The storm outside is quiet.
But the one inside us has started to gather.
Cassian paces the length of our chambers, fingers clenched at his side. His jaw has a hard edge tonight, the kind he wears when his crown feels heavier than usual.
"They're not going to let this go," he mutters.
He's talking about the council. About Edric's question. About the murmurings that won't stay whispers anymore.
And about me.
I sit at the edge of the couch, watching him move, his words replaying in my head.
"If you're related to the Queen… then our marriage…"
I shut my eyes. The thought is too sharp. Too wild.
Too dangerous.
Matican law forbids royal blood from marrying within direct lineage. Not even the crown can protect us from that law. If what they're suggesting is true…
"I can't rest until we know," Cassian says, coming to stand in front of me. His hand cups my cheek. "I need to hear it from her. And you need to hear it too."
I nod, my voice thin. "Let's ask her. Together.
***
Her quarters feel colder than I remember.
Even the lamps burn lower than usual. The Queen lies propped up in her bed, silk robes wrapping her like a shield, her face pale but sharp.
She sees us enter and says nothing.
Cassian doesn't waste time. He moves closer, arms folded tightly across his chest.
"Mother," he begins, "we've come with a question that cannot wait."
Her eyes shift slowly between us, unreadable.
"How is Celeste related to you?"
No answer.
The silence stretches, stiff and full.
Cassian's voice sharpens. "Because if by any chance she is of royal blood, if her blood runs in your vein, then our union is unlawful. And that puts the crown, the council, the kingdom… all at risk."
My heart thuds so loudly I wonder if she hears it too.
Still, she says nothing.
I step forward. "Your Majesty… please. If you know anything, tell us."
Her eyes stay on me. And for the first time in weeks, I think I see something flicker there; not malice, not disdain but something older.
Fear.
"I don't know," she says finally, her voice brittle. "I've never seen her until the day I walked into her office. She was just… the right piece at the right time."
Cassian frowns. "Then why did you push for our marriage? Why her?"
"I don't know," she snaps again. "There was something in her. Familiar… strong. I followed instinct."
"And what about Shea?" I ask.
Her head turns sharply.
"Why did you demand that she be tested?" I continue. "Who is she to you?"
The Queen's lips tighten. She looks away, toward the fire that's dying in the corner.
Cassian steps forward, voice lowering but burning. "Say something, Mother. The council is at our door. The palace is in turmoil. If there's anything you're not telling us…"
"I'm her daughter."
The words cut through the room like a blade.
We both turn, startled.
Shea steps out from the shadowed corner, her hands trembling by her sides. Her eyes meet the Queen's first… and then mine.
"I'm her daughter," she says again, firmer now. "Born in secret. Raised in silence."
The Queen closes her eyes.
Cassian doesn't move. Neither do I.
The world tilts slightly under my feet.
Everything we feared…
…may just be the beginning.
The air turns to ice.
I look from Shea to Cassian, then back to the Queen, whose eyes now flash with something more dangerous than denial.
Rage.
"You're lying," Cassian says, voice razor-sharp. "My mother doesn't have another child. I'm her only son."
"That's what she wanted you all to believe," Shea fires back, standing her ground like a soldier with nothing left to lose. "She's lied for years. To the council. To the King. To you."
The Queen lifts a trembling hand. "Shea. That's enough."
But Shea ignores her.
Her voice is steady, laced with pain, but powerful. "I'm her first child. Conceived for a man she wasn't supposed to love. A man who wasn't royal. She was eighteen. Betrothed to King Lucien. But she broke tradition. She broke the law."
Cassian flinches beside me.
I can't move.
"She ran to the Black Sisters," Shea continues, her gaze unflinching. "They hid her until I was born. She borrowed their power, ancient magic that erased what was broken. Restored her virginity so no one would know. And when she returned to Matica, she wore a crown like nothing happened."
I glance at the Queen. Her jaw is clenched. Her chest rises and falls, but she doesn't speak.
She doesn't deny it.
Shea steps forward. "I was raised in their temple. In darkness. In silence. But when I can't wait anymore, I came here. To find her. My mother."
Cassian shakes his head slowly, disbelief swirling in his eyes. "No. That can't be true."
"It is," Shea says, her voice soft now. "She made me promises. Swore to take care of me. Swore to keep me safe. And in return, I kept her secret. All these years."
I stare at the Queen. "Why?"
No answer.
"Why bring her into the palace if you were going to treat her like a shadow?" I ask, my voice rising despite myself. "She was your daughter."
Cassian's voice cracks beside me. "Mother… is this true?"
Still nothing.
The silence says more than words ever could.
Then suddenly, the Queen's body lurches forward.
She grips the edge of the bed as a sharp cough rattles from her lungs. Her breathing falters. Her hand trembles violently, reaching for the bell beside her.
Cassian bolts forward, catching her before she falls.
"Doctor!" he shouts toward the open door. "NOW!"
I rush to her other side, my own breath tangled in the shock.
Shea remains still, watching coldly. "This is what silence does. It poisons the inside."
Within moments, the Queen's physician and two nurses rush in. There's panic; a flurry of hands, vials, and whispers. Her pulse is checked. Her eyes flutter closed.
The doctor shouts, "Move her to lie flat, elevate her feet. She's crashing."
She's slipping.
Again.
And still, she hasn't said a single word.