The moment stretched as her gaze caught again, this time more clearly, on the figure who had been peeking at her from behind the marble pillar. The sharp purple eyes were unmistakable now, no longer half-hidden, and uncertain. They gleamed with an intensity that did not belong to a curious courtier or an idle observer. They were deliberate, assessing, watching her not with surprise, but with something closer to confirmation, as if a quiet theory had just aligned with reality.
She didn't show any reaction, just glanced around as the first light of dawn slipped through the glass, reminding her of how little sleep she'd had and the endless feeling of being stuck in that place.
Selene's hand remained steady at her back, guiding her forward through the palace corridors as if nothing were amiss, her posture composed, her expression calm enough to pass for indifference. Yet the girl felt the shift immediately, subtle but unmistakable, the way Selene's awareness sharpened, the way her grip tightened just enough to signal readiness without drawing attention.
The palace itself seemed to lean inward as they passed. Arches rose higher than necessary, walls layered with enchantments so old they felt woven into the stone itself, light filtering through crystalline panes that fractured it into patterns too precise to be merely decorative. This place was not built for comfort. It was built to remind everyone within it of permanence, of hierarchy, the quiet arrogance that came from believing order could be enforced simply by being ancient.
Guards flanked them at a respectful distance, their steps measured, their attention divided between Selene and the girl in equal measure. Whispers followed, not spoken aloud, but carried in lingering glances and the waywards subtly recalibrated as she passed, responding to her presence without instruction.
The girl's thoughts were not on the council waiting ahead.
They circled instead around the glimpse she had caught in that in-between place, the suspended stillness between moments, the voice that had spoken without threat or warmth, only certainty. This life does not belong to you. The words echoed quietly, not accusing, simply observant.
She wondered, not for the first time, whether it was right.
They reached the antechamber outside the royal sanctum, a vast circular space lined with sigils that glowed softly beneath translucent stone. This was not a courtroom, not truly. It was a place of listening, designed to expose rather than restrain, to weigh presence instead of binding it.
"Wait here," one of the guards said, his tone careful, respectful.
Selene inclined her head just enough to acknowledge him, then turned slightly toward the girl. "Whatever they say, you do not answer until I tell you to," she murmured. "Not because you cannot speak for yourself, but because they will try to define you with their questions."
The girl nodded, her expression composed, though her pulse thrummed beneath her skin. "And if they already think they know what I am?"
Selene's mouth curved faintly, without humor. "Then they are about to learn how dangerous assumptions can be."
The doors to the sanctum had not yet opened when the air shifted again, softer than before, like a ripple passing through still water. The girl felt it along her spine first, a familiar pressure, the same quiet awareness that had brushed against her in the space between worlds.
She glanced sideways, careful not to draw attention, and saw her again.
The figure with the purple eyes was no longer hiding behind a pillar. She stood openly now at the edge of the chamber, posture elegant, presence effortless, a beauty in noble wear. Up close, there was no mistaking her lineage. She was beautiful in the way royalty often was, with refined features, dark hair arranged with deliberate care, bearing flawless and practiced.
Yet something about her gaze disrupted the perfection.
Those violet eyes were too sharp, and knowing, holding none of the sheltered curiosity common to royal heirs. They looked at the girl as one might look at a long-anticipated answer, with patience and a quiet intensity that bordered on unsettling.
"That is the king's daughter, bow," one of the nearby guards whispered and her brows furrowed.
The king's eldest daughter.
The girl stiffened almost imperceptibly, her core reacting on instinct with a brief pulse of warmth that she immediately suppressed, forcing it down before it could ripple outward. She met the princess's gaze fully then, refusing to look away.
Something passed between them.
Not a message, not a vision, but recognition, sharp and mutual. The princess inclined her head slightly, not in courtesy, but in acknowledgment, as though greeting an equal rather than a subject.
Selene noticed at once and she clenched her fists.
Her gaze snapped toward the princess, predatory and assessing, the temperature in the chamber dipping as her presence sharpened. "Princess," Selene said evenly, her tone respectful but edged with warning. "I did not expect you here."
The eldest daughter smiled, slow and controlled. "I could say the same," she replied, her voice smooth, carrying authority without effort. "But I was curious about our guest. The council do not react the way they did tonight without reason."
Her eyes returned to the girl, lingering just a fraction too long. "And now I see why."
Before Selene could respond, the massive doors to the royal sanctum began to open, light spilling outward in a controlled flood as the council prepared to convene. Guards straightened, tension snapping into place, as their attention was pulled back to duty.
The princess stepped back into the periphery, her presence retreating without fully disappearing, like a shadow. Yet her eyes never left the girl until the very last second, which was sort of unsettling.
As the girl crossed the threshold into the sanctum with Selene, she felt it again, that distant pull, as if something were trying to stop her from taking another step. Part of her wanted to step back, to try and understand this presence, but the look in Selene's eyes, the person risking so much for her, made her push it aside.
Together, they entered the place where her investigation was about to begin.