The candlelight flickered as I waited in the drawing room. My fingers trembled lightly on the carved armrest of the velvet chair. I hadn't seen Leonard since last night,since the moment he swore he would protect me. And yet, he hadn't returned to our chambers. Not once.
It was morning now, though the skies remained clouded and cold. The castle halls were quieter than usual. Even my maids, Peace and Lydia, seemed on edge as they dressed me in a sapphire gown lined with silver embroidery.
Something had shifted.
Before I could question it, the doors creaked open and a young guard entered, bowing deeply. "His Highness has summoned you to the lower hall, Your Highness."
My throat tightened. "Is something wrong?"
He didn't meet my eyes. "You are needed."
The hall I was led to wasn't one I had seen before. Cold, narrow stairs spiraled into the belly of the castle. Two armored guards pushed open the doors at the base, revealing a dim-lit chamber of stone and silence. It smelled faintly of blood and iron.
Leonard stood near the center.
He wore all black again, his arms crossed behind his back, his posture as still as carved stone. A large chair sat beside him,less of a throne, more of a seat of judgment. And in the middle of the room, shackled to the floor, was a girl.
The same girl who fainted during yesterday's court meeting.
She now sat trembling, sweat glistening on her skin, her eyes wild and distant. Every so often, her lips twitched, as if something inside her fought to get out.
A witch's possession.
Leonard turned slowly as I entered. Our eyes met, and for a second, I forgot everything else. His expression was unreadable.
"Lisa," he said. "Stay behind the railing."
The cold command in his voice sent a chill down my back. No softness. No warmth. This wasn't the man who had wrapped a cloak around me on the balcony. This was the prince the world feared.
I stepped carefully toward the back of the room, where a wide wooden rail separated the observers from the center. Behind me, several people stood silently. Noblemen. Soldiers. And one man I didn't recognize tall, with white hair tied back and piercing eyes that reminded me of sharpened steel. He didn't flinch or blink. He just watched Leonard with something close to loyalty.
Leonard gestured to him briefly. "This is Rhys. He will lead investigations while I'm occupied."
Rhys gave a small nod toward me, no more than a gesture of acknowledgment.
A loud hiss broke the air. The girl on the floor arched her back unnaturally, a black fog leaking from her mouth before it vanished into thin air. She collapsed again, groaning.
Leonard stepped closer, voice cool. "What coven sent you?"
The girl sobbed. "I—I don't know... please... I can't—she won't let me sleep—she won't let me think!"
Leonard's eyes narrowed. "What did she tell you to do?"
"I was to... to enter the castle," she whispered, twitching. "To... poison someone. I don't know who—she wouldn't say."
He stepped even closer. "Who sent the spirit?"
"I don't know! Please..."
Her voice became garbled. Her limbs shook again, and this time a voice came out that wasn't hers at all.
"Such a foolish prince. Do you think you can hide her forever?"
Everyone stilled.
I gripped the rail, my knuckles pale. That voice,it wasn't the girl's. It was deeper, ancient. It echoed through the room like a chorus.
"She's ours. The key belongs to us."
Leonard's jaw clenched. "You made a mistake coming here."
The girl convulsed. A laugh,hideous and cracked escaped her lips. "You think your fire can protect her? You think she won't find out what you truly are?"
The words stabbed deeper than I expected.
Leonard turned to Rhys. "Get the others out. She doesn't speak again with an audience."
"But—" one nobleman protested.
Leonard's tone sharpened. "Now."
The room emptied quickly. I hesitated, but before I could move, Rhys stopped beside me and whispered low. "His Highness doesn't want you to see what happens next. It's not meant for you."
I looked past him,Leonard's face had darkened. A storm behind his eyes. This wasn't about the interrogation anymore.
"But I want to help," I murmured.
Rhys stared at me. "Then help by surviving. Let him handle this."
I didn't know what they did to that girl after the doors shut. I never heard her scream,perhaps that was the worst part. It was silent.
When Leonard returned that evening, he looked calm. Too calm.
⸻
Back in our chambers, he found me standing near the mirror, still in the same gown.
He said nothing at first, simply stepped in and poured himself a glass of wine from the cabinet.
"You didn't want me to see what you did," I said finally.
He didn't look at me. "There are things you don't need to witness."
I turned to him. "You think I'll be scared?"
"You should be," he said flatly. "You saw what I did to those witches. That's only a fraction."
"Then why are you hiding it?"
His jaw tightened. He placed the wine down.
"Because the world already fears me," he said, stepping closer. "I don't want you to."
I swallowed.
"You think I'm so fragile?"
"I know you are," he replied. "And I need you to remain that way."
"That's not fair," I whispered.
He looked at me. For a moment, I thought he might say something softer. Something kind.
But instead, he turned away.
"Go to bed, Lisa."
I watched his back as he disappeared through the adjoining door, into his study. Not our bed. Not tonight.
He was keeping secrets.
I knew it.
And yet... so was I.
⸻
Later that night, as I lay under the canopy, I recalled the girl's voice,the possessed one.
"She's ours... the key belongs to us."
I clutched the pendant around my neck, a trinket from my mother I had never removed.
What did they mean by key?
Why did everyone around me,Leonard, the witches, the spirits know more than I did?
And why was I so scared to find out?