Chapter 14: The Whisper Before the Storm

Prince Leo exhaled slowly, stepping back from Bella's battered figure. Her words still echoed in the dungeon: "She knows it." That one sentence had more weight than all her screams.

He turned toward the door.

"That's enough for today," he said, voice sharp. "Aleryn, keep watch."

Aleryn, still seated with a book sitting casually over his lap, didn't even glance up. He raised a single hand and offered the prince a lazy thumbs-up.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure she doesn't bash her head against the wall while I'm on chapter thirty," he muttered. Then, in his head: You sadist of a prince. He didn't say it out loud, but it danced behind his smirk.

Prince Leo ignored him. "Make sure she's alive tomorrow. I'm not done with her."

With that, he turned and motioned for Lekan to follow. He followed silently, still thinking about Bella's shrieks that had filled the dungeon.

They met Rowan in a quieter room near the west wing, one Leo had claimed as a private war room, tucked far from servants.

Leo leaned against the long oak table, arms folded as Lekan and Rowan stood before him.

"We need to move," he said without hesitation. "Rowan, I want you to infiltrate Count Darevos' household—he's one of Thorne's stronger supporters."

Rowan nodded in surprise. "Yes, sir."

Leo said, giving a thumbs up."The Queen doesn't know what's happening inside my palace. It's the perfect time to move. You're quiet, disciplined, and still off the radar. If you slip into his ranks now, you'll be invisible."

But Lekan stepped forward. "Prince Leo… there's still a chance the Empress and Thorne already know about us."

Leo's brow lifted. "Why do you think so?"

Lekan hesitated, then continued. "On my second day here, the maids working in your estate secretly under the first prince and the queen were all killed."

Rowan looked over sharply, and even Leo's eyes narrowed.

"We assumed it was because they were caught spying on us," Lekan said. "But what if they had already sent word about us?"

Leo's expression didn't waver, but his fingers tapped slowly against the table. "No. They didn't die because of you."

Lekan's eyes widened slightly.

"I planned to investigate my servants," Leo said plainly. "Before you and Rowan even stepped foot in my residence, I confided in Bella and a few of my knights. I suspected there were spies within my palace, but I was unsure. The moment I voiced my suspicion, the assassins came. Before I could act, those spies were already eliminated."

Rowan frowned. "Then Bella was already moving two steps faster than you."

Leo nodded. He looked back at Lekan.

"The maids didn't report anything. They didn't have time. If they had, the Empress would have already acted and made sure you were eliminated that night."

Lekan fell silent, unable to refute the logic.

"That's why we act now," Leo said. "She doesn't know what's happening in this palace currently. We have a window. It won't stay open for long."

He turned briefly to Rowan. "You'll leave in three days. Dressed as a traveling scholar, Count Darevos appreciates educated men. I will prepare the information you'll need. Names. Schedules. Habits."

Rowan gave a small nod, his expression unreadable. "And if I'm discovered?" he asked, voice level. Leo smirked faintly. 

"Don't be."

Leo then turned back to Lekan. "And one more thing."

Lekan straightened slightly.

"The day Rowan departs, you and I begin sword training."

Lekan blinked. "You'll teach me?"

Leo gave a tight nod. "You've done well, but soon you'll need to know more than healing. Don't worry, Lekan. There will be great use for you."

A quiet weight settled between them, unspoken but understood.

"You're dismissed for now," Leo added.

Lekan nodded and bowed slightly before slipping out the chamber door, his mind a storm of thoughts.

That night, Lekan found himself drawn to the palace training grounds. The yard was empty, the air damp with mist, torches flickering weakly along the stone walls. He came to run.

Lap after lap, his boots hit the earth in steady rhythm, breath heavy, sweat clinging to his brow. But no amount of movement seemed to quiet the noise in his head.

He kept seeing Bella's face and kept thinking about the harsh interrogation, but it wasn't guilt that disturbed him most.

It was the clarity. The understanding.

He hadn't felt horror when she screamed. He didn't want to stop it. In fact, for a brief, chilling second… he'd felt happy.

Am I changing?

He ran harder, trying to lose the thought, but it clung to him like a damp cloth. No, he told himself. I'm doing what I have to. We all are.

The truth was, the world he now lived in didn't reward softness. And the ones who tried to stay innocent? They died first.

Eventually, breath ragged, he slowed and left the yard. The adrenaline had faded, but the thoughts remained.

He returned to his room, hands still trembling slightly, and reached for a book on his desk. It didn't matter which one he wasn't reading to learn.

He just needed something to drown out the silence.