Chapter 102

She took another sip, then another. 

We sat at the terrace for a while, with me looking out and admiring the scenery, while the tonic slowly took effect on Beatrice. 

After what seemed to be like forever, slowly, her posture loosened, and she blinked sluggishly.

"Your highness," she mumbled, her voice slurring. "I feel... so tired..."

I leaned forward. "Then you should rest."

She slumped forward, her head hitting the table with a soft thud.

I exhaled, pushing my teacup aside. The tonic wouldn't keep her out for long—I had to move quickly. I slipped out of my chambers, my feet light against the stone floor.

But before I could make it out of the hall, a familiar voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Where are you going, Princess Arin?"

I turned slowly to face the Royal Concubine, her sharp eyes glinting in the dim torchlight.

"My lady," I greeted smoothly, forcing a polite smile. "I was just going to see Lucian."

Elana arched a delicate brow. "At this hour?"

"I can't sleep," I lied. "I'm worried sick about him, I think I'll stay by his side for a while, just to be sure he is fine." 

Her eyes studied me, searching for any hint of deception. Then, to my horror, she said, "I will accompany you."

My heart pounded. "That won't be necessary—"

"Nonsense," she cut in. "Lucian is my son. I should check on him, too. He's been left alone for far too long." 

I had no choice but to nod.

Together, we made our way to the royal infirmary. He was asleep when we arrived, his face pale and his breathing uneven. The healers had wrapped his shattered leg tightly, but even in sleep, his pain was evident.

Elana approached the bed, brushing her fingers over his forehead. "My poor son," she murmured.

I sat beside him, pretending to adjust his covers. My mind raced, trying to figure out how to slip away once she left.

Elana sighed and turned to me. "You should always stay by his side, as a good wife should. Perhaps your presence will motivate him to be healed quickly." 

I lowered my gaze modestly. "It is my duty. I shall stay by his side for as long as he needs me. It's the least I could do." 

She studied me again before nodding. "Yes. You're right. Very well. I will let you stay with him, I must retire for bed." 

Relief flooded through me as she turned and left the room.

I waited until her footsteps faded, then counted to ten before rising to my feet. I was running out of time.

Kaelin was waiting.

.................

I pulled my cloak tighter around me as I slipped through the castle gardens, my heart hammering in my chest. Every shadow felt like it was watching me, every distant sound made me want to turn back—but I forced myself to keep going.

Kaelin was waiting.

When I finally reached the eastern gate, she was already there, leaning against the stone wall, arms crossed. Her dark eyes flicked over me as I approached.

"You took your time. I didn't think you were cooking anymore," she said, pushing off the wall.

"I had to be careful," I whispered back. "My new handmaiden was watching me like a hawk, and the Royal Concubine nearly caught me."

Kaelin sighed. "This is why you need to move faster. We need to end this soon or you'll get caught. You know that don't you?!" 

I frowned. "You think I don't know that? Every night that I come to meet you, I'm risking my life. If they find out that I'm meeting you like this, it would be my head on the chopping block, not yours." 

She studied me for a moment before nodding toward the trees. "That won't happen. Come on. We need to talk."

I followed her into the cover of the trees, away from the risk of prying eyes. As soon as we were hidden, I turned to her. "I'm sure by now you've heard of Isabelle being deposed. Apparently the Royal Concubine and Lucian planned it." 

"Oh we've all heard. Is it true that Rowan is impotent?"

"You heard that too?!" I asked as I exclaimed.

"It's all everyone can think of. They want to know if Isabelle is right. They were married for so long, pretended to be a happy loving couple, of course the public would think something must have been wrong somewhere." 

"Well... you should know that the Royal concubine also planted those rumours. She must think this would work in her favour, especially since Lucian plans to take the throne."

Kaelin's expression didn't change. "Of course he does. He's resented Rowan ever since from taking it away from him." 

"No, Kaelin. He's serious," I pressed. "He's already plotting, and he thinks I can help him because he truly believes I'm related to the emperor in Braam. I think that's why he married me in the first place, because he believes that he can request foreign aid from Braam through me." 

Kaelin's lips curled into a smirk. "Good. That's very good." 

I blinked. "Good?"

She stepped closer, lowering her  voice. "Don't you see? If Lucian believes you can help him take the throne, then you need to let him believe it. This will work in our favour." 

My stomach twisted. "Kaelin, that's dangerous."

"It's necessary," she countered. "If he trusts you enough, he'll let his guard down. And when the time is right, we can bring him down alongside the rest of them. It's what we've always wanted." 

I shook my head. "You don't understand. He's convinced that Rowan stole the crown from him. He's bitter. If we even give him a sliver of hope that he can be king—"

Kaelin cut me off. "Then he'll be blind to everything else. Which is exactly what we need."

A chill ran down my spine. "This is reckless."

Kaelin sighed. "Arin, we don't have a choice. The wolf clans are already losing faith in Rowan. If Lucian succeeds in turning them against him, it won't matter whether he deserves the throne or not. He'll take it. And then what?"

I swallowed hard. "I know."

"Then you need to act like you're on his side," she said firmly. "Make him believe you can get Braam's support. Make him trust you. When the time comes, we'll use it against him."

I hesitated. "What if he realizes what I'm doing?"

Kaelin smirked. "Then we'll just have to make sure he doesn't."

I let out a slow breath. "This is dangerous."

"Everything about this mission is dangerous," Kaelin reminded me. "You knew that when you agreed to it. You knew the odd from the very first day. You begged to do this." 

I clenched my jaw. "I just don't think we should be giving him hope that he can be king. Do you know how dangerous that is? What if he actually finds a way to make it happen?"

Kaelin's expression darkened. "He won't."

A sharp wind blew through the trees, making my cloak billow.

Kaelin stepped closer, her tone more serious now. "Listen, Arin. You've been taking too long. They're already starting to wonder if you're delaying things on purpose. And you know how things are in Braam, if they think you've deviated from the original plan or you're delaying things on purpose, you know what they will do to you." 

I stiffened. "I'm not—"

"I know that," Kaelin said, cutting me off. "But they don't know that. You're still an outsider to them, you were barely in Braam for a year, they are still cautious of you. If you're not careful, they'll replace you."

A cold knot formed in my stomach. "Replace me?"

Kaelin nodded. "You're valuable, but you're not irreplaceable. Someone else can easily do this mission as well as you. We know Lucian won't bat an eyelid if he has to marry another woman from Braam, as long as it aligns with his interest." 

I swallowed hard.

Kaelin softened slightly. "I don't want to see that happen. But you need to prove that you're making progress. Fast."

I exhaled slowly, feeling the weight of my position settle heavily on my shoulders.

"I understand," I said finally.

Kaelin nodded in approval. "Good. Then do what you have to do."

I hesitated for just a second before nodding. "I'll deliver."

"You better," Kaelin said, before slipping back into the darkness.

I stood there for a moment, my heart pounding, before turning and making my way back to the castle.

This was getting more dangerous by the second. Worse still, I still didn't know which side I should be on.

..........................

The next morning, I sat on the edge of my bed, pressing a hand to my stomach as another wave of nausea rolled through me. My body felt heavy, my skin clammy, and every scent in the room seemed unbearably strong. I took a slow breath, willing myself to keep it together. This was getting harder to hide. In a few weeks, I would grow a belly, something I would be unable to hide from someone as nosy as Beatrice. 

A soft knock sounded at the door before Beatrice stepped in, holding a silver tray with a neatly folded letter. "A message for you, my lady. From the Queen Dowager."