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Dagmara didn’t answer, unsure how he reached that conclusion so quickly.

“So you’re here to kill me?” Claude asked, backing away. His hand went to his bare stomach as though he were injured, his skin glistening in the dim light. “Well, no need anymore, because it feels like you already drove a stake through my heart.”

Then, in the distance, a horn rang out.

“The Celesta,” Pierre blurted out. “They’ve reached the front gates, Your Majesty.”

“What is your name?” Claude asked, ignoring Pierre and the alarm.

Unable to look away, Dagmara held Claude’s pained gaze. She hated the way her heart broke to see him in despair. Why did he look so broken? He was the one who betrayed her. He was the murderer.

“Your Majesty,” Pierre continued. “The Celesta—”

“I need to know the name of the woman who ruined me!” Claude roared, never glancing at Pierre.

“Dagmara.” A tear coursed down her cheek.

Exhaling, Claude closed his eyes as though the name confirmed her betrayal. “Dagmara,” he repeated, and the way he said her name caused her stomach to erupt with butterflies. His eyes opened, finding hers immediately. “I gave you my heart, Dagmara, and you mutilated it. I didn’t know an emotional pain could be this visceral,” his voice wavered, and he didn’t attempt to hide it. “I painted a whole picture of my future where you were the center of it. Now what am I to do?”

“Claude…” she breathed.

“You don’t deserve to say my name,” said Claude. “You will address me as ‘Your Majesty’.”

Another piece was torn from Dagmara’s heart.

Claude turned to Pierre. “Lock her in here, I can’t deal with this now. I have to defend my kingdom.”

Then the Mad King disappeared from the room.

As soon as Sacha released his grip, Dagmara fell to the ground with a hard smack. She hadn’t realized Sacha was holding her up. Immediately, tears started racing down Dagmara’s cheeks and she clutched her chest, feeling more pain than ever before.

Sacha vanished, heading to defend the castle from the oncoming Celesta, but Pierre lingered at the door. Before long, he left, and the door slammed closed. The sound of a bolt echoed through the chamber, signaling a lock.

She knew Claude was the murderer. She had all the proof. Why did it feel like her chest was being ripped apart? Why did she want to chase after him and beg for forgiveness?

Someone was lifting her off her feet, and Dagmara was hardly aware of her surroundings. They were blurred by the tears.

“We have to get out of here,” Sabien said. She had forgotten he was hidden behind the curtain the entire time. He had heard everything. “I wasn’t expecting you to out yourself. They’ll have you executed for deceiving the king, impersonating a guardian, and sabotaging a royal alliance. We have to go.”

Taking her wrist, Sabien yanked her in the direction of the corner. Dagmara stumbled after him, barely able to stand. Everything hurt. Everything felt wrong.

Sabien pressed a panel against the wall, and a door popped open. “It can only open from this side,” Sabien replied. “Once we’re in the passageway we can’t get back into the castle.”

His voice was only words. Dagmara was too broken to think about the hidden passage. She fell in line beside Sabien as they entered the hidden corridor, the passageway sealing behind them. They descended into the secret halls underneath the castle, Sabien leading the way.

“First, we get ourselves to safety, and then we should make sure Princess Magdalena is safe,” Sabien said.

“She is,” Dagmara replied, her voice hoarse as she held back a sob.

“Are you certain? Claude knows you aren’t Magdalena so he will go straight to Azurem to find her.”

“It’s a good thing she’s not in Azurem then,” she snapped.

“Where is she?” asked Sabien.

“It doesn’t matter,” Dagmara replied. After all this time protecting Magda, she still wouldn’t disclose her location. Then a thought struck her. “Queen Bernadette said she would be waiting with an escape carriage in case something went wrong. We have to find her.”

They picked up speed in the tunnels, but her mind was replaying the confrontation with Claude.