”
“Helped you?” she repeated, stepping closer. “And for that, you gave him a false name?”
Her words struck sharper than I expected. I sighed, the breath coming out uneven. “I didn’t mean to lie. It just happened.”
“Things like that don’t ‘just happen,’” Raven said gently.
I pressed my hands flat against the table and stared down at them until my vision blurred. “When I sneak out, I can’t risk anyone knowing who I am,” I said quietly. “If someone recognized me and reported it, Father would…” My throat tightened. The memory of his hand striking my face flashed hot and cold at once.
“You know what he’d do. You saw how he struck me.”
Raven’s expression softened. “So you panicked.”
The truth hung between us like smoke.
“Yes,” I said quietly. “And now he’s here. A knight of the castle.”
Her brows lifted slightly. “That’s... complicated.”
“That’s one word for it,” I murmured.
Raven tilted her head, her tone careful but edged with curiosity. “Well, he did say he wanted to get to know you. And you didn’t look like you disagreed.”
I looked up at her sharply. “Raven—”
She raised her hands in mock surrender. “I’m just saying what I saw. If this keeps going, you’ll have to tell him the truth eventually.”
The words landed heavier than I expected.Tell him the truth.They echoed in my chest, cold and impossible.
“I can’t,” I said at once.
“Can’t or won’t?” she asked softly.
I hesitated, my throat tightening. “Both, maybe.”
Raven studied me for a moment, her expression unreadable. “He doesn’t seem like someone who’d turn you in, Iris.”
I almost laughed. “You don’t know that. He’s a knight now. His
loyalty is to the king. To my father.”
Raven let out a dry laugh. “You’re actually more stupid thanI
give you credit for.”
“Hey!” I said, frowning at her.
She raised a brow. “What? You think he won’t notice you sitting beside the king during dinner, or walking behind him during court? He’s a knight now, Iris. He’ll be at every feast, every ceremony, every gathering. You can’t stay hidden forever.”
The words settled in my stomach like stone. She was right, but I couldn’t admit it. Not yet.
I crossed my arms. “I’ll tell him. Just not yet.”
