LOGINCHARLOTTE That night, I didn’t even remember lying down.One moment I was dragging my aching body down the narrow steps into the basement, my arms trembling from hours of scrubbing, hauling, bowing, surviving. The next, darkness swallowed me whole.I didn’t eat. I didn’t even remove my dress.The mattress welcomed me like a grave, damp and thin, but exhaustion wrapped around me tighter than any blanket ever could. My eyelids burned, my muscles screamed, and before my thoughts could scatter into worry I was gone.Straight into the dream.No… not a dream.It felt too real.I stood in the palace courtyard, sunlight blazing overhead, warm against my skin. The air buzzed with voices, cheers, laughter, cries of joy. Banners fluttered from the towers, bright and clean, unmarred by soot or blood.For a heartbeat, I didn’t understand.Then I saw Jeffrey.He stood at the center of it all, no chains on his wrists, no bruises on his face. His shoulders were straight, his eyes clear and blazing w
CHARLOTTE Pain rang through my skull like a cracked bell.I groaned before I could stop myself, the sound tearing out of my throat as I rolled onto my side and pressed my palm to my burning cheek. My vision swam, the palace stones blurring beneath me, cold seeping through my skin.“Get up.”The voice was sharp. Commanding. Cruel in its calm.I lifted my head slowly, blinking through the sting in my eyes and my heart dropped straight into my stomach.It was Matilda.She stood over me with her arms crossed, her posture regal, immaculate, as though she hadn’t just struck me hard enough to send me sprawling to the floor. Her lips curled in disgust, not remorse.“What do you think you’re doing wandering around this side of the palace?” she barked. “This is not your place.”I scrambled to my feet, bowing my head quickly, my hands shaking at my sides. “I’m sorry,” I stammered. “I was just cleaning. I didn’t realize I’d crossed into a restricted area. It won’t happen again.”My voice sounded
CHARLOTTEI opened the door in a rush, my heart already bracing for any thing that was about to happen next.For a split second, I was certain I would see Emmalaine standing there with that cold, eyes that was filled with wickedness, or maybe it was one of the guards who'd seen me running out of the dungeon and ready to drag me away for daring to breathe without permission. My body tensed, my fingers curling instinctively, preparing for pain.But it wasn’t Emmalaine.It was Lyra.She stood quietly in the narrow hallway, her shoulders drawn in, her eyes darting nervously over my shoulder before settling back on me. In her hands was a folded piece of paper. She lifted it slowly, almost shyly, as if afraid even that small movement might be punished.Can I come in? was written neatly across it.Relief hit me so hard my knees almost buckled.I didn’t answer her. I grabbed her wrist and yanked her inside, slamming the door shut behind us and pressing my back against it as if I could shield
CHARLOTTE I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore.The moment the cell door clicked open, they spilled down my cheeks in hot, uncontrollable streams. My fingers shook as I shoved the keys back into my gown and rushed inside the cell, my feet barely touching the ground. The smell hit me first, it smelled like stale sweat, blood, damp stone, and something rotten underneath it all. It was overwhelming. It made my chest tighten.But none of that mattered.Jeffrey.I dropped to my knees in front of him and cupped his face, my hands trembling as if I were afraid he might disappear if I didn’t hold on tight enough. His skin was rough, unshaven, bruised, and cold.“Jeffrey,” I sobbed, and before I could stop myself, I leaned in and kissed him.It was the most desperate kiss I've ever had,my lips pressed against his like I was trying to pour every ounce of strength I had left into him. He froze at first, startled, then slowly leaned into me, his breath shaky against my mouth.When I pulled bac
CHARLOTTE Water dripped onto my face.I gasped awake, sucking in air as another drop landed on my cheek, slid down my jaw, and soaked into the thin fabric of my gown. For a moment, I didn’t know where I was. Then the familiar stench of mold, damp stone, and rot filled my nose, and reality crashed back into me.The storeroom.My room.If it could even be called that.I pushed myself upright, my bones aching as if I had been beaten in my sleep. The ceiling above me was dark with moisture, a thin crack running across it like a scar, leaking steadily onto the floor. My mattress that was so thin, uneven, and barely fit for an animal was already soaked through.I let out a slow breath, pressing my lips together to stop the scream that rose in my throat. Screaming wouldn’t help. It never did.I stood, every movement stiff, and dragged the mattress upright, folding it the best I could and leaning it against the wall so it wouldn’t soak further. My fingers were numb as I grabbed the mop and b
LIAM I picked up the nearest chair and hurled it at the wall.The wood splintered. The crack echoed through the chamber, and for a brief second it felt good, felt like my fury had found a body to inhabit. But the relief evaporated just as quickly, leaving the anger I felt earlier to consume me.Emmalaine was getting out of hand with this nonsense behavior of hers. I couldn't believe she'd be this brave after I literally gave her a new life.The audacity of her still burned behind my eyes. The way she had stood there flinging my guards aside as though they were nothing to her. The way she had walked to the throne and embarrassed me.I dragged a hand through my hair and laughed.“She forgets herself,” I muttered to the empty room. “Just this privilege and she's already misbehaving.”But even as I said it, I knew the truth gnawed beneath everything I Said, Emmalaine wasn’t forgetting herself. She was remembering who she was and what exactly she was capable of.I crossed the room in long







