Chapter 21: hapter 21: The Prison

Kael was gone. The nobles were gone. The music had stopped. All that was left was the echo of the Duchess’s screams and the weight of my new title. Royal Food Inspector. It sounded important. It sounded powerful. But it felt like another, more beautiful cage.

The next morning, I was given a new room. It was larger and more grand than the last one, with a balcony that overlooked the royal gardens. The bars were still there, but they were made of polished silver, not iron. The clothes in the wardrobe were made of the finest silk and velvet. The food brought to me was served on plates of real gold. I had power. I had authority. I had everything.

And I had never felt more alone.

My new office was the Head Steward’s old office. It was a large, impressive room with a heavy mahogany desk and a view of the training grounds. The servants who cleaned it and brought my meals would not meet my eyes. They bowed their heads and scurried away as if I were a plague carrier. The nobles I passed in the hall would turn their backs and whisper to each other. I had the power to ruin them, and they hated me for it.

I spent my days going over the ledgers, the ones Cassian and I had deciphered. With the help of a quiet, elderly clerk named Finn, I began to unravel the Head Steward’s web of deceit. I reorganized the palace’s finances. I made sure the slaves and the guards were fed good, wholesome food. I was making a difference. I was changing things. But I was doing it all alone.

Every evening, I would eat my dinner in my big, empty room. The food was perfect. A roasted chicken with herbs. A fresh green salad. A sweet, creamy pudding. But it all tasted like ash in my mouth. I would sit at the long table, surrounded by empty chairs, and the silence would press in on me, a physical weight that made it hard to breathe.

I missed Cassian. I missed his silent, steady presence. I missed the way he would watch me, not with possession or fear, but with a quiet, protective warmth. His replacement was a young guard named Marcus, a boy with a fresh face and nervous eyes who flinched every time I spoke to him. He was a constant, painful reminder of what I had lost.

One evening, as I was staring out at the moonlit gardens, a thought struck me. I had to get a message to Cassian. I had to know if he was okay. I had to let him know that I was thinking of him.

But how? My room was sealed tighter than ever. There was no dumbwaiter. No secret passage. I was trapped.

I was pacing the floor, my mind racing, when I heard a soft tap on my balcony door. I froze. No one was supposed to be able to get to my balcony. It was three stories up and barred with silver.

I walked to the door, my heart pounding. "Who's there?" I whispered.

"A friend," a voice purred back. It was Raze.

I unlocked the door and let him in. He was dressed in dark, close-fitting clothes, a shadow given form. He moved with a silent, easy grace that was both beautiful and terrifying.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" I asked, my voice guarded.

"I heard you were pining for your dear guard," he said, a playful smirk on his lips. "I thought I might offer my assistance. For a price, of course."

"What do you want?" I asked, my voice flat.

"I want to know what's in those ledgers," he said, his eyes gleaming with curiosity. "I know you and the Commander were looking at them the night he was... confined. I want to know what secrets you uncovered."

I hesitated. Trusting Raze was like trying to hold a handful of snakes. But he was my only hope.

"The Duchess was working with the Serpent's Coil," I said, my voice low. "She was poisoning the late King. She was planning to poison Kael."

Raze's eyes widened in genuine surprise. "Well, well," he murmured. "That is... interesting. Very interesting indeed." He looked at me, his head tilted. "A dangerous secret, little chef. A secret that could get you killed. Or a secret that could make you a queen."

"I don't want to be a queen," I said.

"Everyone wants to be a queen," he countered. "They just don't all admit it." He walked over to my desk and picked up one of the ledgers. "I can get a message to the Commander for you. But I want something in return."

"What?"

"A copy of this," he said, tapping the ledger. "And any other interesting information you might find. I have a feeling our late Steward was involved in more than just a bit of petty theft."

It was a deal with the devil. But I had no choice.

"Fine," I said.

He smiled. "Excellent. Write your message. I will see that he gets it."

I wrote a short note on a piece of parchment. Are you okay? I'm so sorry. E.

Raze took the note and slipped it into his pocket. "He will be grateful to hear from you," he said. "Now, for my part of the bargain." He pulled a small, intricately carved key from his pocket and placed it on the desk. "This will get you into the west wing. The fourth door on the left. His room. Be careful, little chef. The King is not the only one who is... possessive."

He left as quietly as he had come, a shadow melting back into the night. I picked up the key. It was cold and heavy. It was a key to a prison. Or a key to a freedom. I didn't know which.

Two nights later, I used the key.

I waited until the palace was asleep. I slipped out of my room, my heart pounding with every step. The west wing was dark and deserted. I found the fourth door on the left. My hand was shaking so badly I could barely fit the key into the lock.

The door swung open. The room was small and spartan. A bed, a table, a chair. And Cassian.

He was sitting on the edge of the bed, cleaning his sword. He looked up as I entered, his grey eyes wide with shock.

"Elara," he breathed. "What are you doing here? It's too dangerous."

"I had to see you," I said, my voice thick with emotion. "I had to know if you were okay."

"I'm fine," he said, but I could see the tension in his shoulders, the weariness in his eyes. "But you shouldn't be here. If the King finds out..."

"I don't care about the King," I said, taking a step closer. "I care about you."

We stood there for a long moment, the air between us thick with unspoken things. With all the words we couldn't say. With all the feelings we couldn't show.

"I missed you," I whispered.

His eyes softened. "I missed you too," he admitted, his voice a low, rough rumble.

He stood up and closed the distance between us. He reached out and gently touched my cheek, his calloused fingers a soft, warm caress. I leaned into his touch, a soft sigh escaping my lips.

"Elara," he whispered, his voice full of a raw, aching need.

He leaned in closer, his eyes closing, his lips parting slightly. I could feel the warmth of his breath on my skin. I closed my eyes too, my heart beating a frantic, hopeful rhythm.

This was it. The moment I had been dreaming of. The moment I had been craving.

And then the door burst open.

Kael was standing in the doorway, his face a mask of cold, thunderous fury. His eyes were not on me. They were on Cassian's hand, still resting on my cheek. His eyes were not just burning. They were ablaze with a fire of pure, destructive jealousy.

"Commander," he said, his voice dangerously quiet. "Remove your hand. From my property."