The morning sun should have been kind.
But light in Valenhart was a sharp thing—
Made to expose, not warm.
And in the palace's eastern hall, beneath banners of old wars and older betrayals,
Elara met Cladus.
Alone.
Again.
---
"You followed me," she said, without turning.
"Yes."
"You watched us."
"Yes," he said again. Calm. Cold.
But not unkind.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because he's not the only one keeping secrets."
She turned.
And Cladus—her knight, her wall, her silence—
Looked straight into her fire.
"I was meant to kill you," he said.
---
The words didn't echo.
They sank.
Like stones in deep water.
"Say it again," Elara said, voice like cracked glass.
"On the night of your coronation. I was under orders. From the Chancellor."
"He feared your alliance with the Isles. Feared the bloodline you carried."
"I was told you'd be... an obstacle."
Elara didn't speak.
Her hands trembled. Just once. Then were still.
"But you didn't do it."
"No."
"Why?"
Cladus's voice was lower now. Rough.
"Because you looked me in the eye."
"And didn't flinch."
"Because you stood, alone, when every man at court bowed with knives behind their backs."
"Because I saw not a queen… but a woman who didn't deserve to be buried for breathing."
---
Elara stepped closer.
"So you lied."
"Yes."
"And you stayed."
"Yes."
"And now?"
He didn't blink.
"Now I'd die before I let them touch you."
---
Outside the chamber, Auren leaned against the wall.
He hadn't meant to eavesdrop. Not really.
But he had.
And for the first time in days—
He smiled.
Not a jester's grin.
But something quieter.
"Well, well, Cladus," he muttered.
"You're finally playing the game."
But then—his smile faltered.
Because behind him…
Maelric stood, watching.
"Careful, Your Highness," the man said.
"Every time you grow a heart, someone's waiting with a knife."
---
Meanwhile, Serina met with a courier cloaked in red.
"The vote has passed," she said. "The council moves to appoint Maelric as Lord Regent."
"And Elara?"
"Let her hold her little throne," Serina whispered, tucking the scroll away.
"For now."
"Let her believe in her knight and her fool."
"Until I burn them both."