Chapter 85 Love and lies
Chapter 85 Love and lies
The Estate Gardens — Morning
Darion found Aria sitting alone on a stone bench, her usually composed expression troubled.
It had been days after the talk with Kael.
And no one knew what was coming next
"You look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders," Darion said, settling beside her.
Aria glanced at him, then back at the roses in front of them. "I'm worried about Rhyssa."
"She's recovering," Darion offered. "The curse is broken. She's getting stronger every day."
"Physically, yes," Aria agreed. "But emotionally... she's been particularly strange since it happened. Distant. Closed off. Like she's somewhere else even when she's right in front of me."
Darion studied his sister's face, seeing the genuine fear there. "It's probably because she doesn't know how to act. Her whole body wasn't in her control, Aria. She was a prisoner in her own skin while Morgana pulled the strings."
"I know," Aria said quietly.
"She almost killed you," Darion reminded her gently. "Under Morgana's influence, she came close to taking your life. That kind of guilt doesn't just disappear when the curse breaks."
"She feels guilty," Aria said. "I know that. But is it just guilt?" She turned to face Darion fully. "What if the curse changed her in ways we can't see? What if there's still some part of it inside her, waiting?"
"The healers said she was clear," Darion said. "Selene herself examined her."
"And what if they missed something?" Aria's voice rose slightly with frustration. "What if we're all so desperate to believe she's fine that we're not seeing what's right in front of us?"
Darion reached out, placing a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Or what if you're so afraid of losing her that you're looking for problems that aren't there?"
Aria's jaw clenched. "Maybe. I don't know anymore. I just know that when I look at her, sometimes I see the woman I love. And sometimes I see a stranger who's wearing her face."
"Talk to her," Darion advised. "Really talk to her. Tell her what you're feeling. Give her the chance to do the same."
"I tried," Aria admitted. "Yesterday in the training yard. We reconnected, or I thought we did. But today... she's distant again. Like she's building walls faster than I can tear them down."
"Then keep trying," Darion said firmly. "Love isn't easy, Aria. Especially not after trauma like what Rhyssa went through. But if you love her and I know you do then you fight for her. Every single day if you have to."
Aria nodded slowly, though the worry didn't leave her eyes. "What if fighting isn't enough?"
"Then at least you'll know you tried," Darion said. "That's all any of us can do."
Selene's Chamber — Afternoon
Selene was reviewing ward configurations when the vision hit her.
One moment she was standing at her desk. The next, her knees buckled and she collapsed into her chair, her eyes rolling back as the vision consumed her.
Darkness spreading like ink through water. A figure standing in shadow, phone in hand, tears streaming down their face. The estate burning. Screams echoing. And through it all, a voice cold, terrifying, devastating.
"Love will betray you."
Selene gasped, her eyes snapping open. Her hands were shaking, her heart racing.
This vision was different from the others. Usually they came with clarity, with specific images she could interpret and act upon. But this one was fragmented, confusing, incomplete.
And it terrified her in a way nothing had in centuries.
She stood on unsteady legs and immediately sent for her children.
Lucian, Aria, and Darion gathered quickly, alarm evident on their faces when they saw their mother's expression.
"What happened?" Lucian asked immediately.
"I had a vision," Selene said, her voice tight. "There's dark magic coming. Again. But this time not from the same source as before."
"A new threat?" Aria asked.
"I don't know," Selene replied. "The vision wasn't clear. It never is when the future is still in flux, still changeable. But I saw darkness spreading. Fire. Destruction." She paused, her expression darkening. "And there might be a traitor among us."
The room fell deathly silent.
"A traitor?" Darion repeated. "Inside the estate?"
"I don't know," Selene admitted, frustration bleeding through. "I couldn't see their face. They were standing in shadows. They were crying. And there was so much guilt."
"Who?" Lucian demanded. "Who would betray us?"
"I don't know," Selene said again. "But the vision ended with a message. Four words." She looked at each of her children in turn. "Love will betray you."
Aria's face went pale. "Love will betray you? What does that mean?"
"It means someone close to us," Selene said grimly. "Someone we trust. Someone we care about. They're working against us, either by choice or by coercion."
"That's impossible," Darion said. "Everyone here has been vetted. Everyone's loyal."
"Loyalty can be compromised," Selene countered. "Through threats, through manipulation, through leverage we don't know about."
Lucian's mind was already racing through possibilities. "We need to increase security. Internal surveillance. Background checks on everyone who has access to sensitive information."
"And what, start suspecting everyone?" Aria challenged. "Turn the estate into a prison where no one trusts anyone?"
"Better that than leaving ourselves vulnerable," Lucian shot back.
"Enough," Selene commanded. "Both approaches have merit. We increase security, yes. But we do it carefully. Quietly. We don't want to alert the traitor that we're looking for them."
"What about the dark magic you sensed?" Darion asked. "Where is it coming from?"
Selene's expression grew troubled. "I couldn't tell. The vision was too unclear. But it felt... ancient. Powerful. And close."
"How close?" Aria asked.
"Closer than Morgana," Selene said. "Closer than we think."
The siblings exchanged troubled glances.
A traitor in their midst. Dark magic approaching. And a cryptic warning that made no sense but felt like a death sentence.
Love will betray you.
The question wasn't if.
It was who.
And how much damage they would do before they were discovered.