Page 10

Leanna Avery

It’s been a week since Cedric left. When did I get so used to sleeping in his arms? When did I become so accustomed to his scent?

“She’s an important tool. We need her as Princess Vivian.”

“I have not decided whether I want to have a child with her yet.”

Sitting in the armchair, staring into the fire, I recall his words. Why do they hurt so much? I always knew what my purpose here was, what my place was. So, why does it feel like knives are twisting in my stomach when I think about what he said to Bella and to Harriet?

A tool. At the end of the day, that’s what I am, and that is why I was brought here.

I tuck my legs under me, seeking some warmth. Ever since Cedric left, I’ve felt unbearably cold.

My stomach is in knots. I’ve tried to do what he said. I eat my meals on time. I take the medicine that the healer has been giving me. But I feel tired. I want to sleep all day. Even Harriet has noted my listlessness, and I don’t know how to explain it to her.

I should be getting to bed. Reluctantly, I get to my feet.

Three more weeks.

I know Cedric doesn’t love me. Is it wrong for me to want to believe that he does? He treats me so gently. As the time we spend together has increased, his changing attitude toward me cannot be more obvious. However, I know what I am at the end of the day.

A tool.

But when he holds me in his arms, when he takes me in our bed, when he kisses my forehead, I want to believe that he loves me. That somebody loves me.

My heart trembles when he takes care of me. I miss his presence when he’s gone.

Maybe it’s okay if I delude myself a little bit. Who is it hurting? I’m working hard in this place. I’ve proven to him that I’m worth keeping around.

My heart feels heavy as I drag myself to the bed. But before I can lie down on it, I hear shouting outside. Startled, I hurry over to the balcony doors and open them. Stepping out into the night, I look over the railing and see a group of people in dark cloaks. They are not many, but they’re approaching the castle quickly.

The commotion is coming from the guards. A strange fear strikes me in the heart. What is going on?

I go back inside, quietly closing the balcony doors behind me, and hurry over to the bell to call for Harriet. It takes her a couple of minutes to arrive, and when she does, she looks like she had been sleeping when I rang for her.

“There’s something happening out there,” I say urgently. “Some people were coming toward the castle in cloaks. Is everything okay?”

The sleep vanishes from her eyes, replaced by a sharp look. “I’ll go check. In the meantime, please bolt your doors from the inside.”

Sitting in my nightgown, I wait anxiously once she leaves. An hour passes, then another. There’s no word from Harriet, and the shouting outside has long since died down. My heart is racing. Is she alright? Was there an attack on the castle? Should I go out and check?

When the third hour passes, I can’t take it any longer. I get to my feet and stride over to the door. I’ve just unbolted it when I hear shouting from the hallway.

“You can’t do this!” Harriet’s voice is filled with anger and fear. “I won’t allow you to do this!”

“Get out of my way, Harriet! I am the delegate of the king. And this falls within my duties!”

I recognize Bella’s voice. Her voice is loud, and I hear something new in it.

Satisfaction.

“The king left the queen’s safety in my hands,” Harriet protests.

“Seize her!” I hear Bella command.

Harriet immediately screams, “Your Majesty! Run!”

Run? Run where? Why?

The door to my bedroom is thrown open, and Bella enters, followed by six guards. Her eyes are filled with malicious glee. “Capture her. Capture the fake princess!”

The guards instantly grab me, and Harriet, who is being held by two other guards behind Bella, shouts, “You can’t do this. She’s the king’s mate!”

“She was the king’s mate!” Bella snaps. “Get her on her knees.”

One of the guards kicks me in the back of my legs, forcing me to cry out and stumble forward. Bella grabs me by my jaw and forces me to look up at her. “The true Princess Vivian has arrived. You lied to us all! You dare to manipulate our king?”

“What are you talking—”

All of a sudden, her words register on me. Princess Vivian is alive? The shock has me nearly keeling over.

If the princess is alive, then there is no need for a fake.

“Don’t listen to her, Your Majesty! You are the queen.” Harriet then shouts at Bella, “Till King Cedric comes back, you can’t make any decisions on his behalf!”

Bella scoffs. “Can’t make any decisions on his behalf? I am his delegate. I make decisions on his behalf, and I speak to the elders on his behalf. The elders have already identified the true princess. I am carrying out their orders. This woman manipulated the king and lied to us all. Throw her in the dungeons! And if you don’t watch yourself, Harriet, you’ll be thrown in there with her.” To the guards holding Harriet, she adds, “Lock the head maid in her quarters.”

