Page 18 of Revert (The Royal Chronicles #4)

It wasn’t my part to know who my contact was, or why they concealed their cryptic information, or how they accomplished the impossible to infiltrate the palace and arrange these meetings. My part was to act—to listen, to obey, and to carry out the tasks assigned to me without hesitation.

This was my chance to gather information about the world beyond the court’s iron grip, to finally understand some of the forces that moved outside these gilded walls.

And yet, as I tried to quietly press for what else had changed and what events were unfolding differently this time, I kept circling back to the same unsettling realization: most of the shifts and subtle fractures in the pattern I thought I knew were centered around Prince Castiel.

Of all the things that could have bent under the weight of a second chance…why was he the one changing the most?

I drew a slow, steadying breath, fighting the urge to glance back towards the golden flicker of the ballroom and the man whose touch still lingered faintly on my skin. Stay composed, don’t let them see you falter .

The contact waited expectantly for my usual report, though as had become all too common lately, I had nothing to offer but disappointment. I couldn’t bring myself to voice my failings aloud, but my silence spoke volumes.

“You still don’t have it?” they demanded.

I braced myself and shook my head. I couldn’t even claim I knew where the object of my mission was located.

The only time I’d suspected that I’d discovered the location had been the night I died just outside its door.

Every attempt to reach it in this timeline had only led to a dead end, leaving me back where I started.

Even behind the orange mask, I could sense their disapproval. They didn’t have to voice their frustration—I was already attacking myself relentlessly with thoughts of my inadequacy.

“Five years,” the fox murmured coolly. “And yet so little to show for it. It’s rather…disappointing.”

I yearned to defend myself with the reminder that I’d been trained as a princess, not a spy, but it wouldn’t change the fact I was failing the mission I’d agreed to.

I lowered my gaze. “I’m sorry. I’m doing everything I can, but it’s difficult when even someone in my position can’t move freely; I’m constantly watched.”

“It’s imperative you still find a way. You must find that artifact. Time is running out.”

The deadline had always been looming, but at the urgency sharpening their voice, foreboding tightened my chest. “We’re running out so soon? How’s Father?”

The fox fell silent, and in the hush, all my worst fears rushed in to fill the space. “His condition is worsening,” they said at last.

Ice laced through my veins and my breath caught, sharp and shallow. How was that possible? At this point of the last timeline, he’d been weakening yet still stable. How could he already be so much worse?

“What’s wrong with him? What herbs is he taking? Is he being looked after? What—” My panicked rush of questions was cut short as the fox raised a gloved hand in a gentle command for silence.

“Rest easy, Princess. His Majesty has only the best care.”

Logically, I knew that, but the knowledge did nothing to quiet my gnawing worry.

Beneath the concern, a deeper frustration twisted sharp—I had spent five years apart from Father, five years locked in this gilded prison while he slipped further from reach.

I was powerless; the weight of that uselessness pressed against my chest, suffocating.

“Needless to say,” the fox continued, “you must act soon.”

Act soon . As if I didn’t already know the importance of my mission or the consequences should I fail to meet my deadline.

Yet my situation hadn’t changed—a prisoner in a gilded cage, watched at every turn, the hard-won information from my first timeline unraveling with no new leads to replace it, keeping me at a standstill.

I hesitated, then risked a whisper. “And you’re certain this object will help him and my kingdom. How can you be?—”

The fox shook their head sharply, cutting off the half-formed curiosity. “You know the rules.”

I nodded, biting back the questions aching to escape. My mission was the acquire the object to secure the salvation of my kingdom. As the crown prince’s betrothed, I was the one who possessed the rarest currency in a court as tightly controlled as Thorndale’s: access.

For now all I could do was move forward the best I could with the tools and knowledge available to me. “Did you only come for a progress report, or do you also have information for me?”

The fox tilted their head. “I have a message…and a warning.”

My pulse stuttered. “Go on.”

“The king knows there’s a leak.” The words were a whispering breath, laced with something dark and haunting. “He’s tightening his grip. Careful is no longer enough—you’re not invisible. Your true motives are already under suspicion.”

The cold hit deeper than the night air. “From who?” The king?

But they only gave a faint, regretful shake of their head. “That’s not for me to say.”

Annoyance surged. “Then why come at all?”

“To give you this.” They deftly pressed a slip of paper into my palm under the cover of a passing laugh. “And to warn you to stand down. This next move is too dangerous.”

“I can’t stand down.” My voice came out tight, barely audible. “You know that.”

For a moment, the fox was silent. Then came a soft, almost almost weary sigh. “Then you’d better make sure your prince doesn’t ruin everything before you even begin.”

But even as I said it, my mind reeled. I remembered this meeting…

or rather, how it should have transpired.

The setting, the words, the information…

all unfolded entirely differently. In the original timeline, there had been no warning, no delay, no veiled hint of suspicion towards Prince Castiel; this time, the threads were weaving themselves into an entirely new pattern—one I no longer recognized.

