“Drink,” she whispered, her voice smooth but sharp. She pressed something—a vial—against their lips.
The person said something, but it was muffled. They jerked away from her, but the dark-haired woman gripped them hardby the jaw, forcing their mouth open. Her fingers tightened, cruel and unyielding, pouring the vial down their throat.
The person sagged in their chair as the woman lowered the vial, and I wanted to run, but I couldn't move. I had the sinking feeling I wasn’t supposed to see this.
The dark-haired woman leaned in closer, a blade now in her grasp. She whispered something too low for me to hear, her yellow eyes gleaming in the dim light as her lips curved in a smile that chilled me to the bone.
Suddenly, her head snapped toward me. Her eyes blazed with anger as they locked onto mine through the crack in the door.
“Zara.” The woman seemed to growl, and my breath hitched. I stumbled backward, turning away as my heart pounded heavily in my chest. I started to run back down the hall.
Real fear coursed through me as something slammed into my back, and I flew toward the stone floor.
*
I jolted awake, my heart hammering in my chest, the dream slipping away like smoke through my fingers. The edges of the memory clung to me, and I could still feel the icy grip of fear I had felt at her finding me. I rubbed my temples, trying to shake the heaviness from my mind, the exhaustion trying to pull me back into sleep. Who was that woman? I had no memory of her ever being in the castle. And who was the person in that chair? It was as if my memory didn’t want me to see who it was and what she had been doing to them.
Turning over, I caught sight of Jaxon slumped in one of the winged chairs beside my bed. He must have snuck back in while I slept. His chest rose and fell with a deep, steady rhythm, and my gaze lingered, something tightening in my chest.
The window's dim light hinted at dawn, the world still caught between night and day, and I turned back over, myeyelids already heavy, sinking once again into the warmth of my blankets.
When I woke again, the light had grown brighter, spilling across the room. Jaxon’s chair was empty, the blanket he must’ve used folded neatly across the armrest. My eyes drifted to the note resting on the seat, and I reached for it, my fingers brushing the crinkled edge of the paper.
*
“I had to leave for my shift but will return later. -J”
*
Glancing at the time, my heart sank—I was running late for Sunday tea with my mother. I tugged a brush through my tangled hair, wincing as it snagged on a few knots, before grabbing the first dress my hands found in the closet. I threw it on, barely taking a second to check the mirror, and rushed down the hall. I hurriedly tied my hair into a loose braid as I went, and I caught the curious glances of guards and servants as I sped by.
By the time I reached the library doors, my breath came in short gasps. I paused, fingers smoothing the wrinkles from my dress, trying to catch my breath. Once I was able to breathe normally, I composed myself and entered.
My mother was already sitting at our usual table near the glass doors leading out to the terrace. She wore a blue gown today, her hair elegantly braided and adorned with golden pins. Though she had forgone her crown, her red necklace gleamed in the soft light.
Winnie's eyes narrowed at my tardiness as I approached. “I was starting to think you wouldn't show,” she said, her voice as smooth as ever, though its sharpness wasn't lost on me. She barely glanced up from her book, dismissing me before I’d even sat down.
A twinge of irritation flared in my chest. “I overslept,” I said, sliding into the chair across from her. “Must’ve enjoyed myself a little too much at the ball last night.”
Winnie’s lips twitched, though she kept her gaze on the pages in front of her. “It seemed you and the captain enjoyed yourselves quite thoroughly,” she remarked, her tone flat.
My jaw tightened, but I forced an even tone. “Yes, we did.”
“And where is the captain now?” she asked, finally looking up from her book, her eyes sharp as blades. “Still in your bed?”
My mouth almost dropped open. So, she still wanted to fight… fine.
“I don’t know where the captain is, butno,he is no longer in my bed,” I retorted back with a curt smile.
Winnie’s yellow eyes locked onto mine, a silent challenge simmering between us. I forced myself not to blink, unwilling to give her the satisfaction of a reaction. Instead, I turned to the nearest book, picked it up, and pretended to start reading, but I could still feel her gaze lingering on my face.
“Leave. All of you,” Winnie’s voice commanded, booming through the room.
Great.
The guards and servants exchanged glances before filing out of the room. Their footsteps echoed as they left, and the heavy door finally clicked shut.
Winnie lowered her book and fixed me with a penetrating stare. “Do we have a problem, daughter?”
