Chapter 2

"She is in the North Wing," the security leader said.

"You deleted three days of access records and disabled the cameras," I replied. "If she were still there, you would let someone see her."

He said nothing. The assistant had already lost her nerve.

"She escaped three days ago. His Majesty ordered us to hide it until the investiture ended."

"Who saw her last?"

She hesitated. "Marianne Holt."

Marianne Holt had been our governess. The night before my staged death, she held my hand and promised that while she lived, Celeste would never stand alone in the palace.

Now she entered Mooncrest House leading eight Royal Household officers. A weighted interrogation strap hung from one hand. A pearl pin from Celeste's private trust gleamed in her hair.

"You are behaving strangely today," she said. "Put down the weapon and return to the North Wing."

"Who did you remove from there three days ago?"

Her expression tightened. "You are Celeste."

"Was she conscious when she left? Who escorted her? Where was she taken?"

Marianne answered by ordering the officers to raise their electroshock weapons.

"You promised Cassandra you would protect her sister," I said.

"Do not use a dead woman's name to manipulate me. Cassandra is gone. Celeste has been stripped of her title, disowned by her family, and rejected by the King. Loyalty to her offers nothing."

Her betrayal had not been forced. She had simply calculated which woman had more power.

"Did you interrogate Celeste?"

"She stole confidential records from the Royal Obstetrics Center and refused to surrender the Crescent Guard personnel list. The Household had the right to question her."

Celeste had not accepted defeat quietly. She had investigated Vivienne's alleged pregnancy and protected the remnants of my security unit.

"How did she lose command of the Crescent Guard?"

Marianne smiled without warmth. "Ask your parents. The Duchess told you the Guard would be treated as evidence of a coup. She promised to hold the command key until the investigation ended."

"Then she gave it to Adrien."

"The following morning. The King ordered the Guard to accept royal control. They refused and said they recognized only Cassandra and her designated successor."

"How many were killed?"

"Seventeen."

Seventeen people had died because my parents deceived Celeste into surrendering the protection I left her. The Guard had not failed her. Her own family had dismantled it.

"Vivienne is also controlling Celeste's trust."

"The King issued an asset order. The Duke and Duchess signed as co-trustees."

"Celeste was never convicted, and her marriage was not legally dissolved when they transferred her private property."

Marianne shrugged. "Vivienne is the daughter of the Duchess's long-lost sister. Your mother learned too late that her sister had died abroad. She owed Vivienne a home and an inheritance."

My mother's guilt belonged to her. Yet Celeste had paid the debt with her home, her marriage, her fortune, and her blood.

"Did Celeste agree to any transfer?"

"She refused every document," Marianne said. "She demanded an independent audit and threatened to petition the Constitutional Court. The King suspended her communications before she could file."

That answer mattered. Celeste had not surrendered her life through passivity. She had used every legal channel available until the palace closed them. The theft had required the signatures of her husband and parents precisely because she would not cooperate.

"Who took Celeste from the North Wing?"

Marianne reached for the alarm on her belt. I moved to stop her, but she drew the restraint strap and struck at my arm.

I avoided the blow, took the strap, and bound her to one of the pear tree stumps before her officers could fire.

I removed the Household terminal from her jacket. The last file remained open.

Subject: Celeste Montclair.

Purpose: Recover stolen obstetric records. Identify surviving Crescent Guard members.

In the signature field, Celeste had written one sentence.

Cassandra did not authorize this.

She had known our parents lied. Even after everyone abandoned her, she had refused to betray my people.

The file also showed repeated requests for independent counsel, all marked denied by the Royal Household. Beside the latest denial, Celeste had added a note that Vivienne's laboratory records carried two different patient identification numbers. She had found the crack in the alleged pregnancy story, and someone had tortured her to learn where she hid the proof.

"How many strikes?" I asked.

Marianne refused to answer. I gave her one strike across the shoulder and raised the strap again.

"One hundred and twenty-seven," she gasped. "Over three months. The King approved the first interrogation. Queen Vivienne ordered the rest."

The drug used in my false death had suppressed the biological response behind our twin bond. Its effect had finally weakened three days ago. Until then, Celeste had endured every strike alone.

"Where was she taken?"

Marianne went pale but remained silent. Whoever held Celeste frightened her more than I did.

Behind me, the courtyard gate opened. The security officers lowered their weapons and turned to face the entrance. A herald's voice came through the communicator.

"His Majesty is approaching."