I had visited palaces before—school trips to places that are now museums. But standing before a real palace here, in this fantastical world… was something else entirely.
The massive structure loomed so high I had to tilt my head back to see its peaks. The walls seemed to stretch on forever—as if the architects had deliberately designed them to make a person feel small, crushed beneath their height.
The cold gray stone walls were capped with blackened lead roofs. Slender gothic statues jutted from the corners, some with their eyes hollowed out. Or perhaps they had been made that way from the start—I couldn't tell. But passing into this place surrounded by sightless statues sent an unnamed chill crawling down my spine.
The moment I stepped through the main gate… I felt the necklace.
The enchanted necklace Lucian had given me. Its silver chain always warmed against my skin, like an invisible shield—security that radiated from within.
I felt that warmth now.
But only for a moment.
In the next heartbeat, the necklace turned to ice.
Cold.
Then—a crack.
Like something breaking from the inside…
The chain slackened. The stone fractured. Pieces fell into my palms. I held my breath. Cold metal shards in my hand, an emptiness on my skin… the magic was gone.
I was defenseless.
Instinctively, I scooped up the fragments and tucked them into my cloak pocket. Lucian's trust, now shattered, weighed there like broken glass.
The servant walking beside me glanced sideways. He'd seen it. But his face didn't change—no surprise, no curiosity. Nothing.
He simply kept walking. I followed, unease growing heavier with each step.
The inside of the palace was colder than the outside. It wasn't the air—it was something unseen, something that scraped at the soul, seeping from the walls. The corridors were too long, the ceilings too high, the silence too sharp… everything was excessive.
And the strangest thing of all: the people.
Or… people-shaped things.
Far down the corridor, another servant passed us. He didn't lift his head. His eyes held no expression—no, not even life. He walked past. Another followed. And another. None of them spoke. None of them smiled. Their eyes didn't focus on anything.
A shiver ran through me. Like zombies, I thought. A joke—but not really.
The servant beside me still hadn't spoken. He moved steadily, turning here and there, nodding once before leading me through another doorway. The silence was pressing in now. And with every step, the absence of my necklace echoed against my skin.
I was truly alone.
I'd agreed to serve at Cassian's request, to guard the mages. I'd been brought to the palace with no ceremony. No chance to say goodbye. Lucian's face in the crowd lingered in my mind—the cold expression he wore when he last looked at me. He had every right to hate me. I'd come from another world and disrupted his.
The corridors seemed endless. Until finally, we stopped before a staircase narrower than the rest, carved from marble.
"Down."
That single word carried a warning—as if any hesitation on my part would turn his stony face into fury. I didn't wait. I started down quickly.
The stairs sank into darkness. I'd stopped counting long ago, but it felt like we had descended five floors. "This will be your quarters."
His tone was lifeless.
"Unauthorized magic… is not tolerated. On the table are the notes of the old mage Kaedin. Your daily routine is written there. Read it. Memorize it. Those who don't obey… rarely meet a good end."
He paused, giving me a sidelong glance.
"You are in the personal service of Prince Cassian. Unless a member of the family speaks to you, you do not speak. That… is not tolerated here."
I nodded. As I entered, he gave me a sharp look before leaving.
The room was pitch black. I summoned a small sphere of light. No windows, only a worn desk and a bed. Kaedin's notes sat on the desk.
Whether it was the cold of the room or the darkness of the palace itself, I shivered.
I knew how abnormal this was. But ever since I'd been pulled into this game, everything had been one giant abnormality.
My breath shortened. My heart raced. That same feeling again… just like in the orphanage. Just like in the so-called "foster home" where I was never safe. Just like when I became an adult with no head start, struggling to survive.
My mind teetered on the edge of panic.
I remembered the breathing technique my counselor had taught me back in the home. I inhaled deeply, held it, counted to four in my head. Released it. Inhaled again. Again… again…
After a few cycles, the crushing weight in my chest eased. One step at a time, I told myself. I'd focus on one problem at a time and solve it. Before my thoughts could spiral again, I reached for the notes.
⸻
I would have given up all my hard-earned XP and gold just to get out of this situation.
Alright—maybe it was partly my fault.
All I had to do was stand behind Prince Cassian while he worked, maintaining the magic shield I'd cast to guard against outside threats. But there'd been a mistake with the refreshments. Instead of his usual plain tea, they'd brought cinnamon. Cassian's eyes darkened instantly; the same black magic pulse I'd once felt from that cursed stone began to thicken the air. I was certain he would kill the servant. I stepped in without thinking, plucking a slice of lemon from the tray and dropping it into his cup.
''This makes it better," I said lightly. "Leaves a tart taste… and it's healthier."
Cassian didn't look away from me as he lifted the cup to his lips. The silence grew heavy. He took a sip. Whether it was the lemon's freshness or my interruption, I'll never know… but he waved the servants away.
Servants in this palace usually wore the same dead expression. But I could swear the one who left the room glanced at me with a flicker of gratitude.
The door closed. Silence settled again.
Cassian set the cup down on the edge of the table, slowly running his fingers around the porcelain rim—the faint scrape of his nails almost a hiss. His gaze locked on mine. His eyes still held the darkness of that cursed stone.
"You…" His voice was soft, but with a hidden edge. "You're… very interesting."
I didn't know what to say. The words knotted in my throat as an unreadable curve touched his lips.
"I… like reading," I blurted out, as if the words escaped on their own. "I read anything I can find. I know all sorts of useless facts."
Cassian tilted his head slightly.
"Useless facts…" he echoed.
He placed a finger on a distant corner of the map spread across the table, in a region surrounded by mountains.
"This place…" he murmured, almost to himself. "Filled with monsters. Most who go in… never come out."
He paused, giving me a glance without lifting his head. ''Except for the one who knows the right path."
My eyes followed his finger, and my stomach tightened when I realized it was beyond our kingdom's borders.
"Wait… this is another kingdom!" I said, my brow furrowing.
Cassian finally looked up, the familiar half-smile curving his lips.
"Yes. And the path is full of monsters…" His voice slowed, and he leaned in slightly. "But I'm a monster too."
His gaze swept over me, as if to say you should be afraid. Then he stepped back from the map, lifting his cup again.
"And you… are coming with me."
He took a sip without breaking eye contact. The faint scent of lemon lingered in the air.
"One small note," he added, setting the cup down with that same smile tugging at his lips. "Before we leave… don't forget to pack plenty of lemons for my tea."