CHAPTER THREE — ONE LIE
842 Words
The handle shifted.
Once.
Then again.
Finnian's heart slammed against his ribs.
The hidden door trembled beneath the pressure from the other side.
"My prince?" the servant called again. "Are you inside?"
Alaric didn't take his eyes off Finnian.
"Stay where you are," he whispered.
Before Finnian could respond, Alaric stepped away from him and crossed the narrow corridor with unhurried confidence. He reached the door just as the servant outside tried the handle once more.
The prince rested a hand against the wood.
"I'm here."
The servant immediately stopped.
"My apologies, Your Highness. Lord Cedric sent me. The council has assembled."
"I know."
"They're waiting for you."
"I'll be there shortly."
A brief silence followed.
"Is... everything all right, Your Highness?"
"It is."
Another pause.
Then the servant bowed, his footsteps gradually fading down the corridor.
Finnian didn't dare breathe until the sound disappeared completely.
The corridor fell silent again.
Alaric remained by the door for another moment before turning around.
His expression was unreadable.
"You were fortunate."
Finnian let out the breath he had been holding.
"So were you."
One of Alaric's brows lifted.
"Explain."
"If he had entered..."
Finnian looked around the narrow passage.
"...he would have found a servant standing in your private corridor."
The prince folded his arms.
"And whose fault would that have been?"
Finnian had no answer.
A faint smile touched Alaric's lips.
"You know," he said quietly, "most people would be begging for mercy by now."
"I've never liked begging."
"So I've noticed."
The silence between them returned.
It wasn't uncomfortable.
It was... careful.
Each of them seemed to be measuring the other.
Finally, Alaric spoke.
"What is your real name?"
Finnian's heart skipped.
"My name is Finn Vale."
"I asked for your real name."
"It is my real name."
"Liar."
The word came so effortlessly that Finnian almost smiled.
"You seem very certain."
"I am."
"What makes you think that?"
Alaric's gaze settled on him.
"When I spoke your name earlier..."
He paused.
"...you hesitated."
Finnian's expression remained calm.
"You imagined it."
"No."
"You answered a second too late."
Finnian silently cursed himself.
Such a tiny mistake.
Yet the prince had noticed.
Alaric continued.
"You speak like an educated man."
"You observe like a soldier."
"You lie like someone protecting another person."
His voice softened.
"So..."
"Who are you really?"
Finnian looked away.
"I can't tell you."
"You can't..."
Alaric corrected.
"...or you don't trust me?"
Finnian almost laughed.
"Should I?"
That question lingered between them.
For the first time, Alaric seemed caught off guard.
Instead of answering, he looked toward the ceiling.
"You know what happens to servants who enter this corridor?"
Finnian nodded.
"They're dismissed?"
"No."
The prince's voice was calm.
"They're imprisoned until they're questioned."
Finnian felt his stomach tighten.
"And after that?"
"If they're found guilty of spying..."
Alaric looked back at him.
"...they're executed."
The word settled heavily in the air.
Finnian's fingers curled into fists inside his sleeves.
So that was it.
Death.
Always death.
The Crown never seemed to know another punishment.
Alaric watched the emotions flicker across Finnian's face.
"You're afraid."
"I'm being realistic."
"There's a difference."
Finnian lifted his chin.
"If Your Highness believes I'm a spy..."
He forced the words out steadily.
"...then call the guards."
The prince didn't move.
"I should."
"But you won't."
Alaric studied him carefully.
"You sound very confident."
"No."
Finnian met his eyes.
"I just don't think you're the kind of man who condemns someone before knowing the truth."
For the first time since they met...
The prince fell completely silent.
Those words had landed somewhere deeper than Finnian intended.
Alaric looked at him for what felt like an eternity.
Then, unexpectedly, he stepped aside.
"You may leave."
Finnian blinked.
"...What?"
"I won't repeat myself."
"You... you're letting me go?"
"For today."
Finnian didn't move.
It felt too easy.
Too strange.
"You'll regret it," he said quietly.
Alaric almost smiled.
"Perhaps."
"But something tells me we'll meet again."
Finnian wasn't sure whether that sounded like a warning...
Or a promise.
He walked toward the hidden door.
His hand reached for the handle.
"Finn."
He stopped.
It was the first time the prince had shortened his false name.
Without turning around, Finnian answered,
"Yes, Your Highness?"
"If you ever decide to tell me the truth..."
A brief pause.
"...come to me before someone else finds it first."
Finnian's grip tightened on the handle.
For one dangerous moment...
He almost confessed everything.
Elias.
The broken seal.
The hidden record.
Instead, he simply opened the door.
Bright sunlight flooded into the corridor.
He stepped out.
The door closed softly behind him.
The palace hallway looked exactly as he had left it.
Servants hurried past carrying trays and folded linen.
No one spared him a glance.
It was as if the last few minutes had never happened.
Finnian released a slow breath.
He had survived.
Barely.
As he started walking back toward the servants' quarters, his hand slipped into his pocket.
His expression changed.
He stopped.
The broken royal seal...
...was gone.
- Writer
