Nalin's POV
The ice wouldn't stop.
Even after they dragged me back to my room and locked me inside, frost kept spreading across the walls. Every breath I took created little clouds of frozen air. My bedsheets crackled with ice crystals.
"Make it stop," I whispered to myself, pressing my frozen hands against my chest. "Please make it stop."
But it wouldn't. The magic—my magic—had been sleeping inside me for twenty-three years. Now it was awake and angry, and I had no idea how to control it.
A knock on the door made me jump.
"Princess Nalin?" My father's voice, cold and commanding. "We need to talk."
I looked at my ice-covered hands. At the frost spreading across the floor. He would see it. He would know I couldn't control this power.
"Just a moment," I called out.
Think. Think!
I grabbed a blanket and shoved my hands underneath, trying to hide the glow. I kicked ice shards under the bed. It wasn't perfect, but maybe in the dim light he wouldn't notice.
"Come in," I said.
The door opened. Father stepped inside, and his eyes immediately went to the window where frost had created beautiful, deadly patterns on the glass.
"Interesting," he said quietly.
My heart pounded. This was it. He was going to kill me right now, right here, before I could become a threat.
But instead, he smiled.
"I've changed my mind," Father said. "You're not going to the Sanctum tomorrow."
Hope flared in my chest. "I'm not?"
"No. We're going to wait three days. Give you time to... adjust to your new situation." His smile widened. "After all, you've just discovered you have magic. That's cause for celebration, isn't it? We should have a proper farewell before your sacrifice. Let the people see that even the Hollow Princess can bloom before she dies."
This was a trap. I knew it was a trap.
"Thank you, Father," I said, keeping my voice flat and grateful.
"There will be events. Parties. You'll attend all of them with your fiancé, smiling and happy. You'll show everyone that you're honored to serve the empire." His eyes turned hard. "And if you try to run, if you tell anyone what's really happening, I'll kill Seren first. Then I'll work my way through every servant who's ever shown you kindness. Do you understand?"
Ice cracked across the floor between us.
"I understand," I said.
"Good girl." He turned to leave, then paused. "Oh, and Nalin? Learn to control that ice. We can't have you freezing the palace before your sacrifice. It would be... inconvenient."
The door closed behind him.
I sat on my frozen bed, shaking. Three more days. Three days to pretend everything was fine while they planned my murder.
Three days to figure out how to survive.
Day One: The Engagement Party
I wore a silver dress that hid the frost patterns spreading up my arms. Elara had picked it out, smiling sweetly while her eyes promised death.
"You look beautiful, sister," she said, adjusting my hair. "Like ice. Cold and brittle and about to break."
"Thank you," I said. "You look radiant as always."
Her joy-magic pulsed, trying to make me feel happy. But my ice magic pushed back, and I felt nothing but cold satisfaction as her smile faltered.
Davren appeared at my side, offering his arm. "Shall we?"
I took it. His skin felt warm against my frozen fingers, and he flinched but didn't pull away.
"You're cold," he said.
"I've always been cold," I replied. "You just never noticed before."
We walked into the ballroom together. Everyone applauded. The happy couple. The alliance between kingdoms. No one knew the prince was in love with my sister. No one knew I'd be dead in three days.
"Smile," Davren whispered in my ear. "Your father is watching."
I smiled. It felt like cracking ice.
All night, I played my part. I thanked nobles for their congratulations. I laughed at jokes I didn't find funny. I danced with Davren while he held me like I was made of glass.
And I watched. I memorized everything.
The way Elara and Davren's eyes met across the room. The way Father spoke quietly with Commander Thorne in the corner. The way Mother avoided looking at me, guilt written across her face.
I was gathering weapons. Information was the only weapon I had left.
Day Two: The Temple Blessing
High Priestess Mara smiled at me like a snake.
"Kneel, child," she said.
I knelt on the temple floor while she placed her hands on my head. Her sorrow-magic washed over me, trying to make me feel sad, trying to make me cry.
But my ice magic wrapped around my heart like armor.
"Strange," Mara murmured. "Your emotions are... locked away. Frozen."
"I'm the Hollow Princess," I said. "Everyone knows I have no emotions."
"But you have magic now. Magic requires emotion." Her eyes narrowed. "What are you hiding?"
"Nothing, Your Holiness."
She didn't believe me. I could see it in her face. But with half the court watching, she couldn't push further.
"May the gods bless your sacrifice," she said loudly for the crowd. Then, quieter: "And may they have mercy on whatever you're becoming."
After the ceremony, Seren found me in the hallway.
"Nalin, your hands," she gasped, grabbing my wrists. My fingers were blue-white with cold, frost literally growing from my fingernails.
"I can't stop it," I whispered. "It just keeps coming."
"Then don't stop it." She looked around to make sure we were alone. "Use it. Whatever this magic is, it's keeping you alive. It's making them afraid."
"Father isn't afraid. He's planning something."
"Then we plan something better." Seren squeezed my frozen hands. "You're not dying in three days. I won't let you."
Day Three: The Final Dinner
The last supper before my execution.
I sat at the table with my family, eating food I couldn't taste. Everything had gone numb. The ice magic had spread so far through my body that I felt more winter than human.
"A toast," Father said, raising his glass. "To Princess Nalin, who will bring honor to our family through her noble sacrifice."
Everyone drank. I just stared at my wine, watching frost creep across the glass.
"Aren't you going to drink, dear?" Mother asked. Her first words to me in three days.
"I'm not thirsty."
"Drink," Father commanded.
I picked up the glass. The wine froze solid the moment it touched my lips.
Elara gasped. Aldric stared. Even Father looked surprised.
"I'm sorry," I said, setting down the frozen wine. "I seem to be having trouble controlling my magic."
"Clearly." Father's jaw tightened. "Perhaps it's best you leave early in the morning. Before you freeze the entire palace."
"Of course, Father. Whatever you think is best."
I excused myself and walked back to my room. Guards followed three steps behind. They'd been following me all day, making sure I didn't run.
But I wasn't going to run.
I had a better plan.
In my room, I found a package on my bed. No note. Just a small wooden box.
I opened it.
Inside was a knife. Simple, sharp, and very, very illegal for a princess to own.
A piece of paper fell out:
Tonight. Midnight. Garden maze. Trust no one. —S
Seren's handwriting.
I looked at the knife, then at the guards outside my door, then at my ice-covered hands.
Tomorrow they would take me to die.
But tonight, I had choices.
I could run. I could fight. I could freeze everyone in this palace and walk out the front door.
Or I could go to the garden maze and find out what Seren had planned.
The clock struck eleven.
One hour until midnight.
One hour until everything changed.
I picked up the knife. The handle frosted over in my grip, the metal turning white with cold.
"Let's see what happens when the Hollow Princess stops playing dead," I whispered.
The ice magic pulsed in agreement.