Elara POV
My heart is beating so loud I'm sure he can hear it.
The Dragon King stands in front of me, his amber eyes burning like fire in the dark study. Those eyes see everything. They see through walls, through lies, through me.
"Who are you really?" he asks again.
My mouth goes dry. This is it. The moment where everything falls apart.
If I tell the truth, he'll send me home. And the second I step foot in the house, Duke Ashford will kill my mother. He promised. I saw the cage they put her in. I saw the bruises on her face.
But if I lie and he catches me... I look at his hands. Strong hands that could snap my neck without trying. Hands that turn into dragon claws.
I'm going to die either way.
"I..." My voice comes out as a squeak. I clear my throat and try again. "I AM Princess Seraphina Blackwell."
His eyes flash brighter. "Try again."
"I am!" The words come out faster now. "Maybe... maybe the binding process changed my scent? Magic does strange things, right? And I've never been bound to a dragon before, so maybe—"
"Stop."
I stop.
He steps closer. So close I can feel heat coming from his skin. Dragons are always warm, I remember reading. Like walking flames.
"You're a terrible liar," he says softly.
My stomach drops.
"Your eyes keep moving to the left when you speak. Your hands are shaking. And your heartbeat—" He tilts his head. "—it's racing like a rabbit running from a wolf."
Tears prick my eyes. "Please—"
"But," he continues, and something in his voice changes, "our countries are watching. The deal has been signed. The binding is complete." He holds up his wrist, showing the silver mark that matches mine. "For one year, you are my wife. That cannot be undone."
Hope flickers in my chest. A tiny, dangerous dream.
"So here's your choice, little human." His smile doesn't reach his eyes. "You will pretend to be Princess Seraphina perfectly. You will play your part without a single mistake. You will fool my court, my generals, and every dragon in this castle."
"And if I do?" I whisper.
"Then I'll keep your secret. For now." He leans down until we're eye to eye. "But if you fail—if you slip even once—I will return you to your land. In pieces."
My breath catches. "That's not much of a choice."
"No," he agrees. "It isn't."
We stare at each other. His eyes are still shining, still burning into mine. For a second, I think I see something besides anger there. Something that looks almost like... curiosity?
Then someone screams outside the door.
The Dragon King moves so fast I barely see it. One second he's in front of me, the next he's across the room, throwing open the door.
Lyra stumbles in, her silver hair wild, her face pale.
"Cadmus!" she gasps. "The southern delegation—they're asking to speak with the princess. Right now."
My blood turns to ice.
"Why?" the Dragon King—Cadmus—demands.
"They say they have a message from her father. King Blackwell himself." Lyra's violet eyes find mine. "They say it's important. About her mother. " No. No, no, no.
My real mother is locked in a cage back home. But Princess Seraphina's mother—Queen Blackwell—is alive and well in the house. These agents will know things about the queen that I don't. They'll ask questions I can't answer.
They'll know I'm not really Seraphina.
"Tell them the princess is tired from the ceremony," Cadmus says. "She'll see them tomorrow."
"They're refusing to leave," Lyra says. "They're making a scene in the throne room. The entire court is watching."
Cadmus looks at me. His face is unreadable.
This is a test, I know. He wants to see if I'll crack under pressure. He wants to watch me fail so he has a reason to get rid of me.
My hands curl into fists. "I'll see them."
"Elara—" The name slips from his mouth before he can stop it.
I freeze. Lyra freezes too, her eyes going wide.
He knows my real name. Somehow, he knows.
"How—" I start.
But he's already moving, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward the door. "We don't have time. They're waiting."
My mind spins as we walk through the hallways. How does he know my name? I never told him. Did someone betray me already? Is this all part of his plan?
We reach the throne room doors, and I can hear voices on the other side. Angry sounds. Demanding sounds.
Cadmus stops and turns to me. "Last chance to tell me the truth."
I meet his burning eyes. "I am Princess Seraphina Blackwell."
He studies my face for a long moment. Then he nods once. "Remember—one mistake, and you're dead."
The doors swing open.
Three men in southern uniforms stand in the middle of the room. Behind them, the Dragon King's court watches with hungry eyes. Waiting for me to fail. Waiting for blood.
The lead runner bows low. "Your Highness, we bring urgent news from your father."
I force myself to walk forward with my head high. Like a princess would. "Speak."
"The queen—your mother—has fallen gravely ill." His eyes search my face. "Your father wants to know if you got the letters she sent you before you left. The private letters about your... condition."
My heart stops.
What condition? What letters? I have no idea what he's talking about.
Every eye in the room is on me. Waiting. Testing.
Cadmus stands beside his chair, his face carved from stone. But his eyes—his eyes are shining so bright they're almost white.
The messenger steps closer. "Surely you remember, Princess? The secret your mother shared only with you?"
My mouth opens. Closes. Opens again.
I have no answer.
And from the way the messenger's smile slowly grows, he knows it.
"Perhaps," he says softly, "you're not who you claim to be after all."