LOGINTheo’s POVWhen one of the maids came to the stable that morning to tell me Prince Henry wanted to see me, my first thought was simple and straightforward.I’ve been caught.The bucket in my hand nearly slipped from my fingers. For one dangerous second, panic clawed up my throat so violently that I thought I might actually throw up.But I forced my face to remain calm. Even if he caught on I still had to remain Billy. Not Theo Bellemere. I had to remain a stable boy, not the disgraced French prince. I had to act like a poor boy from the countryside, not Valecourt’s unwilling puppet.I repeated the lie in my head the same way a prayer was repeated before battle.I was Billy. Billy. Billy.The maid waited impatiently while I wiped my hands against my worn trousers.“His Highness is waiting,” she reminded me.“I’m coming,” I answered softly.Even to my own ears, my voice sounded unfamiliar these days. I had spent days forcing myself to erase every trace of the person I used to be.I cha
Rowan's POV The palace library wasn't exactly my favourite place to be in. But with everything going on in my life, the silence and peace was something I needed. Everywhere else in the palace felt unbearable for me. The dining hall was crowded even when it wasn't meal time. The corridors felt monitored by guards and invisible eyes Henry installed on me. Even my own room no longer felt safe with the constant thoughts crawling through my head.The fact that Theo was here was unsettling. And no matter how many times Henry dismissed me, that fact remained unchanged.Theo Bellemare was inside this palace pretending to be someone else. And somehow I was the only person seeing the danger in that.I pushed open the doors of the library and stepped inside. Immediately, the familiar scent of old paper and polished wood surrounded me. It reminded me of my time with Theo in the school library. It reminded me of the ridiculous punishment principal Whitcombe gave Theo and I when we broke the sc
Rowan's POV My thoughts spiraled with every step I took as I walked quickly across the palace grounds.Should I just let him be and watch him closely? I couldn't just let him be when I didn't even know his hidden motives. Was I sounding too paranoid?How could I not be paranoid after everything I had been through?I was kidnapped. I was drugged to confess. My family was threatened. And now, Valecourt had successfully manipulated Theo and he had magically appeared in my home pretending to be stable staff.I climbed the palace steps two at a time in a hurry. Servants greeted me politely as I passed, but I barely acknowledged them.My mind was too occupied with different questions and I needed to talk to Henry.Maybe he would believe me since this time was different. This time I had seen Theo with my own eyes.I reached Henry’s section of the palace and immediately headed for his private study.The guards outside didn't need to announce my presence before they nodded respectfully and
Rowan’s POVI barely slept.And when I did, it turned into something ugly.I had a nightmare and it had been a while since I had one. In the dream, Theo was standing in complete darkness.This wasn't the kind of darkness that came at night. This one felt alive, like it was breathing heavily. It swallowed everything around him until only his outline remained visible.“Theo,” I called.He didn’t answer, he just stared at me with an expressionless face. “Theo,” I tried again. This time, without a word, he reached for my hand. I grabbed it immediately because I thought he wanted help. But the moment our hands touched, he pulled me hard. The darkness behind him spread like liquid shadows, climbing around his legs while dragging him backward.“Theo!” I shouted as he pulled me. I tried pulling him toward me. I even struggled with both hands but the harder I pulled, the deeper he sank.And suddenly he smiled cruelly, like he knew something I didn’t.“Let go,” he whispered.“No!” I cried a
Rowan’s POVI didn’t even realize how long I had stayed there with Annabelle. And by the time I left the barn, the sky was already dark. That alone was enough to surprise me.Usually, conversations drained me. Especially recently, every interaction felt exhausting because people either pitied me, judged me, or tried too hard to act normal around me.But Annabelle had been different in a good way. I found her easy to converse with. And for the little time we spent together, she made me forget everything pressing down on me.I walked slowly along the stone path leading back to the palace, my hands tucked inside my hoodie pocket while cold wind brushed against my face.From the outside, the palace looked perfect, powerful and untouchable. But now that I knew how much manipulation existed beneath powerful families, even its beauty made me suspicious.I climbed the front steps quietly. The guards by the entrance nodded at me immediately and opened the doors.I had barely taken two steps in
Rowan’s POVSlowly, I was losing my mind.At first, I thought isolation would feel peaceful. I thought it would save me from the queen's wrath and Henry's judging eyes. But after days of being trapped inside my room, the silence became unbearable.Too much silence gives room for thinking and thinking was dangerous for me because every thought somehow led back to Theo.I tried to replace our bad memories with the good ones but it didn't make it any better. My thoughts circling around him was unhealthy for my mental health. But what else could I do? Who else should I think about?I shut my eyes and groaned softly, dragging a hand through my hair as I paced around my room for what felt like the hundredth time that day.The palace was massive, yet somehow it felt smaller as each day passed. I had tried everything to distract myself. I read. I slept. I played games. I watched random shows, even the boring ones. I practice piano until my fingers hurt. But nothing worked.Everything eventu
Theo’s POVI sat stiffly as I stared at the glowing screen of a phone someone had shoved into my face minutes ago. Even after the screen went dark, the video kept replaying in my mind.Two silhouettes pressed against each other, kissing. The video wasn't perfectly clear, but was clear enough for a
Theo's POV I shouldn’t have been smiling, but I was. Watching the video brought back everything I felt that night. I hate to admit it but if I was given the chance to go back to that night, I'd focus more on the kiss than making a video. But it's all good because I get to watch the video over and
Theo's POV I knew exactly what I had done. It wasn’t poisonous, nor was it anything dangerous. It was a little way of marking my territory, a way of showing him who was in control. Just a crushed candy dissolved into his drink, he was already shaking like a jelly fish. What if I had added more? I
Rowan's POV As he approached me, I knew my evening was about to get ruined. But before he could ruin it, I looked at him, not the gibberish side of him. I took note of his face, his hair, how it was still neatly done even after school hours. Theo is a charming boy but his attitude makes his charm







