Chapter 21

Jasmine/Olivia

Anna sought me out, ever the accomplice in my secret strolls through the palace grounds. "The king sent for you," she declared with a certain gravity in her tone.

King Darius, the ruler of Nightfall, loomed in my thoughts. I had caught a glimpse of him last night from a distance. He was an imposing figure seated on his regal throne. He embodied the very essence of monarchy, exuding an air of authority that clung to him fiercely. The prospect of standing in the presence of such a commanding figure tightened my nerves, leaving me in a state of palpable unease.

We made our way directly to my room, my palms growing clammy with nervous anticipation. The revelation that I would be dining with the royal family today caught me off guard. Why hadn't I been forewarned? The thought of been in such close proximity to a man of such importance heightened my anxiety. What if I inadvertently said something out of turn? Such a figure would likely not take such a lapse lightly.

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked Anna, my anxiety palpable in the tremor of my voice.

Anna offered reassurance, "Just take deep breaths. The King will probably ask you questions, like he did with the others."

"Others?" I inquired with curiosity, seeking more details.

"The other brides they found for the second prince," she revealed. A puzzle piece fell into place, connecting with something I had heard before.

"What happened to them?" I pressed for more information, a sense of urgency creeping into my voice.

Anna sighed, grappling with the decision to share what she knew. "I'm not supposed to be saying this," she hesitated, but my pleading expression softened her resolve. "I don't know what to expect. The life of my family back home depends on this."

After a moment's contemplation, Anna gave a careless shrug. "The only one we all know about is the one from the land of nothing."

"The land of nothing," I repeated slowly, the name itself carrying an air of ominous mystery.

"It isn't actually nothing. It used to be a very small kingdom. Something happened, and the king's warriors wiped everyone and everything overnight," she explained, unraveling a grim tale that left me gasping in shock.

"Everyone?!" I couldn't help but react with a mixture of horror and disbelief. The weight of the unknown consequences bearing down on me, the impending dinner with the King now seemed like a journey into a dangerous realm.

The enormity of the King's actions felt incredulous. "Why would the King do such a thing? Clearing out an entire kingdom!"

"The people of Thrustfall had it coming anyway," Helen interjected, appearing at the entrance. Her sudden presence startled us; Anna and I hadn't heard her enter the room.

Helen, the King's long-standing concubine, stood with an air of haughtiness by the door, as if she owned the room. A woman of ruthlessness, as Anna and Martha had described her.

"What do you mean?" I inquired, seeking clarity on her cryptic statement.

"They tried to fool his royal highness. They attempted to deceive his Majesty by sending a fake bride instead!" she bellowed, her words echoing in the room.

I froze at the revelation, the gravity of her words sinking in. "A fake bride?" I asked, my heart pounding in my throat. The web of intrigue surrounding the royal court seemed to be tightening, I was becoming choked up in it.

Anna nodded solemnly, a sadness clouding her expression.

"As if that wasn't enough, there was a plot. A plot to defeat Nightfall. Those people had to be dealt with." Helen fumed.

Our eyes met in the reflection of the mirror, and there, she held mine. Her gaze was unyielding, seemingly harboring a darkness that sent shivers down my spine.

"That's what you get for trying to fool the King of Nightfall," she declared, her words laced with a chilling certainty. The room seemed to close in on me, the weight of her gaze intensifying.

Panic began to claw at me. Did this woman know something? Her hardened gaze bore into me, as if she could see through the layers of my facade. Her words carried an uncanny weight, almost as if they were directed at me personally.

My chest tightened, constricting under the weight of unspoken truths. "Are you okay, my lady?" Anna's concerned inquiry pierced through the tension.

I blinked, tearing my gaze away from the mirror, attempting to evade the penetrating eyes of Helen. "Oh yes, I'm probably just exhausted," I hastily replied, feigning composure while the knot of unease tightened within me.

The atmosphere of distrust surrounding me suddenly made sense. The restrictions imposed on my movements, the deliberate withholding of information. It all pointed out, they had suspicions. They believed I could be a fake, a pretender to the title I claimed. The realization heightened my anxiety, a sense of foreboding settling over me like a heavy shroud.

"Leave us," Helen instructed abruptly, and the feeling of impending doom intensified as Anna exited the room, leaving Helen and I alone.

"Princess Olivia," she enunciated my title as she stalked closer, shutting the door behind her. "If that's who you really are." A small, cryptic smile played on her lips, and I felt a chill run down my spine.

"What?!" I blurted out, caught off guard by her accusation.

"You're not really the princess of Ashford, are you?" she questioned, her raised brow signaling a challenge that sent tremors through the carefully constructed facade I had been maintaining.

A chill ran down my spine as her words hung in the air. How did she manage to see through the carefully constructed facade I wore? Nevertheless, I maintained an air of composure, refusing to let her unsettling discovery unrattle me.

"What do you know?" I inquired, my tone carefully measured. I needed to tread lightly, as her suspicions threatened to expose the delicate web of deceit I had woven.

She appeared momentarily startled by my composed response, perhaps expecting a more frantic reaction. In a bold move, she seized my palm, scrutinizing the lines with an intensity that sent shivers down my spine. Her words dripped with a mixture of accusation and mockery.

"These hands, although now pampered and taken care of, have known much work for years. I take it you worked at the palace," she declared, a scoff punctuating her revelation.

Her deduction was uncomfortably accurate. My mind raced, contemplating the best course of action. Should I continue the charade or confess to the ruse that had led me to this precarious moment?

I maintained my calm facade, meeting her probing gaze with an unwavering stare.