Harriet is dragged out of the room, struggling in the guards’ grip. Just as Bella is about to leave, she pauses and then turns around, walking over to me once again.

“Before I forget.” She raises her hand, and I see her claws extend. She slashes them down on my left cheek, scoring the flesh. “That’s for turning Cedric against me.”

My heart is pounding as I stare at her, trying to come to terms with what is happening. My cheek burns, and I can smell my blood in the air, but there’s nothing I can say. If I declare in front of the guards that Cedric knew who I was—

I don’t know if I can do that to him. I don’t even know how to defend myself. After all, it’s true. I am the fake princess. But Bella knew that all along. She’s just getting even with me. And Cedric isn’t here to protect me. As I’m dragged out of the room and through the halls, a harrowing thought strikes me.

If Cedric were here, would he have done the same? Would I have received this exact treatment from him?

No. We are fated mates. He wouldn’t—

And then it hits me. There’s no mating mark. He never gave me one.

“She’s an important tool. We need her as Princess Vivian.”

If it truly is Princess Vivian who has shown up here at the castle, then Cedric has the actual princess. There’s no more use for me.

I feel the cracks form in my heart. I have outlived my usefulness to him.

Isn’t it better this way? Now I don’t have to see him do this to me. If it’s Bella, it’s fine. I know she hates me. But if Cedric were to put me through this, I don’t think I would be able to take it. It would break me.

I’m thrown into a cell in the dungeon, a cold, damp room. There’s no fire here to keep me warm. I huddle in the corner in my thin nightgown, shivering, my heart and thoughts all tangled up.

Blankly, I stare at the metal bars.

What’s going to happen to me now? Is Cedric going to kill me? Maybe he won’t. But maybe he will.

I shiver even more, wishing this were all just a bad dream.

I can hear the guards talking outside. I hear my real name whispered. My stomach is in knots as my nails dig into my skin. Anxiety and fear take over me.

What will be my fate now?

I must have fallen asleep at some point because when I wake up, it’s to ice-cold water being thrown on me. Crying out in alarm, I scramble backward, and I hear Bella’s laugh.

“That’s right. Scurry away. You’re a rat who snuck into our castle. This is where you belong, Leanna. You thought you could turn Cedric away from me? You thought you could humiliate me? Look where you are now! I won.”

I feel sick to my stomach as I stare at her. “You knew who I was the whole time,” I finally whisper, my teeth chattering.

She rolls her eyes at me. “So? And before you think Cedric will come and save you, he has already sent word to have you executed. He wants to get rid of you. He wants this entire dirty chapter closed before he returns. After all, it’s not going to reflect well on the king that he brought in an imposter knowingly.”

“You’re lying,” I state forcefully. “Cedric wouldn’t do that.”

He wouldn’t, right?

I see the flash of anger in Bella’s eyes. “How dare you question me? I hold your life in my hands, Leanna. Don’t you fucking forget that! There was an emergency meeting of the elders last night. Your fate has been decided. You will be executed, and the true Princess Vivian will replace you. Did you really think that somebody like you, with commoner blood, was going to pollute the royal bloodline? Nobody even knows who your parents were. Good thing you’re not pregnant, or I would have to kill your dirty-blood child, too.”

My hands settle on my flat stomach. I am too stunned to speak.

“Princess Vivian has told me everything,” Bella sneers. “You tried to kill her to take her place.”

“Why would I do that when I didn’t even know what Cedric’s intentions were?” I grind out.

“How dare you take the king’s name in your whore mouth?!” she shouts. “Throw another bucket of water on her.”

There is reluctance in the guard’s eyes as he approaches me. If Bella thinks I’m going to beg her not to do it, she’s wrong. The water hits me, and I start to shake violently, feeling the cold down to my very bones.

“The elders are deciding what kind of execution you will face.” She scowls at me. “But before that, Princess Vivian has a few things to say to you.”

She steps aside, and a different woman appears at the metal bars of my cell. I recognize her instantly.

My tormentor.

Seeing her makes this all too real.

Why would Cedric want the fake when he can have the real thing? I know he values the purity of the royal bloodline. He said so once himself. And now, with me gone, he’ll have it all.

I stare at the woman before me dully, the sound of my heart breaking echoing in my ears. Life is truly unfair.

I comfort my wolf, which is whimpering. It’s okay, I whisper internally. When we die, you won’t be alone. We will be together. And if we die before Cedric comes, we can believe that he loved us to the very end. It doesn’t have to be true for us to believe it, does it?

Sometimes, delusions are necessary.

