The night air was thick with danger.
Liana stood at the edge of the palace terrace, her silk cloak brushing against the cold marble as she watched the guards below rotate positions. Every movement in this kingdom was like a choreographed lie — and she'd learned to dance among them flawlessly.
Behind her, the doors creaked.
"You shouldn't be here alone," came a deep voice.
Leonidas.
Her heartbeat didn't skip — it thundered. Not out of fear… but anticipation.
She didn't turn. "And yet, here you are."
He stepped closer, boots silent on stone. "Something's not right about you."
A smirk curled her lips. She had spent years preparing for this moment — for every question, every glance, every suspicion. But now that it was here, it thrilled and terrified her.
"Careful, Your Highness," she murmured. "You might start finding answers you don't like."
---
Earlier that day
The grand hall pulsed with tension. Nobles flanked each side of the crimson carpet like sharks sensing blood. King Theovald sat upon the obsidian throne, crown gleaming beneath the chandeliers, but it was Leonidas who drew the room's heat.
He entered in military uniform — black with gold embroidery — his jaw sharp, his eyes sharper.
Liana stood behind the Lady Virelle, her patroness, veiled and silent as always. But Leonidas' gaze found her, cutting through the sea of polished pretenders.
The Crown Prince was searching.
And she knew exactly why.
"Lord Averic," the King announced. "You claim there was a traitor in last night's court meeting?"
The nobleman stepped forward, face pale. "Yes, Your Majesty. A hidden message was intercepted. In ciphered form… and signed with the crest of the House of Narelle."
Gasps rippled through the court. The House of Narelle had been wiped out a decade ago — publicly executed for treason.
Liana's pulse stilled.
Leonidas glanced at his father, then at the crowd. "That crest should no longer exist."
"Unless someone survived," Averic added grimly.
Silence.
Then: "Who would dare wear a ghost's identity?" the King hissed.
Leonidas turned to the head scribe. "Show me the message."
As the scroll was unfurled, Liana caught a glimpse — her father's symbol, marked in red wax.
It was a trap.
Someone was taunting her. Someone knew.
---
That night
She slipped into the old archive beneath the east wing — the place where her mother once taught her how to read royal seals. Cobwebs hung from broken shelves, and faded tapestries still told the tale of her family's betrayal.
There, in the dust, she found another clue.
A locket.
Inside it, a message carved in ancient Narellian:
"The serpent in gold slithers closest to the crown."
She froze.
That wasn't about her. That was about Leonidas.
---
Suddenly, the prince's voice behind her again. "Why are you in the forbidden archives?"
She turned slowly, candlelight dancing across her features. "Looking for a ghost."
Leonidas narrowed his eyes. "You're not who you pretend to be, are you?"
"And if I'm not?" she whispered, stepping forward. "What will you do, Leonidas? Arrest me? Or... kiss me again?"
Silence. The air between them was lightning.
"You're playing a dangerous game," he murmured.
She leaned in, her lips close to his ear. "I was born in the fire, Your Highness. Danger is my homeland."
---
The next day
Liana stood atop the palace wall, watching a carriage roll through the gates. A sigil she hadn't seen in years — the Raven of the Eastern Isles. It was him.
Lord Caelum Vale.
The one who betrayed her brother. The one who sold her family's secrets.
He had come to the palace.
The King greeted him with warmth. A long-lost ally. A friend of the Crown.
Liana's fists clenched at her sides.
Leonidas joined her at the wall. "You know him?"
Her lips were ice. "Everyone has ghosts, Leonidas. That one just wears a crown made of other people's bones."
He studied her, his expression unreadable. "You're not just a lady's companion."
"No," she said softly. "And you're not just a prince. But only one of us is lying about it."
---
That night
A masked ball. Laughter, silk, music.
But beneath it, danger brewed.
Leonidas danced with Liana, their steps electric, every touch crackling with unsaid truths.
"I received another message," he said lowly. "The traitor plans to strike during the Crescent Moon Ceremony."
"That's in three nights," she said, masking her panic.
"Will you help me catch them?" he asked.
Her hand froze in his.
He didn't know the truth.
She was the traitor… and the only one who could stop the real enemy now.
Liana smiled, bitter and beautiful. "Of course, Your Highness. I'll help you find the snake."
---
But in the shadows…
Caelum Vale whispered to a cloaked figure, "She doesn't know we've uncovered her. When she falls, the House of Narelle dies with her."