LOGIN223 The Kindness I Didn’t Prepare For 2Cassandra’s POVThe moment my eyes landed fully on him, my chest tightened.He looked furious.Not outwardly, not in a way that would scare my parents. But in that controlled Arden way, jaw clenched, eyes dark, posture stiff like he was holding himself back from tearing through the palace until he found the person responsible.Then he moved.He crossed the space between us in three strides and pulled me into his arms.The embrace was immediate.Strong.Possessive in the way it made me feel like I was safe simply because his body was around mine.I let out a shaky breath I didn’t realise I’d been holding.My hands clutched his shirt like I needed to anchor myself.“I’m sorry,” he murmured against my hair, voice rough. “I’m sorry we didn’t find out early.”My throat tightened.He pulled back just enough to look at me, his hands on my shoulders, his gaze scanning my face like he was checking for bruises.“Things were crazy,” he continued, voice low
Cassandra’s POVThe cell smelled like cold stone and disinfectant.It wasn’t the dramatic kind of dungeon people imagined when they thought about royal detention, no chains hanging from walls, no rats skittering over your feet, no flickering torches. The palace didn’t do medieval cruelty anymore. It did modern cruelty. Clean cruelty. Sterile cruelty.A metal bench bolted to the wall. A small table. A tiny camera in the corner you couldn’t stop noticing once you’d seen it. A door with a heavy lock and a small slot for food and water like you were an animal that might bite.The fluorescent light above never dimmed properly. It hummed faintly, making everything feel more unreal, like time didn’t belong here.My mother had fallen asleep on my shoulder at some point, exhaustion knocking her out in spite of fear. Her breathing was shallow, uneven, like even sleep couldn’t comfort her. My father sat opposite us, spine straight, face hard, eyes scanning the walls as if he could find an escape
Richard’s POVThe palace felt different at this hour, more guarded, more tense. Every corner held armed men. Every radio crackled. The walls themselves seemed to hum with paranoia.But my focus narrowed to one thing:My mother.The architect of too much pain.The woman who always believed she could push and push and push and never face consequences.We reached her corridor.Her guards stiffened when they saw me.I didn’t slow.One of them stepped forward. “Your Highness, Her Majesty is resting, ”I didn’t even look at him properly.“Move,” I said.He hesitated, and that hesitation was a mistake.Arden’s voice came low behind me, like a warning. “If you don’t move, you’ll be the one resting.”The guard stepped aside immediately.I pushed open the doors to my mother’s chambers without knocking.The room smelled like expensive perfume and polished wood. It was dim, the curtains drawn, the lighting low. Everything in here was designed for comfort. Everything was soft and luxurious and ins
Richard’s POVWalking back to my wing should have felt familiar.It should have felt like returning to the one part of the palace that still belonged to me, the one corridor where the guards nodded without suspicion, the rooms where the staff knew my schedule, the doors that opened without hesitation because the Crown Prince did not knock in his own home.But nothing felt like mine anymore.Not after the hospital.Not after the test result that turned my children into strangers and my sacrifice into stupidity.Not after Father collapsed in front of us and we discovered poison didn’t only exist in stories and old royal gossip, it existed in our blood now.And definitely not after Silvia told me they found the same poison in my system.I kept my face calm as I walked, because calm was how a future king survived panic. Calm was how you prevented a palace from feeding on your fear. Calm was how you protected everyone who depended on your steadiness.But inside my chest, something kept cra
Arden’s POVRichard continued quickly, practical, like his mind had already shifted into protection mode.“She and I have eaten the same meals,” he said. “From the same kitchen. If it’s in my system, ”Then it could be in hers.The thought hit me so hard I felt it in my stomach.Cassy.In Richard’s wing.Already arrested.Already accused.Already trapped.Already vulnerable.If poison isn't found in her system, it would be another weapon against her. Another reason for the palace to claim she was involved. Another reason to bury her.Or worse, it could actually hurt her body.And that thought made something cold and violent rise in me.Silvia nodded immediately.“That’s reasonable,” she said. “I’ll send someone to your wing to get her sample. Just to be sure.”Richard’s jaw tightened. “No,” he said, and his tone carried an edge that made the nurse nearby flinch. “I’ll go.”Silvia hesitated. “Your Highness, ”Richard cut her off. “I’m not leaving her in that wing without knowing.”He d
Arden’s POVThe corridor outside the ICU had its own kind of time.It didn’t move like normal time. It stretched and tightened and snapped back again depending on what the doors did, whether they opened, whether they stayed shut, whether a nurse walked out with a neutral expression or a doctor came out with a face that already carried the weight of a decision.People talked in low tones here. Even the security men lowered their voices instinctively, as if loudness might jinx survival. The air smelled like disinfectant and metal and stale coffee, an ugly cocktail of emergency and routine.Father was still behind the glass.Still hooked to machines.Still breathing, but not in a way that felt like control.And even though Silvia had earlier told us he was stable, the word stable didn’t comfort me the way it should have. Stable was what doctors said when they didn’t want you to panic. Stable was what they said when things could change in minutes.Richard stood near the observation panel
Cassandra’s POVThe front doors of the palace opened with a heavy groan.My father walked in, his face a thundercloud.“What do you think you’re doing?” His voice was low, stern, carrying the authority of a man who thought his word still mattered.I didn’t flinch. “I’m moving out of the palace.”Hi
Cassandra’s POV The chamber was silent when we entered, the thick oak doors closing behind us with a finality that pressed against my chest. Gold sconces cast heavy light across the room, but the King’s face was shadowed, unreadable. He sat at the head of the long table, his hands folded. Expressi
Cassandra’s POVThe villa doors opened before we even reached them. Two maids stood in the entryway, bowing deeply as if they’d been waiting all evening for my arrival. Their composure was professional, but I caught the flicker of curiosity in their eyes, the kind reserved for servants who knew mor
Cassandra’s POVThe palace staff moved me into my new quarters the next morning.They were spacious enough, elegant enough, velvet drapes, high ceilings, a balcony overlooking the gardens, but they didn’t feel like home. They felt like exile wrapped in silk.I unpacked slowly, Diana fluttering aroun







