Chapter 41
EIGHT MONTHS LATER
The weight of the past eight months settled heavily on my shoulders as I stood before the gates of Zaire, the kingdom that had shaped my deepest scars. The once-familiar walls rose high above me, their stone faces a monument to everything I had lost. But I was not the same woman who had walked through those gates years ago.
My reflection in the small hand mirror Kaelin had given me barely resembled the girl I used to be. My once-dark curls were now snow-white, a striking contrast to my olive-toned skin. The Otsayak mark on my forehead—once my greatest shame—was hidden beneath layers of fair makeup. Kaelin had called the transformation necessary. "They cannot suspect you," she'd said. "The moment they do, it's over."
“That is why we must hide the mark. They would never see you coming.”
I tucked the mirror away and adjusted the hem of my emerald traveling cloak. The color was a gift from the court in Braam, a symbol of their support and silent reminder of my purpose. The court that had housed Kaelin and I for so long and provided us with the tools we needed to bring down the kingdom that has caused me so much pain.
My name, too, was different. Arin. A name plucked from the ether, unremarkable yet distinct enough to draw polite curiosity.
The court of Braam had trained me well. Diplomacy, subterfuge, and combat—all were tools I had honed under Kaelin's careful eye. But more than anything, it was my memories that made me the perfect emissary for this mission. I knew every corridor, every hidden nook of the castle in Zaire. I knew its people, their rhythms, their weaknesses. And I knew the man at its center.
Rowan.
Crown Prince Rowan, he had rose to prominence and fame after I had left. The people loved him once again, they revered him. And his wife, oh his new wife beside him. I didn’t want to think too much about it, but that image of he and Lady Isabelle Carstairs was burned in my head. I couldn’t forget it. No matter how much I tried.
His name was a quiet storm in my mind, a steady pulse of fury and heartache. I hadn't seen him since that day on the balcony. The day where he had shattered my heart. The day where he had married someone else while forgetting that I existed. I hadn't let myself dwell on what I would say or do when I saw him again. All I knew was that I was here to destroy him, to tear down everything he held dear, just as he had done to me.
Kaelin's voice echoed in my memory, steady and clear. "You're not going there to kill him, Ariadne. Not yet. You're going there to unmake their entire kingdom. Piece by piece."
"Arin."
The voice snapped me back to the present. It was one of the guards, a grizzled man with a scar cutting across his cheek. "We've been expecting you. The Alpha King has ordered your safe passage."
I forced a polite smile, lowering my hood to reveal my altered hair. His eyes lingered for a moment, a flicker of surprise in his expression before he gestured for me to follow.
"Thank you," I said, my voice carefully measured to convey gratitude without subservience. The voice of an emissary, not a supplicant.
As we passed through the gates, I let my eyes drink in the sights I had once taken for granted. The sprawling marketplace just inside the walls, the grand avenue leading up to the castle, the banners bearing the crest of the Alpha King. It was all as I remembered, yet somehow smaller, as though the years had diminished its grandeur.
When we reached the castle, a steward stepped forward to greet me. He was a wiry man with sharp features and an air of efficiency. "Lady Arin, welcome to Zaire. Your arrival has been much anticipated. The Alpha King is eager to meet you."
“We are so glad you have come all this way. It’s been decades since an emissary from Braam has stepped on this soil.”
The Alpha King. Rowan.
The title sat uneasily in my chest, a reminder of how much had changed since I had been gone.
About a month ago the Alpha King had died, Rowan took his father’s place. It was one of the reasons she had been able to come into the kingdom in the first place. Rowan wanted to mend the kingdom’s relationship with other kingdoms. A noble act, but it was the act that would ultimately be his downfall.
"I am honored to be here," I replied smoothly, inclining my head. "Please convey my gratitude to the king for his generosity in hosting me."
The steward nodded and motioned for me to follow him inside. As I stepped into the castle, the memories came rushing back, vivid and unrelenting. The grand hall with its high, vaulted ceilings. The polished marble floors that gleamed like ice. The faint scent of lavender and smoke that always lingered in the air.
But this time, I was not a prisoner or a servant. I was not a woman forced to be a bride. I was not the Crown Prince’s wife. I was an emissary, a representative of Braam's court. And I had come to destroy the kingdom that had destroyed me.
Kaelin's final words to me rang in my ears as I walked: "Remember, Arin, revenge is not about rage or recklessness. It's about precision. It's about patience. You are the blade in the dark, the storm they will never see coming."
I squared my shoulders and lifted my chin. Whatever lay ahead, I was ready. Rowan may not have remembered me, but by the time I was done, neither he nor his kingdom would ever forget my name.
“The Queen is here to welcome you.”
The steward said abruptly.
My heart skipped a beat.
Isabelle was queen now.
I wasn’t expecting to see her. Not so soon.
I raised my head and my eyes met hers.
She embodied every bit of the queenly role she was to play. She was dressed in finery. Her hair and skin looked flawless and she had a radiant smile on her face.
“Good day your Highness.”
I said as I bowed a little. I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t afford to raise any suspicions.
Queen Isabelle’s eyebrow raised ever so slightly.
“Welcome to Zaire Lady Arin. We are pleased to have you here.”
“Indeed. Your highness.”
“You look familiar. Have we met before?”
She asked abruptly and I looked at her and gave her a small smile.
“Where would we possibly have met your highness?”
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