The King's Secret

The grand throne room was an overwhelming display of opulence and power. Marble columns reached to the heavens, gilt in gold filigree, while tapestries depicting the kingdom's victories draped across the walls. Yet as Leona entered the chamber with the other palace servants, her stomach twisted in her body.

The King of Arlancia sat upon his gilt throne, an air of command in every line. His warm smile and avuncular manner had always made him one of the most likable figures in the tale. Today, as she curtsied and fell into her place among the other maids, Leona's eyes lingered on him, an insistent tingling of her instincts that something was not quite right.

"Leona," the robotic voice whispered inside her head, startling her.

She kept her face blank as she moved to dust a nearby pillar, making a great show of not having heard anything out of the ordinary.

"Critical discovery imminent. Observe carefully."

Her heartbeat quickened. The voice had never given her a warning like this before. Whatever was going to happen, it would change everything.

The massive double doors creaked open, and Duke Magnus strode into the room, his presence as oppressive as ever. His dark cloak billowed behind him, and his cold eyes scanned the room before settling on the king.

"Magnus," the king greeted warmly, rising from his throne. "You've come sooner than expected."

Leona nearly dropped her duster. The king's tone was not one of a ruler to a subordinate. It was… casual. Familiar.

"Your Majesty," Magnus replied, his head bowed slightly. "The matter we discussed requires immediate attention.

Leona's heart thudded in her chest as she edged closer, pretending to adjust a vase on a nearby pedestal. The other servants paid little attention, their tasks keeping them occupied, but Leona strained to catch every word.

The king gestured toward a side door. "Come. We'll speak privately."

As they vanished into the next room, Leona's mind ran a mile a minute. Magnus and the king in cahoots? That wasn't how it was supposed to go. The king was supposed to be a paragon of virtue, a guiding influence for Cedric and Vivienne. If he had allied himself with Magnus, it meant the corruption in the story ran deeper than she had realized.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the robotic voice:

New target identified: King Alden. Deviation from original alignment detected."

Leona's stomach hit the floor. "Two targets at once? You have got to be freaking kidding me," she muttered.

"Immediate action required. Failure to correct alignment will result in systemic collapse."

"Yeah, no pressure," she said under her breath.

The voice fell silent, and Leona was left alone with her spiraling thoughts. She had to know what was being said behind those closed doors. She glanced around, making sure no one was watching, before edging closer to the side chamber. The heavy oak door was ajar, allowing her to catch snippets of the conversation.

"…delay the announcement," Magnus was saying. "If the prince learns of this, it could jeopardize everything."

The prince? Cedric?

The king spoke in a very soft tone, though the words were firm. "Cedric is loyal, but he is too idealistic. He would never understand the necessity of our actions. The alliance with the southern territories is crucial for the kingdom's survival.

Alliance? Leona's brow furrowed. In the original, the southern territories were Arlancia's enemies, a looming threat that was to force Cedric and Vivienne to unite their strengths. If the king conspired with them, he would completely drive the story off course.

"And the heroine?" Magnus asked with disdain.

"Vivienne poses no threat," the king replied dismissively. "Her spirit is broken. She's no longer the shining beacon the prophecy foretold. If anything, she's a liability."

Leona's grip tightened on the doorframe. Rage bubbled within her, but she forced herself to stay calm. They were underestimating Vivienne. The heroine wasn't broken—she was just waiting for her moment to rise.

"I trust you'll handle any… complications?" the king continued.

Magnus chuckled darkly. "Consider it done, Your Majesty."

Leona knew she couldn't stay any longer. If she was caught eavesdropping, her precarious position as a maid would be the least of her worries. She slipped away silently, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts.

Back in the servant's quarter, Leona paced up and down the small room shared with two other maids as her heart pounded to take in all that she heard: the king wasn't only some ally for Magnus; the man had actually plunged full-time into works intended to cut Cedric and Vivienne's paths of resolve. It was then that she spoke once again, repeating:

"New task created for restoring King Alden back to a benevolent ruler archetype.

Leona groaned. "Yeah, because that's going to be so easy," she muttered.

"Strategy suggestion: Use Cedric and Vivienne to affect King Alden. Time is of the essence."

"Oh, of course it is," Leona said, throwing up her hands. "Time is always of the essence.

But the voice had a point: if she could get Cedric and Vivienne in front of the king, the resulting confrontation might be sufficient to remind him of where his duties lay. And that was the question: how to make that happen, without revealing herself.

Next morning, Leona sought out Cedric. She found him at the training grounds. With his flowing movements, Cedric sparring with one of his knights was more or less a demonstration on finesse-precision. Rigorous training over the years seemed to have paid well, and yet there seemed a fire in his eyes, betrayed by frustration.

On noticing her, he sheathed his sword and asked his knight with a nod. "Leona," the gruffness in his voice turning soft. "What brings you here?

Leona fumbled over how to approach the subject. "I… overheard something troubling," she finally said.

Cedric's brow furrowed in concern. "What is it?"

Taking a deep breath, Leona related what she had heard in the throne room. She omitted her suspicions that the story was a construct and framed it as political intrigue.

Cedric's jaw tightened as she spoke. "If what you're saying is true, this is more than troubling. It's treasonous."

"I don't think the king sees it that way," Leona said carefully. "He believes he's doing what's best for the kingdom."

"That doesn't make it right," Cedric said, his voice firm.

Leona placed a hand on his arm, meeting his gaze. "Cedric, you're the only one who can confront him. He needs to be reminded of what he stands for—what this kingdom stands for."

Cedric's expression softened, but there was a shadow of doubt in his eyes. "And if he doesn't listen?"

Leona hesitated, unsure how to answer. "Then we'll find another way."

Later that day, Leona sought out Vivienne. She found the heroine in the garden, practicing her swordsmanship. The movements of Vivienne were sharp and precise, far from the broken woman Leona had first met.

"Vivienne," Leona said, stepping forward.

The heroine lowered her sword, the brow glistening with sweat. "What is it?"

"I need your help," Leona said. "The king and Magnus are conspiring against Cedric. If we don't stop them, everything we've worked for will be for nothing."

Vivienne's eyes narrowed. "What do you need me to do?

Leona explained her plan. It was risky, but it was their best chance to bring the king back onto the right path. Together, they would confront him and make him face the consequences of his actions.

And with this final plan, Leona had that feeling that this was still only the beginning. What she did not count on was the king's betrayal, and now her mind was filled with what other things this world could be concealing.

But one thing was for sure: She couldn't afford to fail. The story was supposed to go one way, and not her survival.