(CORRINE)
It's been a week since Locke left.
When did I get so used to sleeping in his arms? When did I become so accustomed to his scent?
"She's an important tool. We need her as Princess Ravenna."
"I have not decided whether I want to have a child with her yet."
Sitting in the armchair, staring into the fire, I recall his words. Why do they hurt so much? I always knew what my purpose here was, what my place was. So, why does it feel like knives are twisting in my stomach when I think about what he said to Bella and to Sigrid?
A tool. At the end of the day, that's what I am, and that is why I was brought here.
I tuck my legs under me, seeking some warmth. Ever since Locke left, I've felt unbearably cold.
My stomach is in knots. I've tried to do what he said. I eat my meals on time. I take the medicine that the healer has been giving me. But I feel tired. I want to sleep all day. Even Sigrid has noted my listlessness, and I don't know how to explain it to her.
I should be getting to bed.
Reluctantly, I get to my feet. Three more weeks.
I know Locke doesn't love me. Is it wrong for me to want to believe that he does? He treats me so gently. As the time we spend together has increased, his changing attitude toward me cannot be more obvious. However, I know what I am at the end of the day.
But when he holds me in his arms, when he takes me to our bed, when he kisses my forehead, I want to believe that he loves me. That somebody loves me. My heart trembles when he takes care of me. I miss his presence when he's gone.
Maybe it's okay if I delude myself a little bit. Who is it hurting? I'm working hard in this place. I've proven to him that I'm worth keeping around.
My heart feels heavy as I drag myself to the bed. But before I can lie down on it, I hear shouting outside.
Startled, I hurry over to the balcony doors and open them. Stepping out into the night, I look over the railing and see a group of people in dark cloaks. They are not many, but they're approaching the castle quickly.
The commotion is coming from the guards. A strange fear strikes me in the heart. What is going on?
I go back inside, quietly closing the balcony doors behind me, and hurry over to the bell to call for Sigrid. It takes her a couple of minutes to arrive, and when she does, she looks like she had been sleeping when I rang for her.
"Something is happening out there," I say urgently. "Some people were coming toward the castle in cloaks. Is everything okay?"
The sleep vanishes from her eyes, replaced by a sharp look. "I'll go check. In the meantime, please bolt your doors from the inside."
Sitting in my nightgown, I wait anxiously once she leaves. An hour passes, then another. There's no word from Sigrid, and the shouting outside has long since died down.
My heart is racing. Is she alright? Was there an attack on the castle? Should I go out and check?
When the third hour passes, I can't take it any longer. I get to my feet and stride over to the door. I've just unbolted it when I hear shouting from the hallway.
"You can't do this!" Sigrid's voice is filled with anger and fear. "I won't allow you to do this!"
"Get out of my way, Sigrid! I am the delegate of the king. And this falls within my duties!"
I recognize Bella's voice. Her voice is loud, and I hear something new in it. Satisfaction.
"The king left the queen's safety in my hands," Sigrid protests. "Seize her!" I hear Bella command.
Sigrid immediately screams, "Your Majesty! Run!"
Run? Run where? Why?
The door to my bedroom is thrown open, and Bella enters, followed by six guards. Her eyes are filled with malicious glee. "Capture her. Capture the fake princess!"
The guards instantly grab me, and Sigrid, who is being held by two other guards behind Bella, shouts, "You can't do this. She's the king's mate!"
"She was the king's mate!" Bella snaps. "Get her on her knees."
One of the guards kicks me in the back of my legs, forcing me to cry out and stumble forward. Bella grabs me by my jaw and forces me to look up at her. "The true Princess Ravenna has arrived. You lied to us all! You dare to manipulate our king?"
"What are you talking—"
All of a sudden, her words register on me. Princess Ravenna is alive? The shock has me nearly keeling over.
If the princess is alive, then there is no need for a fake.
"Don't listen to her, Your Majesty! You are the queen." Sigrid then shouts at Bella, "Till King Locke comes back, you can't make any decisions on his behalf!"
Bella scoffs. "Can't make any decisions on his behalf? I am his delegate. I make decisions on his behalf, and I speak to the elders on his behalf. The elders have already identified the true princess. I am carrying out their orders. This woman manipulated the king and lied to us all. Throw her in the dungeons! And if you don't watch yourself, Sigrid, you'll be thrown in there with her." To the guards holding Sigrid, she adds, "Lock the head maid in her quarters."
Sigrid is dragged out of the room, struggling in the guards' grip. Just as Bella is about to leave, she pauses and then turns around, walking over to me once again.
"Before I forget." She raises her hand, and I see her claws extend. She slashes them down on my left cheek, scoring the flesh. "That's for turning Locke against me."
My heart is pounding as I stare at her, trying to come to terms with what is happening.
My cheek burns, and I can smell my blood in the air, but there's nothing I can say. If I declare in front of the guards that Locke knew who I was—
I don't know if I can do that to him. I don't even know how to defend myself. After all, it's true. I am the fake princess. But Bella knew that all along. She's just getting even with me.
And Locke isn't here to protect me. As I'm dragged out of the room and through the halls, a harrowing thought strikes me.
If Locke were here, would he have done the same? Would I have received this exact treatment from him?
No. We are fated mates. He wouldn't—
And then it hits me. There's no mating mark. He never gave me one. "She's an important tool. We need her as Princess Ravenna."
If it truly is Princess Ravenna who has shown up here at the castle, then Locke has the actual princess. There's no more use for me.
I feel the cracks form in my heart. I have outlived my usefulness to him. Isn't it better this way? Now I don't have to see him do this to me. If it's Bella, it's fine. I know she hates me. But if Locke were to put me through this, I don't think I would be able to take it. It would break me.
I'm thrown into a cell in the dungeon, a cold, damp room. There's no fire here to keep me warm.
I huddle in the corner in my thin nightgown, shivering, my heart and thoughts all tangled up.
Blankly, I stare at the metal bars. What's going to happen to me now? Is Locke going to kill me?
I shiver even more, wishing this were all just a bad dream.
I can hear the guards talking outside. I hear my real name whispered. My stomach is in knots as my nails dig into my skin.
Anxiety and fear take over me.