I carefully adjusted this new mask as I was led forward, stopping a few paces short of the dais. I did my best not to shift as Their Majesties scrutinized me from head to toe. The queen was the first to speak.
“A dozen young women, hand-picked from the noblest houses throughout the kingdom…and you bring athief?” Herrich voice sounded frayed, as if it took great effort to emerge from her grief enough to form words.
I deliberated a moment before dipping into a rough curtsy, determined to show off the profession I was so proud of in a good light. Her nose wrinkled, as though my presence alone offended her. “Yet there can be no mistake—the only contestants remaining are those who failed…and this urchin.”
My pride flared. I had to bite my tongue to keep from snapping a sharp retort about the coin I’d earned through skill and hard work, regardless of how it used to be done through dishonest means.
There it was again—another mention of a test. The pieces I’d gathered were too scattered, refusing to fit into any coherent shape to yield understanding. I’d done nothing to warrant examination, only suspicion, behavior which surely wouldn’t allow me to pass anything prestigious enough to be conducted by the royal family.
I rose from my bow, lifting my eyes in time to see the king nod towards Tomas. Before I could react, the dark-haired guard pushed my long sleeve up, exposing my mottled arm.
The king leaned forward slightly, his narrowed eyes studying me as though searching for any hint of deceit. “I have little reason to trust someone who trades in lies and makes a living off dishonesty…yet the bruises confirm it. To think a candidate we allowed to participate solely as a precaution would render such a result.”
My hand drifted instinctively to my sore arm, as if the bruises themselves might impart the secrets behind this perplexing exchange. One moment I was sneaking into a high security palace for the thrill of a challenging adventure, the next I found myself entangled in something far beyond even my vast experience.
“I wasn’t aware I was being tested.” I barely managed to keep my voice steady. “Would Your Majesty be so kind as to enlighten this unsuspecting examinee as to what test I’ve apparently been subjected to?”
He frowned. “You truly don’t know?” At my silence he nodded to himself. “I must commend my men who followed my directive to the letter. Without the necessary foreknowledge, you couldn’t have possibly manipulated the results.”
For a heartbeat, the room was silent—still enough I could hear the faint crackle of the braziers and the whisper of my own breath—broken at last by the advisor’s snort of disgust.
“Her supposed ignorance is undoubtedly a guise. I highly doubt it’s mere coincidence that the first thief to ever breach the palace just so happened to do so on the very night such an important test was taking place.”
The king stroked his beard, brow furrowed with what appeared to be his first hint of interest, a sharp contrast to his earlier disgust.
“Unless…” he murmured. “It was the workings of fate. We must not forget that this was no ordinary test, but one crafted to identify those of the bloodline of the first kings. Only a true descendant born to rule can feel the enchantment woven into the relic, a magic older than the crown itself.”
“Seems a rather arbitrary way to choose something as important as a future ruler,” I said dryly.
The king smirked. “On the contrary. It offers a safeguard immune to bias or the corruption of politics. Bloodlines can be forged, names falsified, loyalties bought. But this test recognizes something deeper, awakening only for one deemed worthy.”
His gaze flickered over me once more, lingering this time as though trying to see past the mask of thief to what lay within. “A prophecy has been passed down through our family. It states that, should the kingdom ever be left without an heir, a trueprincess would be hidden in the least expected. In all my study, I never imagined it would mean the most unexpected of all: that of a common thief.”
I blinked at him, too stunned to think of a retort even if I dared to speak it.
“For generations, it has been used to identify those destined to restore balance to the crown,” the queen continued. “We thought the spell had gone dormant after our son—” Her voice caught and she pressed a gloved hand to her heart. “Until last night, when it finally awoke.”
The king nodded. “When the guards informed us of someone touching the relic, despite our doubts that a mere criminal could be the one we’ve long awaited, we couldn’t risk ignoring it. Not if you truly are the prophesied royal.”
A wild, incredulous laugh nearly escaped me, but it stuck in my throat. “You think this—” I gestured vaguely to my bruises, “—means I’m some sort of…chosen heir?” The idea was beyond ridiculous; I traded in secrets, not titles.
The king frowned. “Do not be so quick to condemn. The old magic does not awaken without purpose. Now tell us your name and lineage, thief.”
I hesitated to shed the anonymity that was a thief’s protection, but the warning in His Majesty’s eyes reminded me this was one order I couldn’t disobey. “My name is Mirelle,” I said flatly. “My lineage is nothing worth reciting; you won’t find it in any noble registry.”
The silence that followed carried the weight of what I hadn’t said—the missing title, the lack of bloodline to trace and verify…the most suspicious detail of all.
The advisor stepped forward, his mouth tight with displeasure, eyes sharp as if searching for the lie I hadn’t yet told. “Impossible. Prophecy or not, surely the relic wouldn’t have chosen someone without any nobility to speak of. It would bereckless to accept her based solely on the word of a few guards—who could have easily misjudged what they witnessed in the dark—without direct confirmation that she truly possesses the ability to touch an object reserved for royal blood.”
I bristled. “You think I bruised myself half to death just to get your attention?”
“Perhaps not,” he replied in a voice smooth as poisoned silk. “But you were caught in the missing prince’s chambers, trying to steal one of this kingdom’s greatest treasures. Perhaps it responded to you because you’ve tampered with such magics before. One test will reveal the truth: you are nothing more than a common thief, stumbling into power you do not deserve.”
The advisor appeared to have more complaints, but before he could voice them, the queen lifted one gloved hand and he fell silent.
“Do not question your monarchs due to your own lack of faith, Sir Varen. A crown is not given so easily; there are still many tests remaining for her to pass, starting with the one that marked the beginning of this unique turn of events.” She motioned to the guards. “Bring it forward.”
The order passed silently between the ranks. Moments later, one reappeared—carrying a glass case held with the utmost care. Within it, resting atop a velvet cushion, sat a delicate silver circlet encrusted in gems—the very object I’d attempted to steal the night before. Even encased, I could almost feel the vision it’d revealed the last time I’d touched it, hear whispers of its promised secrets still awaiting me.
