"With this, Eirlys, you're going to end her."
The words hit me like a physical blow. I froze, the air vanishing from the room as my mind stalled in a terrifying, hollow panic.
"WHAT?! NO!" I snapped, the chains rattling as I surged forward. "I cannot kill my sister-in-law! Are you serious?!"
The masked man didn't flinch. He leaned in, the shadows of his cowl swallowing his face. "Shh, Eirlys. Think carefully. Do you want your brother to die? Do you want to be the one who ends his line? And why act so shocked? You do not like the girl, do you? It isn't that hard, is it?"
The threat hung in the air, cold and absolute. I hesitated, the image of my brother's face flashing through my mind, followed by the jagged, venomous thought that I did resent Seraphina. That resentment was a seed he had watered perfectly.
"....Okay," I whispered, the word tasting like bile. "I will end her."
"Good job," he said, his voice devoid of warmth. "Do it as soon as possible. Now, get lost."
Darkness swallowed me whole.
When I blinked, the sunlight was blinding in the forest. It was noon. "Shit," I hissed, scrambling to my feet. I checked my body, my heart hammering , and felt the hard, cold weight of the dagger hidden beneath my clothes. I needed to move before I was missed.
---
The halls of Helexia Castle were mercifully quiet. Most of the staff were preoccupied with midday duties, and the corridors felt like a labyrinth of secrets. I slipped through the shadows, keeping my head low until I reached my quarters. I scrambled to my closet, moving aside layers of silk and velvet, and shoved the cursed weapon deep into the darkness of the furthest corner.
I changed, plastered a mask of royal indifference onto my face, and headed down to the dining hall.
It was lunchtime. The atmosphere was thick with the scent of roasted meat and herbs, but all I could feel was the static hum of that dagger sitting in my room, burning a hole through the floorboards.
My brother, Lorenzo, was sitting beside me, and Prince Cassian was sitting across from me. Beside his sister Sera and the King Draven was at the head of the table, and Queen Mira was at the other end of the table. Prince Cassian, Lorenzo, King Draven were talking about politics while the Queen Mira was eating her meal. The King and Queen had arrived today at the palace.
"Eirlys, you seem distracted," Sera said, her eyes narrowing slightly as she reached for her goblet.
I stiffened. She can feel it. Even through the distance, her gaze felt like a blade tracing the lines of my skin.
"Just tired," I lied, my voice tight.
I watched her closely. Sera tilted her head, her brow furrowing. She wasn't just looking at me—she was reading me. Her expression shifted, a flicker of confusion crossing her face as if she could smell the ozone and black magic clinging to my soul. She didn't say a word, but the silence she maintained was louder than any accusation.
By evening, the castle felt empty. The King and the princes had departed for the hunt, the echoes of their horses' hooves fading into the distance. The Queen had retreated to her chambers for her evening knitting, and Sera had finally gone to sleep.
The opportunity had arrived, cold and unyielding.
I retrieved the dagger, tucking it securely into my sleeve. My movements were like those of a ghost, silent and precise. I slipped into the hallway and stopped before Sera's door. Next to mine. The irony was a jagged shard in my chest.
I pushed the door open, the wood whispering against the stone. She was a silhouette in the dim moonlight, her breathing deep and rhythmic. I crept closer, stopping just a few feet away. I hovered there, the weight of the dagger pressing against my wrist. I raised it, angling the tip toward the soft pulse of her neck. My heart was pounding, not with the predatory hunger of the vampire, but with a paralyzing, sickening guilt. I remembered my parents. They didn't raise me to do this.
I don't want to do this.
KNOCK. KNOCK.
The sound was like a thunderclap in the quiet room. I flinched so hard the dagger nearly slipped from my grip. I shoved it back into my sleeve, my breath hitching, and threw the door open, ready to snarl at whoever dared interrupt.
A servant stood there, bowing. "Oh, Your Highness. Is Princess Sera sleeping?"
"Uh... yes," I managed to choke out.
"Oh, okay. Sorry to disturb you both."
As she retreated, the heavy, muffled voices of the returning hunting party; Lorenzo, Cassian, and King Draven, drifted up from the foyer. The castle was waking up again. My window of opportunity had slammed shut.
But as I stood there in the shadows, I realized the relief was overwhelming. The masked man had his orders, but my heart… it refused to follow.
"Princess Eirlys?"
A soft, raspy voice drifted from the bed, heavy with the fog of sleep. I froze, caught in the dark, the weight of the dagger feeling like an anchor around my soul.