The Queen They Betrayed

CHAPTER FIVE: THE HEART BENEATH THE PALACE

The sound came again.

Thump.

The ground beneath our feet trembled.

I pressed my back against the stone wall.

Kesean stood in front of me, sword drawn, his eyes fixed on the darkness ahead.

"Tell me that's normal," I whispered.

"It isn't."

"Wonderful."

Another thump.

Dust fell from the ceiling.

I swallowed.

"What did we wake up?"

"I don't know."

"You keep saying that."

"Because it's true."

We moved deeper into the passage.

The walls were covered in ancient carvings—queens, kings, armies, and strange symbols I'd never seen in the palace's history books.

At the end of the tunnel stood a massive stone door.

There was no handle.

Only the symbol of a crown split in two.

My pendant began glowing again.

Kesean looked at it.

"Don't touch the door."

I stopped.

"Why?"

"Because everything that has happened tonight started with that symbol."

He was right.

Unfortunately, I was also curious.

I raised my hand.

"Aurelia."

"I just want to see."

"That's how people get killed in stories."

I glanced at him.

"We're already being hunted."

"That's not an argument."

"It is to me."

I touched the symbol.

The door opened.

Kesean stared at me.

"I hate when you're right."

"I know."

Beyond the door was a circular chamber.

At its center stood a massive black stone surrounded by shallow water.

And carved into the stone were hundreds of names.

I stepped closer.

Then I saw the first one.

AURELIAN.

My family name.

Below it were generations of rulers.

King after king.

Queen after queen.

And at the very bottom was a blank space.

Kesean walked beside me.

"Why is there an empty line?"

I shook my head.

"I don't know."

A whisper moved through the chamber.

Not a voice.

More like the sound of wind passing through trees.

Then the black stone lit up.

A golden image appeared above it.

A crown.

My crown.

The exact crown I had worn that evening.

I stared.

"That's impossible."

Kesean looked at me.

"What?"

"The crown."

"What about it?"

"It isn't just a symbol."

The realization hit me.

"The crown is a key."

Before Kesean could answer, footsteps echoed behind us.

We turned.

A figure stood at the entrance.

A hood covered their face.

Kesean raised his sword.

"Stay behind me."

The figure laughed softly.

"You always were protective of her."

My blood went cold.

I knew that voice.

Kesean lowered his sword slightly.

"No."

The figure pulled down their hood.

I stared.

It couldn't be.

"Prince Lucien."

My cousin smiled.

"Hello, Aurelia."

Everything inside me froze.

Lucien had been the golden prince of Elaria for as long as I could remember.

Charming.

Polite.

Perfect.

He had been standing beside me at countless royal ceremonies.

He had danced with me during celebrations.

He had called me family.

Now he stood in the hidden chamber beneath the kingdom.

And he wasn't alone.

Several armed soldiers appeared behind him.

Kesean stepped forward.

"How did you find us?"

Lucien's smile widened.

"You really think your mother was the only person who knew about these tunnels?"

My fingers curled around the pendant.

"You knew."

"Of course."

"About the conspiracy?"

"About everything."

My heart pounded.

"You helped them."

Lucien's expression became serious.

"I helped myself."

He looked toward the black stone.

"You were never supposed to inherit the throne, Aurelia."

I stared at him.

"What?"

"Your father changed the succession."

"Why?"

"Because he discovered what was beneath the palace."

Lucien walked toward the stone.

"He believed the Aurelian bloodline should continue."

"And you disagreed?"

"No."

He looked at me.

"I agreed completely."

His smile returned.

"Which is why I need you alive."

Kesean tightened his grip on his sword.

"You won't touch her."

Lucien sighed.

"Kesean, you're still loyal to the wrong people."

"At least I know who I serve."

Lucien's eyes narrowed.

"Do you?"

Silence.

Then he looked at me.

"Ask him what happened the night your mother disappeared."

I turned toward Kesean.

His face had gone pale.

"Kesean?"

He didn't answer.

Lucien smiled.

"There it is."

My stomach dropped.

"What aren't you telling me?"

Kesean looked at me.

"Aurelia—"

"Tell me."

He opened his mouth.

Then the chamber shook violently.

The black stone cracked.

Golden light erupted from beneath it.

Everyone froze.

Lucien's expression changed.

For the first time, he looked genuinely afraid.

The stone split open.

A voice filled the chamber.

Ancient.

Cold.

Powerful.

"THE HEIR HAS RETURNED."

I couldn't move.

The voice spoke again.

"THE BLOODLINE MUST CHOOSE."

Then the chamber went completely dark.

And someone screamed.