Chapter 74
Aurora sat alone in her chambers long after the palace had settled into the hush of night.
The candles burned low, casting long shadows across the velvet drapes.
She stared at her reflection in the gilded mirror—pale skin, wide innocent eyes, lips curved in the softest smile.
No one would ever guess what lay behind it.
She touched the bandage on her forehead again.
Still no wound beneath it.
Still perfect.
A knock—three gentle taps.
The door opened without waiting for permission.
Prince Kairo stepped inside, closing it softly behind him.
He looked troubled tonight. His usual calm mask had cracks.
“Aurora,” he said, voice low. “May I sit?”
She nodded, folding her hands in her lap like the perfect fragile bride.
He took the chair across from her, leaning forward, elbows on knees.
“Seraphine is gone,” he said. “Exiled. Her family has disowned her publicly to save face.”
He watched Aurora’s face for reaction.
She let her eyes fill—just enough.
A single tear slipped down her cheek.
“I didn’t want that,” she whispered. “I never wanted anyone hurt.”
Kairo reached out and brushed the tear away with his thumb.
His touch lingered.
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” he said firmly. “She attacked you. Everyone saw it.”
Aurora lowered her gaze.
“Yes,” she murmured. “Everyone saw.”
A beat of silence.
Kairo exhaled slowly.
“My parents are… pleased. The alliance with Seraphine’s kingdom was always strained. With her gone, they see you as the clearer choice.”
Aurora lifted her eyes to meet his.
“Choice for what?”
He smiled—small, almost shy for a prince.
“For me.”
He took her hand gently. “For the crown. For the future.”
Her heart didn’t race.
Nothing fluttered.
But she let her fingers curl around his anyway.
“You deserve someone whole,” she said softly. “Not someone broken. Not someone who can’t even remember her own name.”
Kairo shook his head.
“You are not broken. You are healing. And I want to be the one who helps you.”
Aurora studied him.
He believed every word he was saying.
He truly thought he was saving her.
She leaned forward just slightly.
Close enough that he could smell the faint jasmine in her hair.
“Then help me remember,” she whispered. “Help me become whoever I’m supposed to be.”
Kairo’s eyes darkened with something deeper than pity.
He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.
“I will,” he promised. “Whatever it takes.”
When he left, Aurora waited until his footsteps faded completely.
Then she stood, walked to the mirror, and smiled—truly smiled.
No tears.
No tremble.
Just cold, clear satisfaction.
The prince was hers now.
The queen adored her.
The king protected her.
The entire palace bent to her smallest sigh.
And still, no one knew her real name.
A New Game
Later that night, Aurora slipped out of her chambers.
Barefoot. Silent.
A shadow in silk.
She moved through corridors she shouldn’t know as well as she did.
Down hidden staircases.
Past sleeping guards who never stirred.
She stopped at a heavy oak door deep in the east wing.
Knocked once.
It opened immediately.
A woman stood there—older, sharp-featured, dressed in servant gray.
The palace spymaster.
The one no one noticed.
“You summoned me, my lady,” the woman said quietly.
Aurora stepped inside.
The room was small, lit by a single lamp.
Maps and letters covered the table.
“I want information,” Aurora said.
Her voice was different here—no whisper, no fragility.
Just command.
“About what?”
“Everything.”
Aurora leaned over the table. “The borders. The wolf packs. Missing persons. Strange arrivals near the river six months ago.”
The spymaster raised a brow.
“That is… specific.”
Aurora’s eyes glinted.
“I’m feeling memories coming back. Flashes. Pain. A name that isn’t Aurora.”
The woman nodded slowly.
“I’ll search quietly.”
Aurora straightened.
“And one more thing.”
“Yes?”
“If anyone comes looking for a girl named Rhianna…”
She paused.
“Tell me first.”
The spymaster bowed her head.
“As you wish.”
Aurora turned to leave, then stopped at the door.
“Oh,” she said lightly. “And prepare a gift for Prince Kairo. Something… intimate. He’s been so kind.”
The spymaster smiled faintly.
“It will be done.”
Aurora stepped back into the corridor.
The mask slipped back into place—soft, fragile, lost.
But inside, something ancient stirred.
Something that had always known how to survive.
Whoever Rhianna had been…
Aurora was better.