CHAPTER TWELVE

Kael hasn't said a word to me for two days.

Not a single word. Not even a look.

I try to brush it off.

It doesn't work.

I keep telling myself it doesn't matter, I didn't come here to win over a cursed prince and his moods. But every time I walk by him, every time I see his jaw tighten or his hands clench into fists when our eyes meet, I can't help but feel it.

Something is changing.

It's like walls are cracking, and ice is slowly melting.

Maybe it's nothing.

Maybe it's everything.

He looks at me differently now. I can tell, especially when he avoids looking directly at me like he's scared of what he'll see.

But I think he listens. When he thinks I'm not talking to him, I'm pretty sure he waits to hear me laughing with the staff or humming as I wander the library. He hangs around, just out of sight, like a shadow that isn't sure about the light near it.

But tonight, I didn't dream about him.

Tonight, Lira comes to me.

She appears in the quiet of night, when the fire is dying down and the wind rattles the window, like it's trying to break in. I drift off to sleep like leaping into water, unsure until it's too late.

And then I'm in a new place.

Not the castle. Not anywhere I recognize.

The air smells of lavender and ash. It's a strange forest, with twisted trees and silver leaves that shine like frost. The sky is a violet shade, like the stars are holding their breath.

I'm barefoot.

The ground feels soft, like moss, but warmer. Almost alive.

Then I see her.

Lira stands at a frozen stream, her white dress moving like smoke in the still air. Her hair is like snow, and her eyes are wow, just like Kael's. But softer. Lighter. Before everything got heavy.

She doesn't smile.

"Aria," she says, her voice like bells ringing underwater.

I don't bother asking how she knows my name. Some things just feel right in dreams.

"You loved him," I say.

She nods. "I still do."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. He has enough sorrow to carry."

I step closer. "Why are you here?"

"To warn you."

Everything goes quiet.

"About what?"

Her face twists, not in anger, but in deep sadness.

"There's more to the curse than Kael knows," she whispers. "More than betrayal. More than death."

My heart races.

"He said magic took you. That it fed on your soul."

"It did," she said, lifting her hands. "But that wasn't all."

The wind stirs, or maybe it's her memories swirling like water around my feet.

I catch glimpses.

A circle of blood. A crown made of glass and bone. Kael screams her name as shadows take her from the inside. Hands, too many hands, holding her down.

"They didn't just feed the magic," she says. "They bound it to him, using me."

I gasp. "You were the vessel."

"Yes. When I died, the curse didn't break."

"Because he loved you."

"Because he still does." Her gaze sharpens. "The magic feeds on grief. It won't stop until it consumes him. Or until he lets go."

I feel nauseous.

"Why me?" I whisper. "Why send me to him?"

"Because you're the first person he hasn't looked at with despair."

I gulp. "That doesn't mean I can save him."

"No," she steps closer, her form flickering like a flame. "But it means you will try. And that might be enough."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you need to know what you're getting into." Her face starts to fade like smoke. "You can't love him halfway. Not with this curse. Not with what it demands."

The forest grows darker.

Stars begin to fall.

"Wait," I reach for her. "Is there a way to break it?"

Lira meets my eyes, fading away—

"There always is," she says, her voice barely a whisper. "But it always costs."

Then she vanishes.

I wake up gasping.

The sheets are tangled around my legs, damp with sweat. My hands shake. The fire is out, but the air feels thick, charged with something I can't see.

I rush to the basin, splashing water on my face like it'll wash away the dream.

But her eyes stay with me.

Her voice rings in my head.

The curse feeds on grief.

Of course it does.

Kael wears his sadness like armor but underneath, it's an open wound. Still bleeding. Still feeding the darkness around him.

I don't know what this means for me.

All I know is she's right. I've already gone too far to turn back.

And Kael… Kael is watching me closer than ever.

That night, I found him in the garden.

Not the bright one with fancy roses and neat hedges, the wild one. The one behind the tower walls, where weeds take over the earth, and the sky feels close enough to touch.

He doesn't notice me at first. Or maybe he knows I'm there but doesn't care.

His gloves are off.

The shadows curl around his bare skin like they belong to him. Or maybe they're scared of him.

I speak before I lose my courage.

"Why did you stop hating me?"

He doesn't turn to look at me. But I notice his back goes tense.

"I didn't hate you," he replies.

"Yes, you did."

A pause.

"Maybe I hated what you reminded me of."

"And now?"

He stays silent, holding his breath a bit too long.

"I think," he says slowly, "that you're braver than you should be. And that you speak the truth, even when it hurts."

I blink. "That sounds like you admire me."

"It should scare you."

"It doesn't."

He finally turns, his eyes catching the moonlight, his face a mix of shadow and something else.

"You're not afraid of me anymore."

"I'm terrified," I say softly. "But I don't think you'll hurt me."

He watches me for a long moment. Then he says, "No. I won't."

The shadows creep closer to him, drawn to his words. 

I step into the garden, close enough to feel the cold pull of the curse.

And I think of Lira.

I think of grief, and choices, and what it feels like to love something that's broken.

I wonder what it would be like to let the shadows see who I am.