The Chessboard

Kira’s POV

Her fingers tightened around my throat, pinning me to the cold wall so fast I barely realized what was happening. For a second, I froze…eyes wide…because what the hell? One second she was packing a duffel bag, the next she turned into WWE Smackdown.

I grabbed her wrist, choking. “What…the…hell!” I croaked.

“Who are you?” she snarled again, eyes blazing. She looked like she was ready to rip my head off and use it as a centerpiece.

“I’m…me!” I struggled. “Kira…I mean, Abby…I MEAN…WHOEVER THIS BODY BELONGS TO!”

That didn’t help. She slammed me harder into the wall.

Okay, maybe honesty is not the best policy here.

She leaned close, her breath hot on my face. “If you lie, I will snap your neck before that monster out there smells you.”

Monster? Out there? My brain was already fried eggs but that word made my panic skyrocket.

I pried her fingers just enough to wheeze, “Define monster…because my definition might be different.”

For a small woman, she had terrifying strength…her grip was precise, controlled, deadly.

“Who the hell are you? The real princess would never say what you said earlier,” she snarled again, her face inches from mine, eyes sharp and calculating.

What the hell did I say? Think fast, Kira! Panic later.

If I tell her the truth…that I’m not Abby but some random heiress from Los Angeles who woke up in her body…I’m dead. If I act confused and helpless, maybe I buy time. Maybe I will survive.

“I…I don’t…” I choke, forcing panic into my voice. “I don’t know.”

“Don’t play games with me,” she hisses. “I asked you a question.”

Okay, that didn’t work.

Calm down Kira. She called you a princess. She’s your maid. So, act like her boss!

I lifted my chin despite her grip. My voice came out cold, commanding, and sharper than I expected.

“I command you to release me. Now.”

For a moment, she froze. Her eyes flickered…confusion, shock, then alarm. Her spine straightened instantly and her hand dropped from my throat like she’d touched fire.

Then…to my surprise…she dropped to her knees.

Head bowed. Fists clenched. Voice trembling.

Wow…that was quick. And effective.

“I…I apologize, Princess,” she said quickly. “Forgive me…I overstepped. I…” Her voice wavered. “For a moment, I thought you were someone else.”

I rubbed my neck and stared at her. Of course I am someone else…but nobody needed to find that out yet.

First I had to learn how all this worked so I could use it to my advantage and get my revenge.

She kept her head down but her words seemed forced…like she was terrified of saying the wrong thing.

“I should never have choked you. I beg for your forgiveness.”

I paused and shifted my tone into something royal. Cold. Controlled. Untouchable. Because if I show weakness here…I’m dead.

“You’re forgiven,” I said evenly. “Now stand. And explain yourself.”

She obeyed immediately, rising slowly. There was regret and fear in her eyes…but also something else. Loyalty. Pain. Something raw.

“You said you mistook me for someone else,” I pushed. “What did you mean by that? What made you think that?”

She hesitated, then shook her head quickly. “It doesn’t matter now, Your Highness.”

“Yes,” I said, letting steel enter my voice. “It does. So, speak.”

Her throat worked as she swallowed.

“It’s just… Abby…” she stopped, corrected herself, “you have never asked for your family before. You made it very clear you’d rather die than return to them.”

I blinked.

Oh. So even in this new life…my family is still a mess.

My jaw tightened. “Why wouldn’t I want to go back to them?”

She stared at me, searching my face…probably wondering why I was asking things I should already know. Time to use my cover story.

“I hit my head hard,” I said coldly. “I don’t recall much. So you will enlighten me.”

Shock rippled across her expression. Realization hit her. “You… don’t remember?”

“I said,” my gaze cut into hers, “you will enlighten me. About everything.”

She drew a shaky breath. Then she began.

“My name is Liana,” she said quietly. “I have served you since you turned eighteen. You were born Princess Arabella of Ravaryn…the youngest of four children.”

Youngest. Great. That explains the trauma already.

“Your father, King Ariston,” she continued, “only wanted male heirs. He already had three sons before you. When you were born, he refused to even see you. He called you…a waste.”

My stomach turned.

“He believed daughters were nothing but political tools. Your mother…Queen Selene…tried to love you, but she feared him. She never defended you. She never stopped what your brothers did to you.”

My brows lowered. “What did they do to me?”

Liana’s face hardened, fury flickering there. “They made your life hell. You were never treated as family or royalty. They mocked you, punished you, locked you in the servant quarters for speaking out of turn. You once spent a week in the snow tower because you refused to kneel to them.”

A chill ran down my spine.

What kind of family was this?

“One person,” she whispered, “one person truly loved you. Your third brother…Prince Rowan. He was gentle with you. Protective. He gave me to you as a gift…so you would never be alone.”

My eyes widened. Gift? Wait…

Hold up. “He gave you… as a gift?”

She nodded without shame. “I am not ashamed of where I came from. I am honored to serve you.”

Damn. Okay. My homegirl is loyal.

“You were close to prince Rowan,” she went on. “But when you turned twenty two, your father didn’t waste time. He sold you in marriage to the Central Alpha King. It was a political exchange. In return, your kingdom got protection from the war in the East.”

Sold. They sold her like property.

My hands clenched.

“Rumor says the Central King is cold,” she continued softly. “Ruthless. Unforgiving. He has many mistresses. When we arrived here last year, he treated you… politely. At first.”

“But as weeks passed, everything changed. His lover…Lady Pearl turned the King against you. She controls the palace. She controls the Council. She wants your crown…and your death.”

There it is. The chessboard.

“You became a ghost in your own castle,” she whispered painfully. “No one respects you. No one protects you. One time, they locked me away so that you would be utterly alone. And when poison was slipped into your cup earlier…”

She stopped.

My heart froze.

“…everyone pretended it was an accident.”

“We only have each other princess… That is why you never wanted to return to your family, and why you wanted to leave here so badly,” she added.

“Because no matter how hard you try to be nice to them…they don’t see you. But I do,” she finished, touching my arm.

Her words landed soft…but the way she leaned in made my heart stutter.

Wait… no. Is this what I think it is?