31

Harriet wraps me in a thick cloak. “It’ll take you one day to get there. Trust me, you’ll see. The king cares for you.”

“What about the guards?” I look toward the metal bars as Rothan replies.

“Knocked out. One of the maids put sleeping pills in their food.”

“A maid?”

“A girl who once served you,” Harriet says. “She’s the one who let me out and who informed Rothan about what was happening down here. She was determined to help us. Now, go. Hurry.”

Rothan picks me up in his arms, but Harriet stops him. “Wait. One minute.”

She grabs my cheeks and presses a loving kiss against my forehead. When she looks at me, her eyes are red. “You will be fine. You will be absolutely fine.”

I know I am never going to see her again, and I squeeze her hand with every bit of energy I can muster. “Thank you for being a mother to me, Harriet. I never had one before.”

Tears slide down her cheeks, and Rothan carries me out of the cell. He covers my face with the cloak, so I don’t see where we’re going. But he’s moving very fast.

I’m feeling weak, but there’s nothing I can do. I can only hope for a painless death.

When Rothan finally comes to a stop, he removes the cloak and helps me stand on my feet.

There is a young, redheaded girl standing a few feet from me, and her eyes fill with relief. “Your Majesty! You got here just in time. Mr. Rothan, can you go keep an eye out while I carve the pentagram?”

Rothan nods and hurries away. Freya doesn’t begin carving any pentagram, though. Instead, she takes my hands and begins to chant. I feel the energy return to me, and the exhaustion fades away. When I smile at her, there is a strange expression on her face. She’s looking down at my stomach.

“You must live, Your Majesty. No matter what happens or what you believe, you have to live. There is something you must protect now.”

“Protect?” My eyes follow her gaze to my stomach, and her meaning could not be clearer. My heart skips a beat. “You’re wrong.”

She shakes her head, her countenance grave. “I can sense it. I am never wrong, not about something like this. Here, bring this with you.” She takes my hand and ties a small bracelet around my wrist. “It’s a precaution I created for you. If you think you are in danger, head to the Veil. This will guide you to an opening there. You will have to protect yourself, but it will get you to the Veil. I can guarantee you that much.”

She picks up a stick from the ground and begins carving in the dirt. I clutch my stomach, trying to process what she has just told me. I can’t be with child. I know I can’t because a female shifter can only conceive on the full moon. Therefore, it is simply not possible. She has to be mistaken. But when I first met Freya, she was working as a midwife’s assistant in the village. She told me herself that she uses her magic to detect whether a woman is pregnant or not.

Is it a miracle? If what Freya says is true, then I can’t—I can’t die. If I’m carrying a baby, I’m not going to let Bella or even Cedric kill it. Their reputations don’t matter to me. Their hatred for me doesn’t matter at all.

Amid the darkness and agony inside me, a seed of hope is planted, and it begins to bloom. And that is followed by a fierce desire to live.

“It’s ready!” Freya calls out, and Rothan runs back to us.

Taking me by the hand, he enters the pentagram, and Freya begins to chant. I close my eyes, and when I open then, I’m no longer standing within the castle grounds.

“Where are we?” I ask slowly, looking around. There’s nothing but land for miles.

“We’re near the border. If we travel for half a day, we’ll see the edge of the Misty Forest.”

The Misty Forest. I’ve heard of it. In fact, I heard Cedric talking about it. A part of the Veil is there.

“Should we shift?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “If we shift, our magical energy will draw the monsters to us. We’ll have to walk from here.”

I feel relieved by this. I need time to think about my next move.

 

  

I’m much slower in my human form, and I can sense Rothan’s anxiety, but he doesn’t push me. We walk for several hours before I need a break. He has some food with him that he gives me.

“You seem convinced that Cedric ordered my execution,” I say to him. “How do you know that for a fact?”

He doesn’t meet my gaze as he chews on some dried meat. “I saw the letter with his seal on it.”

The taste of the meat in my mouth turns to ash. Rothan has no reason to lie to me. And if he’s bringing me to Cedric—

“You don’t think he will let me live, do you?”

Rothan is silent for a few moments. “I don’t know what the king will decide. There is a chance he will send you somewhere. None of what happened was your fault. He knows that.”

“There’s also a chance he will kill me, though, isn’t there?” I smile wearily at him.

“I don’t want to mislead you.”

“I appreciate your honesty, Rothan.”

This makes it easier for me to make my next decision. I cannot go to Cedric. I don’t have time to examine how I feel about knowing for certain that my fated mate ordered my execution. The same man who told me I was safe, who kissed my forehead before sleeping. If there is truly a child inside me, I can’t take the chance.

A strangled laugh leaves my mouth. “The world is a cruel place. Isn’t it, Rothan? I know Cedric didn’t love me. How could he? But I think I loved him. I think I loved him deeply. And I don’t know why.” I bury my face in my hands, suddenly finding the whole thing both saddening and amusing. “I just did. I loved how he looked after me even when he scolded me. He made sure I ate on time. He gave me the greenhouse. He checked that I was warm when I was in bed.” Sighing, I lower my hands and stare straight ahead. “Yes, I loved him. But I know he didn’t love me. Which is why it must have been very easy for him to order my death.”

“I’m sure that’s not true, Miss Leanna.”

I sigh again, smiling down at the ground. “You don’t have to pacify me. I don’t need assurances. I know his heart. He told your mother that he didn’t want to have a child with me. He told Bella that I was just a tool. In fact, he told me several times that I was a placeholder, a substitute. I believed all those things. I also believe that he only took care of me because he had to. And now, he’s got the real princess. My death will be a relief to him. Maybe it will be a relief to me, as well.”

When Rothan protests, I smile broadly at him. “I’m not upset. I should’ve expected this. Don’t think I’m whining about it. I’ve accepted my fate. I hope he’s very happy with Princess Vivian. At least with her, his children will carry the royal bloodline and keep it pure.” I get to my feet. “Let’s keep going.”

Rothan looks like he wants to say something, but he holds his tongue. As we walk, he makes sure to stay a few steps ahead of me, which gives me plenty of opportunity to inspect Freya’s bracelet. As we approach the Misty Forest, it begins to glow.

“Once we reach the forest, how do we know where Cedric is?” I ask curiously.

“There will be some guards there. You will stay with them, and I’ll fetch the king. These things should be done privately.”

He means my execution. He’s trying to spare my dignity. How sweet.

Then, bitterness flows through me. Or maybe it’s the king’s dignity he’s trying to protect.

As we approach the forest, I see a small hut. There are two men sitting there, roasting something on a fire. Rothan calls out to them and lifts his hand. They look surprised to see him but abandon their food and approach us.

“Rothan! What are you doing here?”