ELARA'S POV
I couldn't breathe.
Mira's words echoed in my head like thunder. The Emperor is coming in four days. He's planning to execute General Kaedan for treason.
I stood frozen in the darkness long after she'd disappeared through the secret passage. My heart hammered so hard I thought it might crack my ribs.
The Emperor wanted Kaedan dead.
Good. Perfect. The man who killed my father would face justice. I should be celebrating. Dancing. Feeling vindicated.
So why did my stomach twist with something that felt horribly like fear?
If he dies, the Emperor takes you next. And death would be kinder than what Valtor has planned.
I pressed my hands against my face, trying to think through the panic.
This wasn't my problem. Kaedan made his choices. He served a monster. He killed my father. If his own half-brother wanted him dead, that was between them.
I owed him nothing.
But the image kept forcing itself into my mind—Kaedan standing alone on that balcony, voice raw as he admitted: I'm trapped just as thoroughly as you are. Different cage, same prison.
Stop it, I whispered to myself. He's your enemy. Let him die.
But my traitorous brain wouldn't stop. It kept showing me other images. Kaedan pulling me back from falling. Kaedan offering me his library. Kaedan's face when I'd woken him from nightmares—broken and young and terrified.
Kaedan stepping between me and the Emperor's cruelty again and again.
A knock shattered my thoughts.
I jumped, pulse spiking. Who is it?
It's me. Kaedan's voice came through the door. Low. Controlled. But something underneath sounded... off. May I come in?
Every muscle in my body tensed. Did he know? Had he discovered Mira in my room? Was this a trap?
It's late, I called back.
I know. But I need to speak with you. Please.
That last word—please, decided me. Kaedan didn't say please. Ever.
I opened the door.
He stood in the hallway wearing the same clothes from dinner, but his silver hair was disheveled like he'd been running his hands through it. His eyes were dark, haunted.
Something was very wrong.
What happened? The question escaped before I could stop it.
He looked at me for a long moment. Then: May I come in? I'd rather not discuss this in the hallway.
I stepped back, letting him enter. He moved past me, and I caught his scent—steel and snow and something sharper. Fear, maybe.
Kaedan was afraid.
The door clicked shut behind us. We stood in my sitting room, too close in the firelight.
A messenger arrived an hour ago, he said quietly. From the capital.
My heart stopped. Four days, Mira had said. But messengers traveled fast.
What did they say?
His jaw tightened. The Emperor arrives in four days instead of seven. He's... eager to discuss the Vault situation.
Liar. I could see it in the tension around his eyes. That wasn't all the message said.
And? I pressed.
And he's bringing his personal guard. Fifty men. Kaedan turned away, staring at the fire. Fifty men for a simple visit to discuss ancient magic. Does that seem normal to you?
I don't know what's normal for emperors.
It's not. His hands clenched at his sides. Fifty armed men means he either doesn't trust me, or—
Or what?
He was silent for so long I thought he wouldn't answer. Then: Or he's planning something I won't like.
Planning to execute you, I thought. Planning to kill you for treason you didn't commit.
I should tell him. Should warn him.
But the words stuck in my throat. Because warning him meant saving him. And saving him meant betraying my father's memory.
Why are you telling me this? I asked instead.
Kaedan turned to face me. In the firelight, his silver eyes looked almost gold. Because in four days, the Emperor will be here. And if he decides I've failed to extract information about the Vault, he'll take you from this fortress.
So this is about protecting your prize? Bitterness edged my voice. Making sure the Emperor doesn't steal your—
No. The word came out sharp. He stepped closer. This is about keeping you alive. Because Valtor's methods make mine look merciful.
We stood too close. I could see the desperate sincerity in his expression.
I don't understand you, I whispered. You killed my father. You forced me to marry you. But now you're acting like you actually care whether I
I do care. The admission came out raw. I don't know why. Against all logic, all reason, all survival instinct, I care what happens to you, Elara.
