Mindfucked mercenaries, as I would have put it. I sat very still. Very, very still. Because—This arc? This was not supposed to happen yet.
Not even close. The female lead getting tangled with a dark cult was finale material. World-ending, destiny-shattering, everyone-cries-and-someone-dies kind of material. And yet here we were. Early. Too early. "What?" I said, far too bluntly.
The queen looked at me helplessly. "We don't know how deep it goes."
My thoughts raced. This wasn't canon. This wasn't even near canon. Milabuella was supposed to be naive but pure, sweet, kind, misguided at worst, not actively fraternizing with forbidden cults this early in the timeline.
"What about my uncle?" I asked suddenly. "Tyler."
The king stiffened. "We are still searching," he admitted. "We don't know if he's involved. Or compromised. Or—" Missing. Of course he was.
I leaned back, pressing my fingers to my temple.