I…don’t understand .

I thought that would be the end of it—a familiar exchange of information, and then parting ways as always. But this time they lingered.

My skirts whispered softly as I shifted nervously, eager to escape. I had little time left; Prince Castiel had only given me five minutes. But as I started to turn, the fox’s next words froze me in place.

“I’ve been watching you for some time.” Their voice lowered, a quiet edge slipping in. “You’ve gotten rather cozy with the prince.”

I stilled, breath catching. Somehow what had been a simple meeting of strategy and secrets was twisting into something laced with as much tension as a confrontation with the king, and wrought with as much danger as the dance of pretenses with the prince.

“It’s to my benefit to be close to him.”

A soft chuckle. “Then you are quite the convincing actress—though it remains to be seen who you’re acting for: the mission, the court…or him .”

A sharp breath caught in my throat. The contact’s words had been meant as a jab, but they struck deeper than I expected. Who are you acting for—the mission, the court…or him .

I clenched my hands at my sides, forcing myself to stay still, to keep the mask in place.

This isn’t about him . It couldn’t be. It was about survival, about duty, about fulfilling the mission that had sent me spinning back into this cursed timeline.

And yet…my chest tightened with an emotion I didn’t have the words to identify.

The fox’s voice dropped lower, almost thoughtful now. “In fact, it almost looked as if His Highness was helping you. What kind of spy lets her primary quarry become aware?”

I stiffened. “The closer he is, the more information I can control.” But the words rang hollow, an empty reassurance that no amount of lying could convince even myself.

No matter how much I tried to delude myself, I knew the danger I was in.

I had once believed myself hidden, safely operating from the shadows…

only to learn too late that the prince had been aware of my every movement all along.

This time his awareness was open and unmistakable, a direct contrast that it was too soon to know its potential implications.

The fox tilted their head slightly, their gaze glinting through the mask, as if they could read every crack in my resolve.

“Careful, Princess. You’re not the only one watching.

And if the threads continue knotting the way they are…

” Their voice lowered, quiet but sharp as a blade hidden in velvet.

“You may need to choose which game you’re truly playing… and which one you’re prepared to lose.”

My breath hitched, but before I could demand further explanation, a familiar presence stirred against my back. For once I welcomed him.

“Enjoying the night air?” Prince Castiel’s voice was smooth and polite, meant for watching ears. But as he laid a light hand on my arm, his fingers pressed once, firmly. Enough .

And just like that, they were gone—vanishing into the masked laughter and golden haze of torchlight, as though they’d never been there. Prince Castiel’s grip lingered as he drew me back towards the hall, while I surreptitiously concealed the note in a hidden pocket of my ballgown.

He said nothing, but a faint frown tugged at his mouth as he stared where the spy concealed in silk had just disappeared.

My heart slammed against my ribs. I knew I should keep quiet and bury my escalating desperation, but my curiosity, stronger than my current fear, burst free before I could stop it. “What is it? Did you notice something…unusual?”

His attention slowly shifted to me, hesitant.

“I just remembered something I’ve been meaning to tell you.

” Once again he leaned in too close, his breath brushing my ear, a sensation I never grew used to.

“Choose your hiding places more carefully, especially when the old ones are no longer effective.”

Horror halted my steps as my gaze snapped up to him. I expected him to continue being evasive, but his dark eyes held mine, calm and unwavering, his stony expression etched in grave, serious lines.

I swallowed hard. “What…what do you mean?”

I didn’t expect a satisfactory response—vagueness had been his language since the beginning—but once again he surprised me. “You’re clever enough to understand. If I know something has been hidden…that means it’s concealed in a place anyone can find.”

My chest constricted as his meaning settled over me, the world narrowing to the pounding of my pulse.

He had discovered the communication alerting me to tonight’s meeting with the contact .

Which explained the warnings, the vigilance, and why he had been on edge all night.

But then why was he warning me rather than executing judgement, as loyalty to the crown dictated?

He saw the storm breaking across my face and gave the faintest sigh, almost too soft to hear. “Some secrets are meant to be discovered.”

With those cryptic words, he let the matter drop for the remainder of the night, but the questions he left in his wake clung to me, sharp and insistent, louder than the clamor of voices and swell of music surrounding me.

And beneath them, the unsettling truth lingered: no matter how careful I’d been, he still held the clear advantage.

Just what game was he playing? Whatever it was, once again I found myself maddeningly on the losing side.

I moved through the hours on trembling legs, struggling to steady myself, knowing that no matter how cautious I became this time around, there was still one danger I hadn’t accounted for. Not the court, not even the king.

Him . Because no matter how often I told myself that fearing the prince was essential to my survival, the truth I couldn’t yet face was that terror was changing. Something had shifted between us…and I had no idea what to do with it.