Kaiden lifted his eyes, first to his father, then across the table to his siblings. For a second the hate almost slipped out — that deep, boiling fire that wanted to scream their betrayal out loud. But he shoved it down. He let his face soften, let his voice stay calm. To Thane he looked like the loyal son. Only Kaiden knew the truth hidden in his chest.
When he opened his mouth to speak, something strange happened. It was faint, but he noticed it. The way Lucian's body stiffened. The way his foot slid back just a bit, like he was ready to bolt if Kaiden chose to open his mouth and tear their world apart. Kaiden caught it with a side glance, tucked it away, but didn't let it bother him.
"Two days ago," Kaiden started, his voice steady, "I went out hunting in the woods. I stayed close to the safe side. Or… what I thought was safe." He paused, shaking his head slightly. "Then a wild beast came out of nowhere. It chased me… and kept chasing me. Half a day, maybe more. By the time I finally lost it, I had no idea where I was anymore."
He let out a sigh that wasn't fake at all , the exhaustion was still real in his body. "It took me a day and a half before I could find my way back."
Thane leaned back, stroking his beard, and then burst into that loud, fiery laugh of his. "Hahaha! I knew it. Didn't I say it? Nothing under the heavens can kill my son. Not even the wildest beast in those cursed woods!"
He clapped a hand on Kaiden's neck, half a hug, half a drag, pulling him toward the table. "You must be starving, boy. Sit, eat. Tonight, we celebrate!"
Kaiden let himself be pulled, forcing a smile on his face even though his chest still burned with the memory of that dagger, with the betrayal still fresh under his skin.
Meanwhile, the rest of the table had their own storms brewing.
Darius stared across the plates, his eyes locked on Kaiden. There was no hate there anymore, only disbelief. He couldn't believe Kaiden hadn't said a word. If it were him, he'd have shouted it loud, made sure their father knew the truth. But Kaiden hadn't. He'd kept silent. And that was something Darius couldn't understand.
Maraya's shoulders sagged as her legs trembled under the table. Her hand pressed against her racing heart, relief washing over her like cool water. Thank the gods. She didn't think she could take another night with that guilt sitting on her. Killing a prince, even if it wasn't her doing, was the kind of crime only punished by death. It didn't matter who you were, a slave, a noble, even royal blood. The punishment was always the same.
Selene exhaled quietly, too. Relief slid across her face, though her mind was already running in a different direction. One more day. That's all this means. One more day alive. She'd find a way out, she promised herself. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon.
But Lucian… he didn't share their relief.
For the first time in a long while, his face looked truly shaken, truly confused. He couldn't wrap his head around it. Why didn't Kaiden tell? Why let them breathe a little longer when he could have ended it right there?
And then, slowly, that confusion twisted. His lips curled into a smile. The same calm, sharp smile he always wore when he found something worth watching. His eyes flickered with interest as he whispered the word under his breath, too soft for anyone but himself.
"…Interesting."
Six hours after the meal Kaiden crashed. Slept like the dead. Woke up late.
He shuffled into his room, bumped his knee on the bedpost, and half-stumbled to the mirror.
His jaw dropped.
He looked like Drex. Kinda. Same lines in the face, same eyes. But… taller. Cleaner. Softer in a way that made him want to laugh and puke at the same time.
This body had eaten real food. Not cold metal rations or whatever scraps he dragged from old bins. Palace meat. Fresh bread. Baths. Everything Kaiden had was different.
He ran a hand over his cheek. No scar. No dirt. No sleep grime. It felt wrong and nice at once.
"Wow, dude is so freaking handsome," he muttered. Sounded like Drex, sounded like him, sounded like a stranger.
Thinking about it made his mouth twitch. Maybe that was part of why his siblings wanted him dead. Handsome princes get eyes. Jealous people cut throats.
He stared at himself like he could peel the skin back and find the real Drex underneath. But there was no Drex. There was Kaiden now. Or whatever the hell they called him in this life.
He had a plan. Calm. Cold. Patient.
That was the reason he didn't tell the truth at dinner. No proof. If he told his father his siblings stabbed him, they'd check the wound.
If they checked and found nothing; miracle recovery, then he'd be watched like some freak. Guards, healers, sorcerers poking at him, questions, tests. His false identity would crumble.
So he kept quiet.
Keeping quiet made him dangerous.
Maraya might be spared. Maybe. He couldn't say yet. But Lucian, Darius, Selene — they'd wish they were dead by the time he finished.
He leaned in closer to the glass. Blue eyes staring back. Fire under the surface. Calm like a blade.
A cold voice cut the air.
"Are you done admiring yourself in the mirror?"
He spun.
For a second his robe slipped and he had that stupid flash where he felt exposed. He tightened the belt without thinking.
On the bed, someone lay there. Someone watching him.
He squinted but couldn't make out details. No face. No shape. Just a silhouette, like someone made of shadow and light.
The voice was the same one. The cold, emotionless thing that pulled him out of death. The one that offered him this fake life and a contract he already signed without meaning to.
He knew it. He knew who it was. And he hated that he knew.
"You're early," he said, trying for casual. Didn't work.
The silhouette didn't move. Didn't sound amused. "You accepted," it said flatly. "We begin."
Something in the way it said begin made him feel slo-mo. Like the moment stretched, thick and sticky.
He shouldn't be scared. He wasn't a kid anymore. Not now. Not with a prince's robe on his back and the king's name still loud in the halls.
Still, a part of him tightened. That voice had the power of nightmares. She pulled him out of death. She could just as easily kick him back under.
He swallowed. His throat felt dry. "What do you want?" he asked.