Chapter 11
Aurelia did not sleep.
She sat by the window long after Kael had gone, the candle burned down to a stub, its melted wax hardened into uneven shapes. The palace outside lay still beneath the moon, but she no longer trusted stillness. Not after the way the shadows had moved. Not after the pressure she had felt—focused, deliberate, and unmistakably directed.
Someone else had been there.
Not physically. Not close enough to touch. But present all the same.
The curse had reacted not to proximity, not to emotion between her and Kael, but to intent that did not belong to either of them.
That realization settled heavily in her chest.
At dawn, the palace woke with unnatural energy.
Servants moved too quickly. Messengers passed through corridors they had no reason to enter. Guards were reassigned—quietly, strategically. Aurelia noticed everything. Survival had sharpened her senses into something dangerous.
By midmorning, the first confirmation arrived.
A new face appeared at court.
He stood among the lesser nobles during the king's morning address—a man Aurelia had never seen before, yet one who carried himself with the ease of someone who expected to be noticed. His robes were dark blue, embroidered with sigils of scholarly rank rather than noble lineage. His hair was silver-streaked despite his youth, his eyes sharp and assessing.
When his gaze met Aurelia's, he smiled.
The pressure returned instantly.
Not crushing. Not violent.
Curious.
Aurelia's breath stilled for half a heartbeat.
It's him.
The curse did not rage. It did not recoil.
It leaned in.
Kael felt it too.
His posture shifted almost imperceptibly, hand tightening against the arm of the throne. His gaze locked onto the stranger with unmistakable focus.
After the address, Kael dismissed the court early—an action that sent murmurs rippling through the hall. Aurelia turned to leave when a soft voice spoke behind her.
"Your Majesty."
She stopped.
The man inclined his head respectfully. "Forgive the intrusion. I am Lord Saelreth. A royal arcanist."
Aurelia studied him carefully. "We already have arcanists."
"Yes," he said pleasantly. "But not ones invited by the High Council."
That explained too much.
Kael's voice cut in sharply. "You overstep."
Saelreth turned calmly. "With respect, Your Majesty, I was summoned for the realm's safety."
"The realm," Kael said coldly, "has survived my curse for years without your interference."
Saelreth smiled faintly. "Has it?"
The tension in the hall was unmistakable now. Aurelia felt the curse stir again—not in anger, but in recognition. As if it knew this man.
Or remembered him.
"You felt it," Saelreth said softly, eyes flicking to Aurelia. "Didn't you?"
Kael stepped forward instantly. "Enough."
But the damage was done.
Aurelia met Saelreth's gaze. "You triggered it last night."
His eyes brightened—not with fear, but fascination.
"Yes," he admitted. "I did."
Silence crashed down.
"You're brave," Aurelia continued evenly. "Or foolish."
Saelreth inclined his head. "Both are required for discovery."
Kael's voice dropped to something lethal. "Leave. Now."
Saelreth obeyed—but not before offering Aurelia a final, measuring look.
"I look forward to learning why you're still alive," he said.
Kael did not wait until they were alone to speak.
"You will not be near him again," he said the moment the doors closed behind them.
Aurelia's voice remained calm. "That may not be your choice."
Kael turned sharply. "He is dangerous."
"So is ignorance," she replied. "And he knows something."
"He knows how to provoke the curse," Kael said. "That alone makes him a threat."
"And yet," Aurelia said, "the curse didn't punish him."
Kael went still.
"That," she continued, "means this isn't just about me."
Silence followed.
Kael exhaled slowly. "He's studied it. Perhaps even communicated with it."
A chill ran through Aurelia. "Then the curse has been listening to someone else all this time."
"Yes," Kael said. "And that terrifies me."
That afternoon, Aurelia received another message—this time unsigned, delivered without ceremony.
Knowledge seeks what survives it. Be careful what notices you.
She crushed the paper slowly in her fist.
The curse had stirred for the wrong reason.
And for the first time, Aurelia understood something deeply unsettling:
She was no longer the only anomaly in the palace.
She was the prize.