As I enter, I sense the tension crackling in the room. Kaelen sits at his desk, one fist pressed to his lips. Around him stand Harlin, Tharek, and several councilmen, their faces grim.
"Is everything all right?" I ask cautiously.
"I'm afraid not, Your Majesty," Harlin replies, voice grave. "Your brother has escaped."
"What?" My breath catches. "How?"
"You're a fine actress, Princess. I'll give you that," Tharek sneers.
"Tharek!" Kaelen warns sharply.
"She's clearly involved."
"Me? I was at the ball all evening!"
"Then explain this." Hubert steps forward, placing something on the table—a jeweled pin.
My mother's. One I've never worn.
"That was found in Saelow's cell," Harlin says. "He used it to pick the lock."
"I never gave it to him. Ask the guards. Ask Emelia—they were with me that night."
"Didn't you request time alone after visiting your brother?" Elohim asks.
"Yes. I went to the chapel."
"Convenient," Tharek mutters.
"Enough!" Kaelen's voice booms as he rises.
"Lord Commander, you can't let this woman cloud your judgment," Hubert insists.
Kaelen's tone drops—low, cold, dangerous.
"This woman? The same one you all urged me to marry for political gain? Even after I refused?"
He glares around the room.
"You, Elohim, conspired when she tried to escape, insisting there was 'no other way.' Or has your memory begun to fail you?"
Silence.
"At Belwyth, she stood with us. I offered her an annulment, her freedom—she could've left with her brother. She chose to stay and support our campaign. Do you think we would've taken Belwyth, Heliath and Roltier so easily hadn't she stood up to her brother?!"
He grabs the pin and flicks it across the room.
"And now you accuse her of treason over this?"
No one speaks.
"Leave. All of you."
The room empties. Only Kaelen and I remain.
And the slow, deliberate ticking of the clock.
"Kaelen, I promise you—I had nothing to do with this," I say, my voice trembling. He refuses to look at me.
"How did Saelow get the pin, Nyriane?" he asks, voice taut.
"I don't know. I haven't even worn it yet—it was in my jewelry box. The one you had brought on over from Dresdened Castle."
"Was it in the box when you received it?"
"Yes, it was, but—"
"But what, Nyriane? It didn't grow legs and walk itself into his cell."
"Kaelen, you can't… You don't actually think I—?"
"I don't," he says softly, finally meeting my eyes. "I don't know if I'm a fool…" He steps toward me, slow and unsure. "…but I can't bring myself to believe you did it."
His hand brushes my cheek—hesitant, almost tender—but he pulls back, regret flickering in his eyes. I catch his hand before it slips away.
"I swear to you, Kaelen," I say firmly, gripping his hand, "I don't know how he got the pin. I did visit him. I warned him. But that day, I realized I'd already lost my brother. The man in that cell wasn't him anymore—just a shadow of cruelty."
Tears sting my eyes, but I don't let them fall. "I went to the chapel to mourn him."
Kaelen gently pulls his hand from mine.
"Go back to your chambers," he says, voice cool again. "There are things I need to do."
"Kaelen—"
"I said leave, Nyriane."
—
Dejected, I return to my room. Emelia helps me remove my gown and jewelry. In my nightgown, I sit as she brushes my hair. The ball is over. The guests are gone. From the outside, it was a success.
But I know better. It was a disaster.
"Don't worry, Princess," Emelia says gently. "Everything will be sorted by morning."
"I don't know, Emelia. Everyone at court thinks I helped him."
"I'll bring you some tea to calm your nerves," she offers before leaving.
I sit alone, turning over every detail in my mind. Who could've taken the pin?
The guards don't have access to my room. The cleaning maids don't have access to the jewelry box. Only Emelia and Friya…
I freeze.
No. It couldn't be.
I bolt upright and run from the room.
"My Queen!" the guards call as they rush after me. But I can't stop.
Down the stairs, through the hall—Kaelen, Harlin, and others shouting, but I don't turn.
I reach the courtyard.
"Where's Emelia?" I demand the nearest guard.
"Nyriane!" Kaelen catches up. "What's going on?"
"She's not in the manor!" I gasp. "Emelia—she's gone!"
"Where is the maid Emelia?" Kaelen growls at the guards.
"Lord Commander," one replies, "she requested a carriage, said the Queen needed medicine from town."
"You didn't question the timing?!"
"She's been going at odd hours all week for ball preparations," I explain quickly. "Maybe that's why they didn't think it strange."
"How long ago?" Kaelen demands.
"Fifteen minutes at most."
"Then GO AFTER HER!" Kaelen roars. A few guards take off through the gates on horseback. Others are dispatched immediately.
"The coach drivers!" he snaps. "Find out which one she took!"
Harlin stumbles out, half-dressed. "What in the—?"
"It was Emelia," I whisper hoarsely hugging myself tightly. "She helped him. And now she's gone."
"Oh dear," Harlin mutters.
Kaelen drapes his jacket over my shoulders. Before I can even he's already gone barking orders.
"Lord Commander!" a guard returns, breathless. "All coach drivers are accounted for."
I blink. Then… whose coach did she take?
"She had a driver didn't she?" I say aloud. "She hid him. He never escaped the keep. They planned this together."
"Bring me my horse!" Kaelen shouts.
Within moments, his stallion is brought. He mounts and gallops through the gates.
—
I pace the manor's hall, heart thudding. Harlin and the others linger nearby—silent, tense. Some sit. Some stand. No one speaks.
The doors burst open.
"Incompetent fools!" Kaelen bellows. "I want every guard replaced. Bring me men who can actually do their jobs!"
His rage is volcanic.
"I ordered that every carriage and cart leaving this keep be searched! And you—" he rounds on General Harrow "—you let this slip past?"
"I—I accept full responsibility," Harrow stammers. "It was a grave mistake."
"A mistake?" Kaelen's voice is lethal. "Do you know what your mistake has cost us?"
"Kaelen," I interrupt, my voice firm despite my nerves. "Did you find her?"
Kaelen breathes deeply, nostrils flared. When he finally looks at me, his eyes are burning.
"The carriage was found overturned in a ditch, a few miles from the castle. There were tracks. Horses. Footprints. They met with allies and fled."
A chill runs down my spine.
"It's obvious there were more accomplices," Tharek says darkly. "But Lord Commander, you refuse to see it. Since when are you swayed by fluttering lashes and crocodile tears?"
"THAREK, ENOUGH!" Kaelen's voice cracks through the manor like thunder.
A heavy silence follows.
"He's right," I say quietly.
All eyes turn to me.
"I brought Emelia here. I trusted her. I thought she was loyal to me. I forgot… she was loyal to Saelow and the Starwyn banner first."
"You really are a conn—" Tharek begins.
"I am your Queen," I snap, steel in my voice. "And I will not be insulted by you—or anyone else in this council."
My gaze sweeps the room, daring anyone to challenge me.
Kaelen sighs.
"Right now, the priority is finding them," he says. "Caerthrone is sealed. No one enters or leaves without my approval. I want patrols in every quarter, every street. Search every house, barn, and tunnel. No stone should be left unturned"
His voice drops, cold and resolute.
"I will find Saelow. And I will bring him to justice. Myself."
A shiver runs through me. Does Kaelen even realize what he's willing to lose... in order to win?