Chapter 113 Maya's Gentle Probing
Maya woke before Lila. She slipped from the bed carefully, not wanting to disturb her friend's fragile sleep. In the gray dawn light, Lila looked younger, vulnerable. The tear tracks on her face made Maya's chest ache.
The nightmares had been violent. Visceral. Lila had screamed about shadows and death and watching someone die. Maya had heard desperation in those screams, not just fear. Desperation to remember something her mind kept locked away.
She needed answers. And she knew where to start looking.
When Lila finally stirred, Maya was ready with water and the last of the honey cake from Gerrit's workshop. Lila sat up slowly, wincing at every movement.
"How do you feel?" Maya kept her voice gentle.
"Like I didn't sleep at all." Lila's voice was hoarse from screaming. She touched her throat gingerly. "The nightmares. They felt so real."
"Dreams often do that when we're exhausted." Maya handed her the water. "Drink. Then eat. You need strength for training."
Lila obeyed mechanically, chewing without tasting. Maya watched her, choosing her words carefully.
"The things you said last night. About Celeste. About watching someone die." She paused. "What if they're not just nightmares? What if they're memories trying to surface?"
Lila's hand froze halfway to her mouth. "I don't remember anything about Celeste's death."
"But you knew her before you came here. You must have." Maya sat beside her on the bed. "Lila, do you remember your family? Your home before the palace?"
The question hung between them.
Lila's face scrunched with concentration. "I remember... fragments. Pieces that don't fit together."
"Tell me. Whatever you remember, no matter how small."
"A house." Lila's voice went distant. "Big. Stone walls covered in ivy. There were gardens. Roses everywhere, white ones. The smell was..." She stopped, swallowing hard. "The smell was in my nightmare."
"What else?"
"My parents." Lila's hands trembled. The honey cake crumbled between her fingers. "They had faces but I can't see them clearly. Like they're blurred. But I remember..." Her breath hitched. "I remember them looking at me with such hatred."
"Why would they hate you?"
"I don't know!" The words came out sharp, pained. "I don't know but I can feel it. Their disgust. Their shame. They wouldn't look at me. Wouldn't speak to me."
Maya took Lila's shaking hands in hers. "Keep going. What else?"
"Accusations." Lila's eyes squeezed shut. Pain creased her forehead. "People shouting. Calling me things. Murderer. Jealous. Evil. But I don't know what I did. I don't know why they said those things."
"Lila, I need to tell you something." Maya's voice dropped. "I've been asking questions. Quietly. About your past, about how you came to the palace. Do you know what I found?"
Lila opened her eyes. They were glassy with unshed tears.
"You weren't always a servant. You were nobility. A lady from the provinces. Your family was wealthy, respected."
"That's impossible."
"It's not. I found records. Old ones, tucked away in the servants' archives. Your full name is Lady Lila Hartwell of the Southern Province. Your father was a lord. Your sister was…"
"Celeste." The name fell from Lila's lips like a stone into water. Ripples of recognition spread through her expression. "Celeste was my sister."
"Yes."
The moment the confirmation came, Lila's face went white. She doubled over, pressing her palms against her temples. A cry of pain escaped her throat.
"Lila!"
"My head. Something's pushing. Trying to break through." Lila gasped between words. "It hurts. Maya, it hurts."
Maya held her friend while she shook. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Should I stop? Should I get a healer?"
"No." Lila's voice was strangled but determined. "Keep going. I need to remember. I need to know."
"Your family disowned you four years ago. Right after Queen Celeste died. They accused you of..." Maya hesitated.
"Of what? Tell me."
"Of killing her. They said you were jealous. That you wanted what she had. They claimed you purposely went into the haunt just to kill her. Everyone things alike."
The words hung in the air like poison.
Lila's breathing went shallow. "Did I? Did I kill my own sister?"
"No, you didn't ." Maya's voice was fierce. "I think someone made it look that way. Someone wanted you blamed. Someone wanted you broken and powerless and without memory."
"But who? Why?"
"That's what we need to figure out." Maya brushed hair from Lila's face. "You were sent here as punishment. The King took you in as a servant, probably out of obligation to Celeste's memory. But something happened. Something that made you forget."
Lila's hands dropped from her temples. She stared at the wall, eyes unfocused.
"The rejection ritual." The words came from somewhere deep. "Someone performed a rejection ritual. I can feel it. Like a scar on my soul."
"What's a rejection ritual?"
"I don't know. But it's there. Something was severed. Something important." Lila looked at Maya with haunted eyes. "What if I did kill her? What if that's why I can't remember? Because the truth is too horrible?"
"No." Maya gripped Lila's shoulders. "Listen to me. You are not a murderer. I've known you for months now. I've seen your heart. You couldn't hurt anyone, let alone your own sister."
"Then why can't I remember? Why do the nightmares feel like truth?"
"Because someone wants you to believe you're guilty. Someone wants you confused and broken." Maya's jaw set with determination. "But we're going to find out who. And we're going to make them pay."
A bell tolled outside. The call to morning training.
Lila's face went pale. "I have to go. Adrian will be waiting."
"You're in no condition…"
"I have to." Lila stood on shaking legs. "If I don't show up, he'll come for me. And I can't... I can't face him right now. Not with all of this spinning in my head."
Maya helped her dress, braiding her hair with quick efficiency. As Lila reached for the door, Maya caught her hand.
"We'll figure this out. I promise. You're not alone in this."
Lila squeezed her hand gratefully, then left for training.
Maya watched her go, her mind racing. The pieces were there. Lila's lost memories. Celeste's death. The King's strange obsession with punishing and protecting Lila simultaneously. The rejection ritual.
Someone was orchestrating all of this. Someone who benefited from keeping Lila powerless and Adrian blind.
Maya needed help. Someone with resources, someone who could investigate without drawing
attention.
Her thoughts went to Sydney. And through Sydney, to Delta Keal.
It was time to form an alliance.