154

154

Keegan waited until the palace halls grew quiet before moving. The guards had returned to their posts after the Ceremony of Ashes. Servants were cleaning the courtyard. Kevin was in the council chamber. It was the perfect time to search.

He walked down the long hallway leading to Sandra’s old room. His footsteps were slow and careful. Every time he heard a noise, he paused and listened. When he reached the door, he pushed it open and stepped inside.

The room still smelled of the herbs the healer used to prepare her body. The sheets had been removed, but the pillows were still stacked on the bed. Keegan walked to the table near the window. Papers had been taken away, but a few small pieces remained stuck in the corners.

He bent down and checked under the table. Nothing.

He checked inside the drawers. Empty.

He moved to the wardrobe and pushed clothes aside. Still nothing.

He was about to leave when he noticed a thin crack at the bottom of the wardrobe floor. He knelt and pressed his fingers against it. To his surprise, the wood lifted slightly. A false panel.

Keegan lifted it all the way.

Inside, he found a small box wrapped in cloth.

His hands shook as he lifted it out. He opened the lid slowly.

Inside the box were drawings. Sandra had drawn a young boy—her son—many times. Some drawings showed him smiling. Others showed him standing near a window. Keegan touched the papers and felt a tightness in his chest. Sandra had loved her son deeply, even after all the pain she went through.

Under the drawings, he found folded notes. He opened the first one.

“I heard shouting the night the king died. Two voices. I could not tell who. I stayed in my room. I felt scared. I did not sleep until morning.”

Keegan froze.

These were Sandra’s words about the king’s death.

He opened another note.

“The voices were close. Maybe from the king’s chamber. I told no one.”

A third note said. “I am afraid of what I heard.”

Keegan sat back on his heels. His heart beat fast. This was the first real evidence connecting Sandra to the night the king died. Someone had argued near the king’s room. Sandra had heard it. She had been afraid to speak. And now she was dead.

He folded the notes and slipped them into his coat.

He heard footsteps outside.

Keegan quickly returned the false panel, stood, and walked to the door. When the guard passed by, Keegan pretended he had just entered the room to look around.

The guard nodded and kept walking.

Keegan let out a slow breath.

He needed to find Rosa.

Rosa waited in a quiet hallway near the back of the palace. She held their child close, rocking him as she waited. When she saw Keegan come toward her, she stepped deeper into the shadows.

“Did you find anything?” she whispered.

Keegan checked behind him to make sure no one was listening. “Yes,” he said. “A lot.”

Rosa’s eyes widened. “Tell me.”

Keegan opened his coat and showed her the folded notes.

“I found a hidden box under a false panel. She wrote about the night the king died.”

Rosa held her breath. “What did she write?”

“She heard a loud argument that night. Two voices. She didn’t know who. She wrote that she was scared. This connects Sandra’s death to the king’s. And someone knew she heard it.”

Rosa’s face tightened with fear. “Keegan… this is dangerous. If Kevin finds out—”

“He won’t,” Keegan said, but his voice was tense.

“You cannot say that,” Rosa whispered. “Kevin is already watching everyone. He will look at you next. We have a child. You need to think about us too.”

Keegan looked at her and felt a heavy weight settle in his chest. “I know. I promise I will be careful.”

“That is not enough,” Rosa said. “You must protect yourself. And us.”

“I will,” Keegan said. “I just need to know the truth.”

Rosa closed her eyes for a moment. “Fine. But we move together. No more going alone.”

Keegan nodded. “Together.”

Across the palace, Kevin moved through the guard quarters like a storm. His face showed irritation and growing fear.

He stood in front of the guard commander.

“I want to know if Keegan has been asking questions,” Kevin said. His voice was loud enough to make several guards stiffen.

The commander swallowed. “I… I am not aware of any questioning, Alpha.”

Kevin stepped closer. “Do not lie to me.”

One guard hesitated before answering. “We heard he spoke with a maid earlier.”

Kevin’s eyes narrowed. “Which maid?”

“Lina, Alpha.”

Kevin exhaled sharply. “And where is she?”

“She was sent away, Alpha.”

“Good,” Kevin muttered.

He turned to the commander again. “Anyone who speaks to Keegan without my permission will regret it. If I hear even one rumor, I will deal with it myself.”

The guards nodded, trying not to show fear.

Kevin continued, “Send three more servants to the Northern Border for new assignments.”

The commander hesitated. “Three? Which ones?”

“Anyone who worked in the west wing the week the king died.”

The commander nodded despite looking confused.

Kevin walked away, gripping the railing as he climbed the stairs. He muttered under his breath, “Keegan needs to stop. I will not let him destroy everything.”

By evening, Keegan and Rosa sat in their private room, going through everything they knew. Papers were spread across the table. Rosa held a list of guards, and Keegan checked each name carefully.

“These were the guards on duty the night the king died,” Rosa said. “All twelve of them.”

Keegan leaned forward. “Where are they now?”

Rosa pointed to the first four names. “These guards are missing. All four were sent away by Kevin. No explanation.”

Keegan felt a cold pressure in his chest. “That means Kevin is erasing anyone who could have heard something that night.”

Rosa nodded. “He is moving faster than you are.”

Keegan rubbed his forehead. “I know.”

Rosa set down the paper. “We need to stay ahead of him.”

Keegan stared at Sandra’s notes on the table. “She tried to speak. She tried to tell someone. And now everything she knew is being destroyed.”

Rosa placed a hand on his arm. “And Kevin knows you are getting closer.”

Keegan looked at the list of missing guards again. “He is removing evidence faster than I can uncover it.”

Rosa squeezed his arm. “Then we need to act before he removes you too.”

Keegan said nothing.

But he knew she was right.