They didn't take her to a cell.
Seren had expected darkness and chains and cold stone. Instead, they led her through a series of passages that climbed steadily upward until they reached a part of the palace she'd never seen. The walls here were pale grey stone, smooth and unmarked. The few windows sat high and narrow, letting in strips of light that did nothing to warm the air.
The room they put her in was large. Too large for a prisoner. A bed stood against one wall, piled with blankets that looked soft and expensive. A table held a pitcher of water and a basin. Tapestries covered the walls, depicting forests and mountains under moonlight.
It looked like a guest room.
It felt like a trap.
"Sit," Aeron said.
Seren sat on the edge of the bed. Her hands were shaking again. She pressed them flat against her thighs to stop it.
The three brothers spread out around the room. Kael took position by the door, arms crossed. Theron wandered to the window and looked out with apparent disinterest. Aeron stood directly in front of her, close enough that she had to tilt her head back to meet his eyes.
"Let's start with something simple," he said. "How long have you worked in the palace?"
"I don't work in the palace. My mother does. I just help sometimes."
"How often is sometimes?"
"When she's sick. Or when there's too much work."
"And yesterday? When you brought the King his medicine?"
"She had a fever. The steward approved it."
Theron spoke without turning from the window. "Which steward?"
"I don't know his name. He wore silver buttons."
"Greaves," Kael said. "Senior household. He'd have the authority."
Aeron nodded slowly. "And today? Who sent you to our wing?"
"The head cook. She said to deliver the morning tonic."
"Did she say why you specifically?"
"No. She just handed me the tray and told me not to drop it." Seren's voice cracked slightly. "I dropped it anyway."
"Yes." Aeron's expression didn't change. "You did."
Silence fell. Seren could hear her own breathing, too loud in the quiet. She tried to steady it but that only made it worse.
"She's terrified," Theron said. He'd turned from the window now, watching her with the same curious expression he'd worn in the execution chamber. "Heart racing, hands shaking, pupils dilated. Classic fear response."
"I know what fear looks like," Aeron said.
"I'm simply observing."
"Then observe quietly."
Kael moved away from the door, circling around to Seren's left. She tracked him with her eyes, trying not to look as nervous as she felt.
"How many people know you went to the King's chambers yesterday?" he asked.
"I don't know. The steward. The healer. The servants who were there. Princess Elowen."
"My sister saw you?"
"She came in while I was there. She asked who I was."
Kael and Theron exchanged glances. Aeron's jaw tightened slightly.
"What did you tell her?" Aeron asked.
"That I was the medicine woman's daughter. That I brought the tonic because my mother was ill."
"And what did she say?"
"She said I shouldn't be in the King's chambers without proper clearance. She was angry."
"Elowen is always angry," Theron muttered.
"She mentioned traitors," Seren added. "She said there were traitors in the palace."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Kael's hand went to his belt, fingers brushing the hilt of his blade. "What else did she say?"
"Nothing. You—" Seren caught herself. "One of you told her to leave me alone. Then she dismissed me."
"That was me," Theron said. "I have a soft spot for servants who look like frightened rabbits."
"She's not a rabbit," Kael said. "Rabbits run."
"She didn't have anywhere to run to."
"She had the entire palace. She chose to stay and listen."
"I didn't choose anything," Seren said. "I got lost."
"Twice?" Kael's eyes were cold. "You got lost twice in two days? Found your way to a restricted corridor and then to an execution? That's either terrible luck or excellent planning."
"It's terrible luck."
"Prove it."
"How am I supposed to prove luck?"
"You can't. Which is the problem."
Aeron held up his hand. The gesture worked as well on his brothers as it had before. They both fell silent, though Kael looked distinctly unhappy about it.
"Let's assume," Aeron said slowly, "that you're telling the truth. That you're simply a servant's daughter with very bad timing. What do you think happens next?"
Seren swallowed. "You kill me."
"Why would we do that?"
"Because I saw something I wasn't supposed to see."
"You saw a legal execution. We have every right to execute traitors." His head tilted. "Unless you think it wasn't legal?"
It was a trap. She could feel it. "I don't know enough about palace law to say."
"Smart answer." He moved closer, close enough that she could smell cedar and something wilder. "But it doesn't solve our problem."
"What problem?"
"You." Theron had come over to join them. He leaned against the bedpost, arms crossed. "You're a problem, Seren. A very interesting problem."
"I won't tell anyone what I saw."
"Everyone says that."
"I mean it."
"I'm sure you do. Right now, while we're standing here and you're afraid." Theron's smile didn't reach his eyes. "But fear fades. And when it does, people get curious. They start asking questions. They start telling stories."
"I won't."
"Your mother would notice if you disappeared," Kael said. It wasn't a question.
