The Prince I Was Meant to Kill.

The first thing they taught me about killing was this: Never hesitate. Because the moment you hesitate, your enemy gets a chance to breathe. And the moment your enemy gets a chance to breathe, you die. I had heard those words so many times that they had become a part of me. I repeated them in my head as I stood before the enormous black gates of the Valorian Palace, staring up at the kingdom I had spent eighteen years learning to hate. The palace rose above me like something out of a nightmare. Black stone. Golden Tower Guards were stationed at every entrance. And somewhere behind those walls was the man I had been trained to kill. Prince Cassian Valorian. The Crown Prince. The future king. The butcher of my people. I tightened my grip around the small dagger hidden beneath my sleeve. One stab. That’s all it would take. One clean strike to the heart. Then my mission would be over. At least, that was what I told myself. “Stop staring.” I blinked. My companion was looking at me. “What?” You’ve been staring at the palace for five minutes.” “I haven’t. You have. “I was thinking.” “That’s even worse.” I frowned at him. He raised an eyebrow. I hate it when people do that. "Do you want to repeat the instructions?” he asked. “No" Good. Because I wasn’t going to. I rolled my eyes and turned back towards the palace. My name is Elara Veyne. And I was about to become the newest servant in the royal palace of Valoria. A servant with one job. Kill the prince. I had been preparing for this moment since I was a child. While other girls learned to dance, I learned to fight. While they learned embroidery, I learned how to hide a blade beneath my clothes. While they dreamed of marrying princes…. I dreamed of watching one die. The Valorian army had destroyed my village when I was five. They killed my father, my mother, my brother. Everyone I had ever loved. At least, that’s what I had been told. For eighteen years, I believed it. And for eighteen years, I had hated the royal family with every breath in my body. Especially him. Prince Cassian. The man whose name was whispered like a curse. The prince who had never shown mercy. The prince who would soon sit upon the throne. My mission was simple. Enter the palace. Get close to the prince. Earn his trust. Kill him. Simple. Except nothing about the palace felt simple. The moment the gates opened, I felt it. Something was wrong. The air was heavy. Too quiet. I stepped forward with the other new servants, keeping my head bowed as we entered the palace grounds. “Remember,” the man beside me whispered. I glanced at him. “You’re here to serve.” “I know.” “You’re not here to investigate.” “I know.” “You’re not here to ask questions.” “I know.” “And you’re definitely not here to fall in love with the prince.” I stopped walking. He grinned. I stared at him. “Are you finished?” “Almost. Good.” “Try not to kill anyone before dinner. I gave him a look. He laughed. I didn’t. We continued walking. The palace doors opened. And I stepped inside. For the first time in eighteen years, I was standing in the home of the man I had sworn to kill. My heart was beating too fast. Not from fear. I wasn’t afraid. I couldn’t be. I had spent years preparing for this. I took a deep breath