CHAPTER NINE: BENEATH THE MASK
531 Words
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*Chapter 9 – Beneath the Mask*
Lucien’s embrace was firm, familiar—yet colder than Liana remembered. His arms wrapped around her with the ease of an old friend, but his gaze lingered too long on her face, like he was trying to read a page she hadn’t written yet.
“It’s been too long,” he said, stepping into the room without waiting for an invitation.
“Yes,” Liana replied cautiously, closing the door behind him.
He looked around her room, pausing at the desk. “Still keeping things neat as always.”
She gave a faint smile. “Some habits are hard to kill.”
Lucien sat on the edge of her bed, far too close to where the documents were hidden beneath the mattress. Her heart raced. She took a seat across from him, forcing herself to breathe evenly.
“I hear you’ve been asking questions,” he said casually.
Her fingers twitched. “About what?”
“Oh, little things.” He shrugged. “Battle records. Personnel files. Old missions that no one cares about anymore. Like Varnholm.”
Liana’s voice barely held steady. “Curious how you’d know that.”
Lucien leaned in. “Because you’re not the only one curious about Kael Idran.”
A silence stretched between them. Heavy. Sharp.
Then he stood, pacing. “Do you know what Kael was before the war? Before the rumors, the exile, the vanishing?”
“No one seems to,” she said, watching him carefully.
Lucien turned, eyes dark. “He was a legend. Until he made one mistake—he cared. He refused an order that went against his conscience. And that made him dangerous.”
“To people like my father?” she asked.
“To everyone,” Lucien corrected. “Including me.”
Liana blinked. “You?”
Lucien’s lips thinned. “He was supposed to be my mentor. My competition. Then he disappeared, and suddenly, I was the golden boy. The favored one.”
“You knew,” she breathed. “You knew the truth all along.”
Lucien looked away. “I knew enough. But you think dragging it all into the light will fix anything? The system doesn’t fall. It adapts. It replaces the traitor and rewards the loyal.”
He took a step closer. “I’m trying to protect you. If you publish that file, you’ll be hunted—not just by your father’s allies, but by those who want to keep the illusion of peace alive. Even Kael would tell you to burn it.”
She stared at him. “Would you burn it?”
Lucien hesitated. “I would… if I knew it would keep you safe.”
His hand brushed hers, warm and gentle.
But her mind screamed.
She realized then that Lucien wasn’t her enemy—but he wasn’t her ally either. He was something far more dangerous.
He was part of the machine.
And machines didn’t stop for the sake of one girl.
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*Next: Chapter 10 – The Whisper Network*
Liana takes the risk of contacting someone in the shadows who claims to know Kael’s real past. Ready for Chapter 10?
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