Kaelen took a slow step forward, his gaze never wavering. “You heard me.”
“No,” Elira breathed, shaking her head. “You’re lying. You’re trying to protect them.”
“I’m not,” Kaelen said evenly. “Yes, Evelyn poisoned his food—but she never meant to kill him. That was me. I swapped her potion with something lethal.”
Margret gasped, a hand flying to her mouth.
Elira’s hands trembled around the sword. “But… why?”
Kaelen let out a bitter chuckle. “You really have to ask?” His voice was filled with years of resentment, anger, and betrayal. “He took everything from me. The throne. My birthright. My father’s attention. I was nothing while he was everything.” His voice cracked slightly, but he quickly masked it.
“I was supposed to be king,” he continued. “But instead, I became a disgrace. My ow
