CHAPTER 18 - A Shift in Power
450 Words
By morning, the palace had already begun whispering.
Not loudly.
Not openly.
But enough.
Amina could feel it in the air as she walked through the corridors. The glances had changed again.
Less curiosity.
More suspicion.
And something else—
Interest.
“She was questioned,” one voice murmured as she passed.
“But she’s still here,” another replied.
“That’s the strange part.”
Amina kept walking.
Head steady.
Steps controlled.
Because reacting would only feed it.
But inside—
Her thoughts were anything but calm.
Across the palace, Adjoa stood near the window, her expression unreadable.
“She wasn’t dismissed,” the girl beside her said quietly.
Adjoa didn’t respond immediately.
Because that part… she had already noticed.
“What happened?” the girl asked.
Adjoa’s gaze hardened slightly.
“The prince happened.”
Silence followed.
That was the problem.
Not Amina.
Not the mistake.
But his involvement.
Adjoa turned away from the window, her mind already adjusting.
Plans were meant to evolve.
And this one—
Had just become more interesting.
Later that afternoon, Amina was called again.
This time—
To a different part of the palace.
She entered cautiously.
And found him already there.
The prince stood near a table, reviewing something, his posture relaxed but focused.
“You wanted to see me?” she asked.
He didn’t look up immediately.
“Yes.”
Amina waited.
Silence stretched.
Then—
“You were right,” he said.
Her brows drew slightly together.
“About what?”
“That it was a setup.”
He finally looked at her.
“We found inconsistencies.”
Amina exhaled quietly.
Not relief.
Not fully.
But something close.
“Thank you,” she said.
“For what?” he asked.
“For not assuming the worst.”
The prince studied her.
“I did,” he said plainly.
Amina stilled.
“I just didn’t stop there.”
That hit differently.
Because it was honest.
Uncomfortably honest.
And somehow…
That mattered more than blind trust.
“I’ll be more careful,” she said.
“You will,” he replied. “Because next time, I might not intervene.”
A warning.
Clear.
Unsoftened.
But not cruel.
Amina nodded.
“I understand.”
He stepped closer.
Not enough to cross a line.
But enough to make the space between them feel smaller.
“You don’t belong in trouble,” he said quietly.
The words lingered.
Amina met his gaze.
“Then I’ll stay out of it."
A small pause.
Then—
“That may not be entirely up to you.”
And just like that—
The distance between them wasn’t just physical anymore.
It was something else.
Something forming.
Something dangerous.
- Writer