Princess Vivian clicks her tongue at me. “Shame on you, Leanna. You took my intended mate and lived in my place. Did you think I would not come back? Did you think you had gotten rid of me?”

Bella retreats to give us some privacy, and Vivian’s smile blooms, the ugliness in her eyes looming over me. “I always told you that you would die a dog’s death,” she whispers sweetly. “And I’m going to ensure that’s what happens. I’m taking everything back from you. You must’ve thought you’d finally gotten it all. But everything you have, including your face, is mine. One of the requests I want to make of the elders is to mutilate that face of yours. It doesn’t belong to you.”

I look at her, not surprised that she would want such a vicious death for me.

“Your Majesty, you don’t have to linger around here,” Bella says cheerfully. “I’ll show you to your chambers. This one’s execution will be determined this afternoon.”

Their footsteps fade away, and I shiver. At this point, they don’t even need to execute me. I’ll probably freeze to death.

The guard who threw the water over me approaches the bars. “Your Majesty?” The title he uses for me takes me aback, and I look up at him. “Here.” He hands me a blanket, and I stare at it, confused.

“Why are you giving me that?”

He looks tense. “You might not remember, but you commissioned several tapestries from my sister. She’s a widow with three children. Because of you, she was able to put food on the table for her family. Please, take this.”

I reach out and accept the blanket. “Thank you.” My voice is heavy with emotion. “Is Harriet alright?”

The guard’s expression blanches. “She’s been locked in her room.”

“I see.” I pull the blanket around my shoulders before asking him, “Are you sure you won’t get in trouble for this?”

“I’ll take it back from you whenever they’re coming,” he replies. “Please warm yourself. This is the coldest cell in the whole dungeon.”

I wrap myself tightly in the blanket. Bella won’t harm Harriet. I know how close Harriet is to Cedric. He would never put up with anything happening to her. No, Harriet will be safe.

I stare down at the wet floor. When I first came here, I wished for my death. Then, Harriet’s care and Cedric’s behavior slowly began to make me want to live. I wanted to experience life here. I was becoming happy here. And now?

I’m back to square one.

A part of me finds it hard to believe that Cedric has sentenced me to death. He doesn’t seem to be the kind of person who is unfair. He was the one who brought me here. Maybe he’ll send me somewhere far away. Or maybe I’m deluding myself once again. After all, he is the king. He has to take steps to protect his reputation. My existence is damaging to it.

I close my eyes. However they decide to kill me, I know it will be painful and drawn out. Both Bella and the princess will see to that. I’ve never really wanted anything in my life aside from my freedom.

My hands settle on the flat expanse of my stomach. Freedom and somebody to love.

A small home that is mine, where I am safe.

A child.

Maybe there’s going to be a next life, I think to myself. Maybe in that life, I’ll have everything I ever wanted. Maybe somebody will love me in that lifetime. Maybe I won’t be born a wolf shifter.

A bird. I would love to reincarnate as a bird. To roam the skies, not shackled by anything or anyone.

A bitter laugh leaves my lips.

Considering my luck, I doubt I would even get that much. I hope when I die, there is no reincarnation. I hope I just fade away.

Fade away into nothing.

I don’t want to experience this world again. I don’t want to experience anything ever again.

Two days I am kept without food or water. My lips are cracked, and the guard who gave me the blanket was severely punished and removed from his duty. I feel bad for him. He was simply trying to pay me back for a kindness.

On the third day, I hear footsteps approaching my cell. I’m leaning against the back wall, my body limp. I don’t even have the strength to move my arms. My vision is blurry.

Are they going to do it now? I wonder dimly. Can’t they just get it over with? Is Cedric back?

“Oh, Your Majesty,” I hear someone cry, and then the cell door is opened. Something is pressed to my mouth, something wet, and I taste it. It’s water. Eagerly, I swallow it. Harriet’s voice is horrified. “What have they done to you?” I hear her sob. “Rothan!”

“I know, Mother.”

Something else is held to my mouth, and this time it’s not water. Medicine? I feel my body tremble, and some of my energy returns. My vision grows clear, and I see Harriet and Rothan crouching before me.

“I’m going to take you away from here, Your Majesty,” Rothan says in a low, urgent voice.

“Has my execution been decided?” I ask hollowly.

“I’m not going to let that happen!” Harriet grabs my hands, her tone fierce. “Nothing will happen to you. Rothan is going to take you to Cedric.”

I don’t understand what is happening. “But he wants me dead.”

She shakes her head. “I don’t believe it. Once he sees you, he’ll change his mind.”

