Liora didn’t sleep well.
Not because of the headache.
Not because of the strange flower.
And definitely not because of the floating laundry.
She couldn’t stop thinking about what she had heard.
She deserves to know when the time comes.
What did that mean?
What didn’t she know?
And why did Aurelia sound as though she already knew something?
Liora turned onto her side.
“Stop thinking about it.”
She closed her eyes.
Five seconds later, she opened them again.
“No.”
She sat up.
“I hate mysteries.”
Unfortunately, she had somehow ended up living inside one.
The next morning, Liora avoided Lucien.
Not deliberately.
At least, that was what she told herself.
She simply happened to take a different staircase.
She happened to eat breakfast in the kitchen instead of the dining room.
She happened to organize the west wing while Lucien was in the library.
And when he entered the west wing— she immediately went to the garden.
By noon, even the cook had noticed.
“You two argued?”
Liora nearly dropped a plate.
“No.”
“Then why are you avoiding him?”
“I’m not.”
The cook raised an eyebrow.
“You’ve been doing it all morning.”
Liora sighed.
“Maybe I just have work.”
“You’ve been polishing the same table for ten minutes.”
She looked down.
The table was practically shining.
“Very clean.”
The cook laughed.
Eventually, Liora couldn’t avoid Lucien anymore.
He found her in the garden.
She was sitting beneath the same tree where they had talked the day before.
He approached.
“You’re avoiding me.”
Liora looked up.
“No.”
“You are.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“Doing what?”
“Things.”
“What things?”
“Important things.”
He stared at her.
She stared back.
Finally, he sat beside her.
“Did I do something?”
The question caught her off guard.
She expected irritation.
Not concern.
“No.”
“Then what is it?”
Liora looked away.
She could ask.
She could simply say:
What don’t I know?
But something stopped her.
Maybe pride.
Maybe fear.
Maybe because she wasn’t ready for the answer.
“Nothing.”
Lucien studied her.
“You don’t have to tell me.”
She looked at him.
“But if something is bothering you, you can.”
Liora smiled faintly.
“That’s the problem.”
“You always make it difficult to stay angry with you.”
A small smile appeared on his face.
“Good.”
She laughed.
“You’re enjoying this.”
“A little.”
A messenger arrived before they could say anything else.
He bowed.
“Your Majesty.”
Liora stood.
Lucien accepted the sealed letter.
His expression changed as he read it.
“What is it?” Liora asked.
“Another Council summons.”
“Again?”
“They’re requesting my presence tomorrow.”
“About the engagement?”
“Partly.”
Liora hesitated.
“Are they trying to force you to marry Vivienne?”
Lucien looked at her.
“They’re trying to force me to do what benefits them.”
Liora nodded.
That sounded more like the Lucien she knew.
“What will you do?”
“Refuse.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
She smiled.
“Good.”
He looked at her.
“You sound pleased.”
“I am.”
“Why?”
“Because nobody should be forced into marriage.”
Lucien’s expression softened.
“No.”
He looked away.
“Nobody should.”
Later that afternoon, Celeste arrived.
Liora immediately dragged her into her room.
“I have a problem.”
Celeste sat down.
“What happened?”
“I overheard Lucien and Aurelia talking.”
Celeste’s eyes widened.
“About what?”
“Me.”
“What did they say?”
Liora explained.
Celeste listened carefully.
When she finished, Celeste was quiet.
“What?”
“I don’t know.”
“That isn’t helpful.”
“I’m thinking.”
Liora sat beside her.
“What do you think?”
Celeste considered it.
“I think Lucien cares about you.”
“I know.”
“I think Aurelia knows.”
“I know.”
“And I think there is something Lucien hasn’t told you.”
Liora groaned.
“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”
“But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad.”
“What else could it be?”
Celeste shrugged.
“Politics.”
Liora thought about it.
That made sense.
Lucien was the Demon King.
There were Council members who wanted to control him.
There were nobles watching her.
There were things she didn’t understand.
Maybe it was simply politics.
“You’re probably right.”
Celeste smiled.
“I usually am.”
Liora rolled her eyes.
That evening, Liora returned to work.
She was carrying a stack of books toward the library when one slipped from her hands.
She caught it before it hit the floor.
The cover was old.
Dark leather.
A silver symbol was carved into the front.
Liora froze.
The same symbol.
Her fingers hovered above it.
She shouldn’t touch it.
She knew that.
But curiosity won.
Her fingertips brushed the cover.
The world disappeared.
A woman stood in a dark room.
Silver hair.
Tears in her eyes.
She was holding a baby.
Someone was shouting outside the door.
“They’re coming.”
The woman looked down at the child.
“Take her.”
A man’s voice answered.
“I can’t.”
“You must.”
The woman pressed something into the baby’s hand.
A pendant.
Liora’s breath caught.
She saw the pendant clearly.
The same pendant she had carried since childhood.
The vision shattered.
Liora stumbled backward.
The book fell to the floor.
Her head throbbed.
She pressed a hand against it.
“What…”
Footsteps approached.
Lucien.
He stopped when he saw her.
“Liora?”
She looked at him.
For once, she didn’t pretend she was fine.
“I saw it again.”
He immediately walked toward her.
“What did you see?”
“A woman.”
His expression changed.
“Who?”
“I don’t know.”
She swallowed.
“She had a baby.”
Lucien’s eyes narrowed.
“What else?”
“Someone was coming.”
She looked down at the book.
“And she gave the baby something.”
“What?”
Liora slowly touched the pendant around her neck.
“This.”
Lucien went completely still.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Liora looked into his eyes.
“Lucien.”
“Yes?”
“I think the baby was me.”
The silence that followed felt enormous.
Lucien didn’t answer.
And that frightened her more than anything else.
Because for the first time, Liora wondered if he already knew.