Seren's chest tightened. "Yes."
"And she'd ask questions. She's the medicine woman. She has access to the royal family. She'd push for answers."
"She wouldn't. She knows better."
"Does she?" Kael moved closer, studying her face. "Because from what I understand, she's been teaching you the same lessons for eighteen years. Never wander. Never linger. Never look twice. And yet here you are. Having wandered and lingered and looked quite a bit more than twice."
Seren had no answer for that.
"There's another option," Aeron said quietly.
Both his brothers looked at him.
"You stay here," he continued. "In this wing. Out of sight."
"For how long?" Seren asked.
"Until we decide it's safe."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only answer I have." He crouched down so they were eye level. "Your mother will be told you've been assigned to the royal wing. Temporary service while we transition to the new reign. It's not unusual. Servants get reassigned all the time."
"She'll want to see me."
"She can't."
"She'll know something's wrong."
"Then you'll write her a letter. Tell her you're fine. Tell her the work is demanding but you're managing. Whatever you need to say to keep her from asking questions."
Seren stared at him. "You're imprisoning me."
"We're protecting you," Theron corrected. "There's a difference."
"Is there?"
"Yes. Prison implies punishment. This is more like... insurance."
"Against what?"
"Against you making a mistake that gets you killed."
Kael walked to the door and opened it. A servant stood outside, young and nervous-looking. "Bring food. And writing materials."
The servant bowed and hurried away.
Aeron stood. "You'll stay in this room unless one of us sends for you. You won't try to leave. You won't try to get messages out. You cooperate, and you stay alive. Understood?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"No."
At least he was honest.
Theron pushed away from the bedpost. "One more thing. Your scent."
Seren blinked. "My what?"
"Your scent. It changed."
"I don't understand."
"When we walked in," Theron said slowly, "you smelled like fear. Sharp and bitter. Now you smell different." He leaned closer, inhaling. "Sweeter. Warmer. Your heart rate is still elevated but it's not panic anymore. It's something else."
Heat flooded Seren's face. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes, you do." His eyes gleamed. "You're attracted to one of us."
"I'm not—"
"Don't lie. We can smell it." He glanced at his brothers. "Can't we?"
Kael's expression was unreadable. Aeron said nothing.
Theron's smile widened. "Oh, this is going to be fun."
"Leave her alone," Aeron said.
"I'm simply observing."
"You're making her uncomfortable."
"She's been uncomfortable since we met. I'm just pointing out that fear isn't the only thing she's feeling."
"Theron."
The warning in Aeron's voice was clear. Theron raised his hands in mock surrender and stepped back.
But the damage was done. Seren could feel all three of them watching her now with new interest. Like she'd revealed something she hadn't meant to.
The servant returned with a tray of food and a stack of paper. She set it on the table and left quickly, eyes downcast.
"Eat," Aeron said. "Write your letter. Someone will collect it in an hour."
He moved toward the door. His brothers followed.
"Wait," Seren said.
They stopped.
"What happened to the man you killed? The one you said was a traitor?"
"Why do you want to know?" Kael asked.
"Because if I'm going to keep this secret, I should at least know what the secret is."
Aeron studied her for a long moment. "He was stealing information. Royal correspondence. Plans and treaties that could destabilize the kingdom if they fell into the wrong hands."
"Was he working for someone?"
"We don't know yet. That's why we're being careful."
"And that's why you can't let me leave."
"Yes."
Seren nodded slowly. "I understand."
"Good." Aeron opened the door. "Rest. You're going to need it."
They left. The door closed behind them with a heavy thud and Seren heard the unmistakable sound of a lock clicking into place.
She was alone.
She walked to the table and looked at the food. Bread and cheese and fruit. More than she usually ate in a day. The paper sat beside it, pristine white.
She should eat. She should write the letter to her mother.
Instead, she went to the window and looked out.
The view showed the eastern gardens and beyond them, the city. She could see smoke rising from chimneys, people moving through the streets like ants. Normal life continuing while she was trapped here.
Behind her, the door opened again.
Seren spun around.
Theron stood in the doorway, holding a second tray. "Forgot the tea."
He set it down beside the food, then straightened and looked at her. Really looked at her.
"For what it's worth," he said quietly, "Aeron doesn't make decisions lightly. If he wanted you dead, you'd be dead. The fact that you're here means he sees something useful in you."
"Useful how?"
"That's what we're all wondering." His smile was sharper now. "Sleep well, Seren. Tomorrow is going to be very interesting."
He left before she could respond.
Seren stood alone in the silent room and tried not to think about what useful might mean.
Or why her heart had raced when Aeron crouched in front of her.
Or why some small, traitorous part of her hadn't wanted to run at all.