My name on his lips sent shivers down my spine.
You're lying. This is manipulation. You're trying to make me trust you so I'll tell you about the Vault.
If I wanted to manipulate you, I'd lie better. His hand came up, almost touching my face but not quite. The truth is simpler and more complicated. You fascinate me. Your defiance, your strength, the way you see past the monster to the man underneath—it makes me want to be worthy of that sight.
My breath caught. Kaedan
I'm not asking you to forgive me. I'm not asking you to forget what I've done. His eyes held mine with desperate intensity. I'm asking you to let me protect you from something worse. Work with me. Trust me enough to survive the next four days. After that, if you still hate me, I'll find a way to let you go.
The promise hung in the air between us.
Let me go? I repeated. You'd actually
Yes. No hesitation. If that's what you want after this is over, I'll arrange safe passage to wherever you choose. But first, we have to survive the Emperor's visit.
I stared at him, searching for the lie. Finding only desperate honesty.
What do you need from me? I heard myself ask.
Relief flooded his face. Everything you know about the Vault. How it's accessed, what it contains, what your father told you. If we can give Valtor enough information to satisfy him without actually revealing the Vault's location, we might both survive.
This was the moment. The choice Mira said I'd have to make.
Tell him everything and betray my father's dying wish. Or stay silent and face the Emperor's torture.
My father made me swear, I whispered. Made me promise on his life I'd never seek the Vault. Never tell anyone how to access it.
He's gone, Elara. Kaedan's voice was gentle. And he'd want you alive more than he'd want that secret kept.
Would he? Or would Father rather I die than help the Empire gain power that could enslave kingdoms?
I need time to think, I said.
We don't have time. Four days
Then give me tonight! The words came out sharper than intended. You're asking me to betray my father's final command. I need time to decide if survival is worth that cost.
Kaedan studied me for a long moment. Then nodded slowly. Tonight. But tomorrow, we start planning. Together.
He walked to the door, paused with his hand on the handle. For what it's worth? Your father was right to make you swear. The Vault contains magic that could destroy everything. But the Emperor will find it eventually, with or without our help. At least this way, we control how much he learns.
After he left, I sank onto the bed, head in my hands.
Four days until the Emperor arrived.
Four days until Kaedan faced execution for treason.
Four days to decide: save my enemy, or damn us both.
A soft sound made me look up. The tapestry hiding the servant's passage shifted. Mira slipped through, face pale.
You heard? I asked.
Yes. He doesn't know about the execution order yet. The messenger only told him about the early arrival. Her eyes were urgent. Your Highness, you have to warn him. If he's prepared, maybe he can—
Can what? Fight fifty Imperial guards? Flee and abandon his soldiers? I stood, pacing. There's no way out for him, Mira. Warn him or not, he's dead.
Maybe. But at least he'd have a chance. She grabbed my hands. I know you hate him. I know what he did. But he's the only thing standing between you and the Emperor. If Kaedan falls, you fall with him.
I pulled away. Why do you care so much? You're just a maid.
Something flickered in her eyes—there and gone too fast to read. I'm not just anything, Your Highness. I'm someone who knows what the Emperor does to women he wants to break. And I'm telling you—help Kaedan survive, or prepare for a fate worse than death.
She disappeared back through the passage, leaving me alone with impossible choices.
I walked to the window, staring out at snow-covered mountains gleaming under moonlight.
Four days.
Somewhere in this fortress, Kaedan was probably planning strategies, moving pieces on a board he didn't know was rigged against him.
And I was the only person who could save him.
The man who killed my father.
The man who'd shown me unexpected mercy.
The man who made my heart race with equal parts hate and something far more dangerous.
I pressed my forehead against the cold glass.
What do I do, Father? I whispered to the darkness. What would you want me to do?
But Father was dead. And I was alone with a choice that would define everything that came next.
Save the monster.
Or become one myself by staying silent.