“Change his mind?” I mumble, looking between the two of them. A stark realization forms in the pit of my stomach as my last delusion shatters. “He really did order my execution, then?”

Rothan looks away, but I have already seen the guilt in his eyes.

Harriet denies it vehemently. “I refuse to believe it. Your Majesty, King Cedric cares for you deeply. There has to be some misunderstanding.”

I want to tell her she’s wrong, but I don’t have the heart to say it.

“Rothan will take you to the king. The witch is waiting outside.”

“The witch?” I’m struggling to follow her.

“Freya,” Harriet says quickly. “The girl, the young witch who helped you with the heated carpets and the plants. She’s going to create a portal and get you out of here. Rothan will bring you to Cedric, and once he sees you, he’ll make the right decision.”

I see the look Rothan gives her, and I know he doesn’t believe his mother. I give him a small, tired smile.

Maybe Cedric will kill me himself. At least he might be merciful.

Harriet wraps me in a thick cloak. “It’ll take you one day to get there. Trust me, you’ll see. The king cares for you.”

“What about the guards?” I look toward the metal bars as Rothan replies.

“Knocked out. One of the maids put sleeping pills in their food.”

“A maid?”

“A girl who once served you,” Harriet says. “She’s the one who let me out and who informed Rothan about what was happening down here. She was determined to help us. Now, go. Hurry.”

Rothan picks me up in his arms, but Harriet stops him. “Wait. One minute.”

She grabs my cheeks and presses a loving kiss against my forehead. When she looks at me, her eyes are red. “You will be fine. You will be absolutely fine.”

I know I am never going to see her again, and I squeeze her hand with every bit of energy I can muster. “Thank you for being a mother to me, Harriet. I never had one before.”

Tears slide down her cheeks, and Rothan carries me out of the cell. He covers my face with the cloak, so I don’t see where we’re going. But he’s moving very fast.

I’m feeling weak, but there’s nothing I can do. I can only hope for a painless death.

When Rothan finally comes to a stop, he removes the cloak and helps me stand on my feet.

There is a young, redheaded girl standing a few feet from me, and her eyes fill with relief. “Your Majesty! You got here just in time. Mr. Rothan, can you go keep an eye out while I carve the pentagram?”

Rothan nods and hurries away. Freya doesn’t begin carving any pentagram, though. Instead, she takes my hands and begins to chant. I feel the energy return to me, and the exhaustion fades away. When I smile at her, there is a strange expression on her face. She’s looking down at my stomach.

“You must live, Your Majesty. No matter what happens or what you believe, you have to live. There is something you must protect now.”

“Protect?” My eyes follow her gaze to my stomach, and her meaning could not be clearer. My heart skips a beat. “You’re wrong.”

She shakes her head, her countenance grave. “I can sense it. I am never wrong, not about something like this. Here, bring this with you.” She takes my hand and ties a small bracelet around my wrist. “It’s a precaution I created for you. If you think you are in danger, head to the Veil. This will guide you to an opening there. You will have to protect yourself, but it will get you to the Veil. I can guarantee you that much.”

She picks up a stick from the ground and begins carving in the dirt. I clutch my stomach, trying to process what she has just told me. I can’t be with child. I know I can’t because a female shifter can only conceive on the full moon. Therefore, it is simply not possible. She has to be mistaken. But when I first met Freya, she was working as a midwife’s assistant in the village. She told me herself that she uses her magic to detect whether a woman is pregnant or not.

Is it a miracle? If what Freya says is true, then I can’t—I can’t die. If I’m carrying a baby, I’m not going to let Bella or even Cedric kill it. Their reputations don’t matter to me. Their hatred for me doesn’t matter at all.

Amid the darkness and agony inside me, a seed of hope is planted, and it begins to bloom. And that is followed by a fierce desire to live.

“It’s ready!” Freya calls out, and Rothan runs back to us.

Taking me by the hand, he enters the pentagram, and Freya begins to chant. I close my eyes, and when I open then, I’m no longer standing within the castle grounds.

“Where are we?” I ask slowly, looking around. There’s nothing but land for miles.

“We’re near the border. If we travel for half a day, we’ll see the edge of the Misty Forest.”

The Misty Forest. I’ve heard of it. In fact, I heard Cedric talking about it. A part of the Veil is there.

“Should we shift?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “If we shift, our magical energy will draw the monsters to us. We’ll have to walk from here.”

I feel relieved by this. I need time to think about my next move.

I’m much slower in my human form, and I can sense Rothan’s anxiety, but he doesn’t push me. We walk for several hours before I need a break. He has some food with him that he gives me.

