Page 8 of Knot My Wonderland, Part Two (Fairytale Omegaverse #2)

Aldric's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "She blames everyone. Herself most of all." He lifted the delicate porcelain cup, steam rising from whatever liquid waited inside. "But blame is a luxury the living can't afford when the dead demand justice."

I looked at the meal before me. It was simple but elegant: delicate sandwiches cut into perfect triangles, fruit that seemed to glow with its own inner light, and a clear broth that steamed with aromatic herbs. Everything looked harmless, but I'd learned not to trust appearances in the Red Court.

"It's not drugged," Aldric said, as if reading my thoughts. "The Queen wants you lucid for an evening chat with her…and the next dose of tonic.”

I picked up one of the sandwiches, studying it carefully. Through the weakening golden bond, I felt Heart's presence grow stronger—he was moving, preparing for something. The knowledge gave me a spark of hope despite my circumstances.

"The food will restore some clarity," Aldric added, watching as I reluctantly took a small bite. "The tonic's effects come in waves—periods of fog followed by moments of awareness. The Queen prefers you coherent for your conversations."

The sandwich tasted surprisingly normal—cucumber and cream cheese on delicate bread—a jarring contrast to the surreal nightmare surrounding me. As I ate, the crimson fog in my mind receded slightly, allowing me to think more clearly.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, studying his impassive face. "Aren't you afraid she'll punish you for helping me understand her methods?"

A ghost of a smile touched his lips. "The Queen values loyalty above all else. But even she recognizes that blind obedience produces poor guardians." He gestured to the food. "Continue eating. You'll need your strength."

I took another bite, and studied him more carefully. "You're planning something," I said, noting the way his frozen-blood eyes kept flickering toward the door. "This isn't just about following orders."

Aldric's perfect composure cracked for just a moment—a flash of something desperate and determined before he mastered himself again.

"The Queen has ruled for centuries through fear and manipulation.

But even the most absolute power has limits.

" He moved to the window, his reflection multiplying in the crystalline surface.

"The pattern you carry... it represents something she can never truly possess.

Choice. Free will. The ability to forge connections based on love rather than dominance. "

I set down the sandwich, my appetite vanishing as understanding dawned. "You're going to help me escape."

"No." His voice was firm, but I caught the regret beneath it.

"I can't. The bonds of servitude run too deep, and the Queen would sense my betrayal before we reached the outer walls.

" He turned back to face me, his frozen-blood eyes carrying centuries of carefully hidden pain.

"But I can tell you this: the pattern cannot be forcibly transferred.

Not completely. Not without your consent. "

This revelation struck me like lightning. "Consent? But she's drugging me, breaking my bonds?—"

"Weakening, yes. Breaking, no." Aldric's voice dropped lower, barely audible above the crystalline hum of the chamber.

"The Queen believes she can sever your connections completely, but the First Queen's magic was built on choice, not coercion.

Even at your weakest, a fragment of will remains.

Guard it. Hide it. It's your only defense when the final ritual begins. "

Hope flickered in my chest, small but fierce. "How do I protect something I can barely feel anymore?"

"Memory," he said, his voice carrying the weight of someone who had learned this lesson through bitter experience.

"The Queen's magic can cloud your thoughts, weaken your bonds, even alter your perception of reality.

But memory—true memory, the kind forged in moments of genuine connection—that runs deeper than any corruption she can devise. "

I leaned forward, clinging to his words as the crimson fog tried to creep back into my consciousness. "What kind of memories?"

"The first time you felt the pattern respond to your will.

The moment you realized Heart and Chi were more than just allies—they were anchors to who you are.

" His frozen-blood eyes grew distant. "My younger sister used to tell me that love wasn't a feeling, but a choice made over and over again.

Even when the plague was consuming her, she chose to remember joy instead of pain. "

I pressed my hand against my chest, searching for the golden thread that connected me to Heart.

It felt thinner than before, stretched to the point of breaking, but still there—a fragile lifeline in the crimson haze.

The silver connection to Chi flickered like distant starlight, but it too remained unbroken.

"She was right, your sister," I whispered, clinging to the memory of Heart's smile, Chi's protective presence. "Even when everything else is taken, the choice remains."

Aldric nodded, a hint of genuine warmth breaking through his perfect facade. "The Queen doesn't understand that. She believes power is absolute, that will can be broken like bone. It's why she'll fail, in the end."

"But not before she hurts more people," I said, thinking of Lily's vacant eyes, the hollow emptiness where her soul had once resided.

"Perhaps," Aldric said, his voice carrying a note of regret. "But some prices are worth paying if it means preserving what matters most." He moved back toward the door, his perfect composure settling into place like armor. "Finish your meal. The Queen will summon you for dinner."

I nodded, taking another bite of the sandwich though it tasted like ash now.

The brief moment of clarity was already fading, the crimson fog creeping back at the edges of my consciousness.

But Aldric's words echoed in my mind: memory, choice, the fragment of will that could never be fully extinguished.

"Captain," I called as he reached the door. He paused, not turning around. "Your sister... what was her name?"

His shoulders tensed almost imperceptibly. "Rosalind," he said quietly. "Her name was Rosalind." Then I was left in the quiet room, as I silently ate my food, my mind going a mile a minute, wondering what was to come.