Chapter 4
1092 Words
The Prince's Betrayal
“Daughter, the prince will betray you.”
The words echoed inside my mind long after the silver crown stopped turning. I stared at Adrian, searching his face for the cruelty hidden beneath his beautiful features. He stood before me with his sword lowered, his silver blue eyes filled with confusion and something dangerously close to tenderness.
“What did you hear?” he asked.
I stepped away from him. “Nothing.”
His expression tightened. “Evelina, please.”
“Do not say my name as though you know me.”
The hurt in his eyes should have satisfied me. Instead, it awakened an ache I could neither understand nor control. Only moments earlier, his arrival had felt like salvation. Now every breath reminded me that his family might have murdered mine.
Mara hurried toward us, pressing a cloth against the cut on my palm. “We cannot remain here. The queen will send more guards.”
The masked stranger rose slowly. “She has already sent them.”
A deep rumble shook the chapel. Dust fell from the ceiling, and the silver crown dropped onto the altar with a sound like thunder. Its light vanished, leaving behind a thin golden crack across the stone.
Adrian grabbed my hand.
“Run!”
This time, I did not resist.
We hurried through the hidden passage as the chapel collapsed behind us. Mara followed, while the masked stranger remained at the entrance, raising both arms. Shadows swallowed the doorway just before the falling stones could crush him.
I wanted to turn back, but Adrian pulled me forward.
“Who is he?” I demanded.
“Someone my father ordered imprisoned beneath the palace,” Adrian replied. “I thought he had died years ago.”
“You knew about him?”
“I knew about the prisoner. I did not know he was your uncle.”
His answer chilled me. There were too many secrets buried beneath this palace, and every revelation seemed to uncover something worse.
The passage ended at a narrow staircase opening into an abandoned library. Adrian closed the concealed door behind us and leaned against it, breathing heavily.
For the first time, we were alone.
Rain tapped against the tall windows. Dust floated through the moonlight, illuminating rows of forgotten books. Adrian's sleeve was stained with blood, and I noticed his hand trembling around the sword.
“You are hurt,” I said despite myself.
“It is nothing.”
“Princes always seem to believe pain makes them stronger.”
“And princesses apparently believe pretending not to care makes them invincible.”
His faint smile almost broke my resolve.
I reached toward his injured shoulder, then stopped. He watched me carefully, waiting for permission rather than taking my hand as he had before.
That small kindness hurt more than I expected.
“Why did you save me?” I whispered.
“Because I could not bear watching them kill you.”
“Even if I am your enemy?”
His eyes searched mine.
“Especially if you are.”
For one reckless moment, the world narrowed to the space between us. I could see the tiny scar beside his eyebrow and the exhaustion beneath his eyes. My heart betrayed me, leaning toward a man my instincts warned me to fear.
Then the prophecy returned.
The prince will betray you.
I stepped away.
“Take me to Mara's chambers. I need answers.”
Before Adrian could respond, the library doors opened.
Queen Seraphina entered alone, dressed in a midnight gown, her golden crown glittering beneath the lamps. She carried no weapon, yet the guards waiting beyond the doorway stood as though afraid to breathe.
Her gaze settled on our joined hands.
“How touching,” she murmured. “The last Ashbourne heir and my son, playing at destiny.”
Adrian moved in front of me. “You will not touch her.”
The queen smiled sadly.
“My dear boy, I have spent eighteen years protecting you from her.”
“Protecting me from what?”
“From the truth.”
She looked directly at me.
“Your mother did not die during the attack, Evelina. She survived long enough to make a bargain with your father.”
My blood turned cold.
“My father is dead.”
“Is he?” Seraphina asked softly. “Then explain why his seal was discovered on the order commanding the m******e of your family.”
Adrian's face drained of color.
“Mother, stop.”
The queen ignored him and extended a folded parchment toward me. The royal seal was unmistakable: a golden crown split by lightning, identical to the emblem embroidered on the cloak I had worn as a baby.
I unfolded the letter with shaking fingers.
There were only three lines.
The child must live.
The mother must remain imprisoned.
The prince must never learn that his blood carries the curse.
At the bottom stood a signature.
King Aldric Blackthorne.
Adrian stared at his father's name, horror replacing every other emotion.
“That's impossible,” he whispered.
Seraphina's smile disappeared.
“Your father knew what would happen when you fell in love with her.”
I looked at Adrian, my heart breaking beneath the weight of the revelation. He reached for me, but I retreated until my back struck the shelves.
“Evelina, I swear I never knew.”
Before I could answer, the parchment burst into flames between my fingers.
The fire turned black.
A woman's scream rose from somewhere beneath the palace, followed by a voice that made every candle die.
“My daughter has found the letter.”
Queen Seraphina fell to her knees.
Adrian drew his sword.
And I realized the voice belonged to my mother.
The flames vanished, leaving the letter untouched in my hands.
Beneath the floor, chains rattled.
“Mother?” I whispered.
A sudden warmth spread through my birthmark, and the library walls dissolved into darkness. I saw a woman behind iron bars, her dark hair falling across her face. She lifted her head, revealing violet eyes identical to mine.
“Evelina,” she breathed. “Whatever happens, do not let Adrian wear the crown.”
The vision shattered.
When I opened my eyes, Adrian stood beside me, his expression stricken. In his palm rested a golden ring bearing the Blackthorne crest.
It was glowing red.
Seraphina rose slowly, terror replacing her royal composure.
“The curse has awakened,” she whispered.
Then Adrian's eyes turned completely black.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD