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Since the plan first popped into my head, I knew I was walking on thin ice. Knew that there was only one thing standing between me and certain death.

But even if I could pull it off like I imagined, there would be no guarantee I would leave with my life.

Or Aurelia’s with hers.

There was no going back after this. I had gone completely rogue for the princess. And for what?

But I wanted nothing in return.Truly.The only thing that was pushing me to do something so reckless was the image of a hopeless and crying Aurelia. Seeing her like that would be forever burned into my mind, and just knowing the awful things the prince and his father planned…I found it hard to just watch as it happened.

I cast my gaze to the handmaiden beside me. She didn’t dare look up, but I could still hear her pleas echoing in my mind as I dragged her down the hallway with my sword at her throat.

Please don’t! They’ll kill us both!

You don’t know what those two are capable of!

It didn’t hold the same guilt as when I put my weapon to Aurelia’s throat. She was even pleading and crying, but none of it fazed me. I didn’t care about her. Didn’t care about her screams.

There was something much bigger at stake. Something I cared far more about. For the first time, I knew how to use the tools my father had beaten into me over the years.

The entire time I searched for the handmaiden, my mind was focused on one thing and one thing only—the hopelessness in Aurelia’s eyes when I found her in the garden.

So maybe I haven’t changed that radically after all.Maybe I just found my driving force.

I slowly lowered myself to the ground, my knees digging into the cold marble floor. The plush red carpet was a mere foot away, taunting me.

“You’re lucky I’m not making you slit your own throat for coming to me with such an idiotic claim,” he said with a scoff. “You do realize this will get you killed?”

Yeah, too fucking well, I thought bitterly. It was a half-baked plan.

In all honesty, I had never been good at the strategic part of my job. It’s why I relied on the information provided to me. It’s why I failed so catastrophically at killing Aurelia.

But even so, my mind was clear.

I couldn’t kill the king, but I could do the next best thing.

“That’s why I brought one of the traitors. I saw it with my own two eyes and was waiting until I could grab her for you, so there would be no doubt as to what I am saying,” I told him, motioning to the shaking handmaiden. It was a lie, but I needed to use everything in my arsenal to get the king to believe me. Not only that, but I needed to play to his weakness. I needed to get him angry. Get him so angry he would think of nothing else other than getting back at those who wronged him. “Everything I said is true, all you need to do is ask her?—”

“And why should I believe you?” the king asked, his voice bouncing off the walls.

My knees ached against the floor as I braced my body for violence. The beating of my heart the only thing keeping me steady.

Not for the first time since I entered the palace, fear had its ice-cold claws around my heart.

This is a stupid,stupid,fucking decision.

This could kill me. One slipup, and I would be dead at his feet before Aurelia even knew.

But if it works…she and I will be far away from each other, and she won’t have to marry that demon.

There wasn’t just one demon she had to save herself from. I had a duty.The prophecy.There was no telling what my father would do to me when I got back.

But it was better than having to kill her. It was heartbreaking to see her in that room as she fell to the floor in her darkened room, but it was the thing I needed.

I couldn’t kill Aurelia, but I could kill for her.

“Because I may be risking my life,” I said, keeping my eyes trained to the floor. “But you’re risking your entire family. Everything you built. He was never here to abide by the terms you and his father set. The entire time, he was using it to scheme. If you let this continue, it will be the end of all your hard work.”

I took the chance to look up at him as he pulled the females closer. They both let out giggles and rubbed up against him, their hands wandering his chest before going lower.