If anyone had told me a few months ago that I'd be sitting at the head of a polished oak table, surrounded by the most powerful minds in the kingdom, nodding as if I understood half of what they were saying—I'd have laughed in their face. Yet there I was, dressed in tailored royal garments, pretending like I was born for this.
The hall where the cabinet meeting was held looked like something out of a fantasy novel. Tall, arched windows bathed the room in golden morning light, and banners bearing the royal crest hung proudly behind us. I sat straight, nodded when expected, and even gave a short closing remark that had a few men glancing at each other with impressed smiles.
They had no idea. None of them.
I knew absolutely nothing about politics, or war strategies, or trade treaties. But I had one advantage no one in that room knew about—Liora.
She was the reason I had survived the meeting. The reason I didn't completely fall apart. The reason I even knew the names of the men seated before me.
It all started last night.
After the long day of introductions and royal obligations, I had collapsed onto my bed, exhausted. I didn't know how I was supposed to continue this charade, and I feared being found out with every breath I took.
Then came a soft knock on my chamber door.
"It's me," her voice whispered. "Liora."
I let her in without hesitation. There was something about her—something grounding. She carried the grace of a royal and the warmth of someone who had known pain.
She walked in, holding a stack of leather-bound notebooks and some parchment.
"I thought you might need some help," she said quietly, setting them down on the desk near the balcony.
"I'm supposed to know all of this already," I muttered, ashamed.
She looked at me. Her eyes didn't judge. "You've been away for a long time, Elias. No one expects you to remember everything right away."
I couldn't correct her. Couldn't tell her she was helping a fraud. That I wasn't Elias. That I wasn't anyone, really.
I hesitated. Then I lied.
"I wasn't taught much back there. They focused on… etiquette. Language. I hardly ever sat in any real cabinet discussions."
She accepted the explanation with a quiet nod. "Then let me show you what I know."
We spent hours in that room. Her soft voice guiding me through the history of the kingdom, the roles of the cabinet members, the ongoing disputes with nearby provinces. She even acted out some of the cabinet members' personalities, preparing me for how to speak to them.
"You have to look Lord Cael straight in the eye. He respects directness."
"And Lady Hyra?" I asked.
"She'll test you with silence. Don't rush to fill it."
I wrote down everything she said. Or tried to. Sometimes, I found myself distracted. By her. The way her brow furrowed when she concentrated. The way she absentmindedly tucked her hair behind her ear when she was thinking. She was only nineteen, yet she carried herself with such wisdom and fire.
"I don't know what I would've done without you," I said, finally, pushing my notes aside.
"You don't have to do this alone," she replied.
I wanted to believe that. That even in this kingdom of secrets, I had someone who truly wanted to help.
But what would she say if she knew the truth?
That I'd never been to boarding school in the UK. That I had barely managed to finish secondary school. That I learned to read not from tutors, but from old newspapers and discarded books I found in alleyways. That food was often more important than education, and the streets taught me how to survive—not manners.
For a moment, I nearly told her. But I couldn't. Not now. Not when she was the only thing keeping me afloat.
So I thanked her instead. Genuinely.
And the next morning, I walked into the cabinet room, head held high, voice steady—because of her.
---
When the meeting ended, I returned to my chambers and collapsed into a chair, exhaling deeply. A knock followed minutes later, and I already knew who it was.
Liora stepped in with that knowing smile.
"Well?" she asked, eyes glinting.
"I survived," I said.
She clapped softly. "I told you. You handled it?"
I nodded, smiling. "Actually… I think I did pretty well."
"I'm proud of you."
Those four words meant more than any title or crown ever could.
We walked through the garden after that, side by side, the sun warm on our skin, and the air filled with the scent of blooming jasmine. The stone paths beneath our feet twisted through vines and fountains, leading us deeper into a maze of beauty that felt untouched by time.
"I used to walk here with father," she said. "When he got sick, he made me sit in for him at the meetings. It was overwhelming at first. I was just a girl. No one took me seriously."
I looked at her, admiration washing over me. "They take you seriously now."
"They do," she agreed. "Because I didn't give them a choice."
That was Liora. Brave. Fierce. Compassionate. Everything I had never known in a person before.
She pointed out various statues and told me the stories behind them. Some were tales of war heroes, others of queens who defied the odds. But I found myself only half-listening. My attention was on her.
The way her lips moved as she spoke. The way her hands danced through the air with every tale. Her laughter—it was rare, but when it came, it was like a melody I'd never heard before.
And it scared me.
Because every time I looked at her, I had to remind myself: She's not really your sister.
But everyone believed she was. And to act otherwise… was madness.
Still, I couldn't help it. My eyes always returned to her.
She walked ahead, spinning for a moment under a sunbeam that filtered through the treetops. Her dress twirled, and I caught myself staring.
Stop it, I warned myself. It's wrong. You're playing a role. Stay in character.
But the lines were blurring, and I didn't know how to unblur them.
"I think you'll be a great leader," she said suddenly, turning back to me.
I shook myself from my thoughts. "Only because I have you."
She smiled. "Then don't forget that."
We stood there in silence, surrounded by flowers and sunlight. And I realized, with a hollow ache, that I was living a lie… but somehow, it had brought me to the one person who made me feel like I was finally home.