“You seem convinced that Cedric ordered my execution,” I say to him. “How do you know that for a fact?”

He doesn’t meet my gaze as he chews on some dried meat. “I saw the letter with his seal on it.”

The taste of the meat in my mouth turns to ash. Rothan has no reason to lie to me. And if he’s bringing me to Cedric—

“You don’t think he will let me live, do you?”

Rothan is silent for a few moments. “I don’t know what the king will decide. There is a chance he will send you somewhere. None of what happened was your fault. He knows that.”

“There’s also a chance he will kill me, though, isn’t there?” I smile wearily at him.

“I don’t want to mislead you.”

“I appreciate your honesty, Rothan.”

This makes it easier for me to make my next decision. I cannot go to Cedric. I don’t have time to examine how I feel about knowing for certain that my fated mate ordered my execution. The same man who told me I was safe, who kissed my forehead before sleeping. If there is truly a child inside me, I can’t take the chance.

A strangled laugh leaves my mouth. “The world is a cruel place. Isn’t it, Rothan? I know Cedric didn’t love me. How could he? But I think I loved him. I think I loved him deeply. And I don’t know why.” I bury my face in my hands, suddenly finding the whole thing both saddening and amusing. “I just did. I loved how he looked after me even when he scolded me. He made sure I ate on time. He gave me the greenhouse. He checked that I was warm when I was in bed.” Sighing, I lower my hands and stare straight ahead. “Yes, I loved him. But I know he didn’t love me. Which is why it must have been very easy for him to order my death.”

“I’m sure that’s not true, Miss Leanna.”

I sigh again, smiling down at the ground. “You don’t have to pacify me. I don’t need assurances. I know his heart. He told your mother that he didn’t want to have a child with me. He told Bella that I was just a tool. In fact, he told me several times that I was a placeholder, a substitute. I believed all those things. I also believe that he only took care of me because he had to. And now, he’s got the real princess. My death will be a relief to him. Maybe it will be a relief to me, as well.”

When Rothan protests, I smile broadly at him. “I’m not upset. I should’ve expected this. Don’t think I’m whining about it. I’ve accepted my fate. I hope he’s very happy with Princess Vivian. At least with her, his children will carry the royal bloodline and keep it pure.” I get to my feet. “Let’s keep going.”

Rothan looks like he wants to say something, but he holds his tongue. As we walk, he makes sure to stay a few steps ahead of me, which gives me plenty of opportunity to inspect Freya’s bracelet. As we approach the Misty Forest, it begins to glow.

“Once we reach the forest, how do we know where Cedric is?” I ask curiously.

“There will be some guards there. You will stay with them, and I’ll fetch the king. These things should be done privately.”

He means my execution. He’s trying to spare my dignity. How sweet.

Then, bitterness flows through me. Or maybe it’s the king’s dignity he’s trying to protect.

As we approach the forest, I see a small hut. There are two men sitting there, roasting something on a fire. Rothan calls out to them and lifts his hand. They look surprised to see him but abandon their food and approach us.

“Rothan! What are you doing here?”

“Do you know where the king is?”

“Fighting on the border. Near the Veil. There was an outbreak there. Who is this?”

Rothan exchanges a look with me. Clearly, the information hasn’t spread.

“No one,” he says, shooting me an apologetic glance.

I don’t mind. “I’ll stay here while you fetch the king.” My bracelet is glowing brighter, and I hide it under my cloak.

“I’ll be back.” Rothan nods at me before hurrying off into the distance.

The two guys look me up and down before one of them says, “Are you a maid?”

I shake my head. “I am a messenger. If you don’t mind, I’d like to relieve myself.”

The guards look uncomfortable. “There are no facilities in the hut, but if you go over there, to the edge of the forest, it’s still safe. Just use the bushes on the outskirts. Don’t enter past the marker.”

I was hoping that was what they would say. They’ve just made this so much easier for me. “Excuse me, then. Please don’t look.”

The two men flush and turn their backs to me. I head to the edge of the forest, and my heart beats with excitement as I see the glow of the bracelet intensifying. It’s pulling me toward the trees. Coming to stand at its edge, I look at the gloomy-looking forest. Monsters are roaming in there. Harriet once told me that nobody has ever survived this place.

I swallow. I’ll take my chances. Because this is the only option that I have left. I’m sure the other parts of the Veil are properly guarded. Nobody’s going to let me through anywhere else.

Throwing one last look over my shoulder, I disappear into the Misty Forest.

Goodbye, Cedric.