The dungeons of Solari were never built for comfort.
They were built to remind.
To remind criminals, traitors, and fools that stone, iron, and time become extraordinarily effective tools when used together.
Dandara hated every second of it.
The cold.
The dampness.
The scent of rust.
The silence.
Most of all, the silence.
Because silence allowed no distractions.
And distractions were the only thing that kept certain truths from rising to the surface.
She paced from one end of the cell to the other.
Short steps.
Quick.
Restless.
The chain fastened around her ankle scraped against the stone floor.
Annoying.
Humiliating.
— Damn that old woman...
The words slipped through clenched teeth.
Estela's face surfaced in her mind again.
That expression.
That look.
That terrible look.
Not anger.
She understood anger.
Anger could be manipulated.
It could be used.
But that?
That was worse.
It was contempt.
As though Dandara were something too insignificant to be considered a rival.
Something that should never have dared to sit at the table of true predators.
Her fingers curled tightly into her palms.
Hard enough for her nails to bite into her skin.
— I should be up there...
She had repeated those words for hours.
Like a prayer.
Like an illness.
— I should be up there.
In the great hall.
In the royal chamber.
At Theodor's side.
In Elizabeth's place.
Especially in Elizabeth's place.
The thought returned.
It always returned.
Because everything led back to the same point.
Elizabeth.
The perfect one.
The beloved one.
The desired one.
The chosen one.
The girl who seemed to receive everything simply by existing.
Dandara kicked the stone wall of the cell.
Pain shot up her leg.
She didn't care.
— You never even wanted him...
The words came out bitter.
Because part of her believed them.
Elizabeth had never chased after Theodor.
Never begged for his attention.
Never competed.
Never appeared desperate.
And perhaps...
perhaps that was exactly what enraged Dandara.
She had never needed to compete.
While Dandara had spent years trying to be seen.
Trying to be chosen.
Trying to claim a place that had never belonged to her.
The iron bars groaned as she gripped them.
Her golden eyes gleamed in the darkness.
— Where are you?
The question wasn't meant for Elizabeth.
It was for Andrea.
Her aunt.
Her promise.
Her guarantee.
Andrea always had an answer.
Always had a plan.
Always knew what had to be done.
Ever since Dandara was a child.
Long before she even understood politics.
— Wait.
— Watch.
— Be patient.
— Your time will come.
Lies.
Or at least they were beginning to sound like lies.
Because the hours kept passing.
And no one came.
No key.
No escape.
No rescue.
Nothing.
Her stomach began to tighten.
An unpleasant feeling.
A familiar one.
Fear.
Not the fear of dying.
Not yet.
The fear of being alone.
The realization came slowly.
Cruelly.
What if Andrea had failed?
What if Andrea had been captured as well?
What if...
What if no one came?
Dandara lowered herself onto the narrow stone cot.
Her breathing grew faster.
She hated it.
She hated the feeling.
She hated the weakness.
But more than anything, she hated the thought that refused to leave.
The same thought.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Estela hadn't looked worried.
Not in the slightest.
The queen had looked...
confident.
Like someone who already knew how the story would end.
Like someone who truly believed Elizabeth would return.
The memory sent an unpleasant chill crawling down her spine.
Because if Elizabeth survived...
Everything would change.
No.
Worse.
Everything would end.
Dandara remembered the look in Theodor's eyes before he lost consciousness.
There had been no love.
No desire.
Not even pity.
Only disappointment.
A disappointment so profound it seemed impossible to mend.
That hurt more than the chains.
More than the cell.
More than her own capture.
Because for the first time...
she had seen the truth stripped of every illusion.
Theodor had never chosen her.
He had simply never believed she was capable of doing something like this.
There is an enormous difference between trust and love.
And she had mistaken one for the other for years.
Outside, footsteps echoed through the corridor.
Dandara was on her feet instantly.
Hope rising far too quickly.
— Andrea?
Silence.
The footsteps continued.
They passed her cell.
They did not stop.
They did not slow.
They faded away.
And the darkness returned.
Dandara stood perfectly still.
Her heart pounding far too hard.
For the first time since her imprisonment...
a genuine doubt took root.
Small.
But real.
What if she had never truly been the future Luna?
What if she had been nothing more than a disposable piece in someone else's game?
The question remained.
Sitting beside her in the darkness.
And no amount of resentment could drive it away.