Page 9

Chapter Seven

I t’s him...

I didn’t know where to look. The man who had dragged me out of the prison cell and stuffed me in a dress barely met my eyes now, an unspoken threat passing through the brief glare I caught. My feet felt riveted to the floor. I tried to look back at Adir, but he wasn’t any more welcoming.

“Hello, Uncle.” Adir was as rigid as a stone wall. His charming smile was pressed into a fine line as his posture mirrored that of a marble bust. Once again, he looked like a different person, except this time I was afraid to stand close to something so cold.

“Uncle?” I couldn’t stop the word from slipping out. It wasn’t as if anyone could have blamed me. The man standing over me was tall, mature, and hauntingly handsome, but he didn’t look nearly old enough to be anyone’s uncle. “I...I mean, uh... ”

“Forgive me, I’m being rude,” the man said in a buttery-smooth voice, placing a hand over his chest. “I shouldn’t have asked the lady’s name before introducing myself. I’m Jeteran, Sultan Hamza’s younger brother, and yes...Adirion’s uncle.”

The sultan’s brother? That’s why he was able to open the vault…

I bit down on my cheek, completely trapped between the two royals who both knew the extent of my crimes, yet didn’t know what the other knew. My heart raced, and I felt hypersensitive to every noise around me as I desperately tried to think of a way to stay out of prison.

“I...didn’t know the sultan had a brother.” I gulped. My hands trembled, and I almost thought I could hear my ring rattling against my boney finger. I clasped my hands together in front of me, shielding the ring from Jeteran’s prying eyes. He’d definitely seen it, but did he know what it was?

Did I know what it was?

“I wasn’t exactly included in the family portraits,” Jeteran said with a humorless laugh. “My mother was a mistress, and I was born long after Sultan Hamza was grown and married. I became Adirion’s uncle at the ripe age of two and a half. ”

I blinked up at the crownless prince in front of me, my chest tightening as I suddenly understood why there was so much tension between the two royals.

If Jeteran is older than Adir...how does the line of succession play out? Is Adir next in line? Or does his uncle have any legitimate claim?

“I see,” I said, my mouth feeling like I’d gulped down a handful of sand. “Please forgive me for being so impolite.”

“I don’t require any apologies, my dear,” Jeteran said in a honeyed voice sticky enough to cling to my thoughts.

“Though I may require one from your escort. Adirion still hasn’t done me the honor of introducing you to me.

” He flicked a sharp eye to his nephew, and I could sense the air drop a degree cooler.

“Ah, yes, how could I forget?” Adir cleared his throat, his hands fidgeting in front of him like he was searching for his own ring to conceal. “Jet, this is Princess Kya of Kipuron.”

Jeteran’s lips curled, causing his enchanting eyes to narrow on me. “ Princess Kya?” he purred. “I didn’t realize we were expecting any more royal guests. What an honor it is to have you with us, Your Highness.”

The walls seemed to close in on me, but I couldn’t pull my focus away from Jeteran’s all-knowing eyes. He wasn’t going to say anything? Why let the prince lie to his face ?

“Thank you,” I said starkly, too afraid to utter anything else.

Adir seemed even more on edge than me, his presence chilling even in the hot air. I didn’t know the details of the war, but I could see the battle unfolding in front of me. They both smiled so well for men who were glowering within.

“Has the princess seen her room yet?” Jeteran asked. “If not, I’d be happy to escort her myself. I’m sure you have many other ladies you need to split your time between.”

He held out his hand to me and I felt a chill rush through my blood. He was trying to reach for my hand to get a better look at the ring... What should I do? Do I pretend not to notice? Do I refuse his hand?

“I wish Adir would do something,” I whispered too softly for anyone to hear.

“That’s quite all right, Jet.” Adir grabbed my arm, pulling me to his side a bit more suddenly than I was prepared for.

My ring flashed in front of Jeteran’s eyes, long enough for him to devour the small glimpse he got before I curled my fist. “I was already on my way to escort her when you interrupted us.”

His solid grip on my arm made my whole body tense, not helping me salvage my remaining strength.

My vision started to grow fuzzy in the corners of my eyes.

I leaned my weight on him for a second, and he took it with ease, but I still felt bad for doing it.

I brushed my thumb against the diamond ring, my fingers tingling as I realized the power I had just set loose for the third time today.

It works...

“Wonderful, I’ll leave you to it, then,” Jeteran said with a smooth dip of his head toward Adir. “Enjoy your walk. I’ll be sure to let the sultan know that she’ll be in attendance for dinner tonight. I know he’ll love to hear all about her journey and her exotic country.”

He took his leave, and my dizziness lingered even as his suffocating presence vanished around us. The second he was gone, Adir released my arm, and I struggled to regain my balance for a brief moment before stabilizing myself against the wall.

“What have I done ?” Adir ran both hands through his hair, pausing them on the top of his head as he paced the width of the hall with heavy stomps. “I told him you’re a princess.”

His distress ate at me. I knew none of this was my doing, but at the same time, the tiny pressure around my ring finger made me feel otherwise.

I wanted to reach out and comfort him, but my dizzy spell was still threatening to pull my knees out from under me.

All I could do was watch his panic unfold while I focused on my breathing .

“I...I’m sorry,” I said between breaths. “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble. I’ll go right away if—”

“Go? No!” Adir stopped his pacing, dropping his hands from his head to wave them at me frantically. “No, you can’t leave now. I’m sorry, but you have to stay.”

Stay? At the palace?

“W-what do you mean?” I gripped the mahogany trimming on the wall for support, praying it wouldn’t pop off under my weight.

“Because of Jeteran,” he seethed under his breath. “He’s seen you here, and now he’s going to tell my father exactly who I claimed you were.”

I knit my brows together. My head was slowly starting to clear, but the information still wasn’t piecing together correctly.

“Why does that matter?” I asked. “It’s not as if Kipuron is a real place. No one will miss me if I leave now.”

“Kya, if you leave now, it will ruin me.” He reached for my shoulders, gripping me with a severity that made my heart still.

“According to Jeteran, I invited Princess Kya as my esteemed guest. If she goes missing and Jet organizes a search, they’ll find out who you really are, and my lies will be exposed to the sultan. ”

His lies? He means my wishes...

The ring felt heavier as I thought back to the silly requests I had made to it. Becoming a princess had seemed like a harmless idea at the time, but something was telling me that nothing about this diamond would truly be harmless.

“Jet is after my throne, Kya.” Adir released my shoulders, his tone turning solemn as his gaze softened. “My grandfather wrote Jet into the line of succession, but there’s no clear laws that determine if his will overpowers my father’s. Any chance he can get to discredit me, he’ll take.”

I also asked the ring for Adir’s help...

Would he have stood up for me without my wish? Was this why he was looking for the ring in the first place? To save his crown?

I ruined the one thing he would have wished for in a single day.

“Please, Kya.” Adir’s tone was calm, but his eyes were begging me. “For the sake of my kingdom. Can you play the part of princess? Just for a little while longer?”

I squeezed my fist around the ring, my pulse pounding through the gold band as the temptation to make another wish floated through my mind. Maybe I could fix all of this with one more touch of magic? That’s what Adir wanted it for, right? To fix everything ?

Except magic had only made everything worse. I couldn’t wish my way out of this if I truly wanted to fix my mistakes.

“I will,” I said with a steady note in my voice. “You can count on me.”