Damien’s POV
As I returned to the palace, my footsteps echoed in the silent corridor, but my mind was louder — raging, twisting, consumed. Emily was alive. I saw her eyes, even just for a second before the guards pulled her away at the execution square. I knew her eyes better than anyone else. Ethan lied. He lied straight to my face.
I could have lunged at him right there at the gate, torn the truth from his lips. But something held me back. Not fear. No. Strategy.
“I need to know what he’s hiding,” I muttered to myself, entering my chamber. I paced restlessly. “Why would he lie that she’s been used for a ritual? And why hide her in his kingdom if he really wants her gone?”
There’s only one reason: he wants her. That’s obvious. But why go this far? Is it just lust? Or… something deeper
