Katerina's POV
Who are you really?
Damien's question hangs between us like a blade. His eyes search mine, desperate and dangerous at the same time.
I could tell him the truth right now. Rip off the disguise and watch his face when he realizes his dead wife is standing right in front of him.
But then what? He has no proof Adrian framed me. No evidence that the conspiracy goes deeper than one execution. If I reveal myself now, without protection, without allies, he'll think I'm exactly what Adrian will claim I am—a spy using his guilt to manipulate him.
And this time, there won't be a Shadow Broker to save me.
So I do what I've been trained to do. I lie with just enough truth to make it believable.
You're right, I say quietly, dropping my eyes. I've been hiding things.
His grip on my arm tightens. What things?
Can we— I glance down the corridor where servants might overhear. Can we talk somewhere private? Please?
For a moment, I think he'll refuse. Think he'll demand answers right here, right now, consequences be damned.
But then he nods curtly and leads me back toward his study.
The walk feels endless. Neither of us speaks. His hand stays on my elbow, not quite trusting me to follow, not quite treating me like a prisoner. Something in between.
When we reach his study, he locks the door behind us.
The click of the lock makes my heart race.
Talk, he says, leaning against his desk with arms crossed. And this time, I want the truth.
I take a breath, organizing the lies I've prepared for exactly this moment.
My name is Raven, I begin. That part's true. But I'm not a merchant's daughter. I meet his eyes, letting vulnerability show through. I'm the illegitimate daughter of a minor Celestrian lord. My mother was a lady-in-waiting at court.
Damien's expression doesn't change, but I see his attention sharpen.
I grew up in the palace, I continue. It's so close to the truth that the words flow easily. Educated alongside the legitimate children, taught politics and strategy and court manners. But I was never acknowledged. Never legitimate. Just... tolerated.
What happened? His voice is softer now.
My father's family fell from favor. A political scandal—someone accused them of embezzling from the treasury. I wrap my arms around myself, remembering real pain from my childhood. They were stripped of their titles, their lands, everything. And anyone associated with them became targets too.
Including you.
Especially me. I was evidence of my father's sins—his bastard daughter who should never have existed. The bitterness in my voice isn't fake. So I ran. Fled to the Neutral Territories before they could arrest me or worse. I've been surviving there ever since.
That's why you know so much about Celestrian politics, Damien says slowly. You grew up in the court.
Yes. I force myself to hold his gaze. And that's why I hate Adrian. He's the one who destroyed my father's family. He used them as scapegoats for his own corruption and walked away clean while they lost everything.
It's a good lie. Built on enough truth that I can sell it, different enough from reality that it won't immediately connect me to Princess Katerina.
Damien studies me for a long moment. Then he pushes off from the desk and moves closer.
You're still hiding something, he says quietly.
My breath catches. What?
I don't know. But I can feel it. He's standing so close now I can see every shade of gray in his eyes. There's something else. Something you're not telling me.
Everything, I want to scream. I'm hiding everything.
Everyone has secrets, I whisper instead.
Not like this. His hand rises like he's going to touch my face, but he stops himself. You feel like a ghost. Like someone who's supposed to be dead but isn't. And I can't figure out if that's because I'm going mad or because
He stops, shaking his head.
Because what? I ask.
Nothing. He steps back, putting distance between us. I believe you're hiding something. But I also believe you want to stop Adrian. For now, that's enough.
Relief crashes through me so hard my knees almost buckle.
Thank you, I breathe.
Don't thank me. His voice turns hard again. I'm trusting you because I need your intelligence about Adrian. But if I find out you've lied about anything important, anything that puts my kingdom at risk
You'll kill me yourself, I finish. I understand.
Something flashes in his eyes. Pain? Regret?
I've already killed one woman I should have protected, he says quietly. I don't want to do it again.
The words hit me like a punch. Because he doesn't know. He doesn't know he's talking to that same woman.
We stand in heavy silence, the truth hanging between us invisible and burning.
I should go, I finally say.
He nods but doesn't move to unlock the door. Instead, he just watches me with an expression I can't read.
You do remind me of her, he says suddenly. It's the strangest thing. Sometimes when you look at me, I swear I see Katerina's eyes. Like she's looking through you somehow.
My heart stops completely.
Maybe she is, I whisper before I can stop myself.
What?
Maybe I scramble for an explanation. Maybe her ghost wants you to know the truth about what happened. Maybe that's why you feel like you know me.
It's a dangerous thing to say. But Damien just looks at me with such raw longing it breaks something inside my chest.
I wish that were true, he says softly. I wish she could come back and tell me herself that she forgives me. Or that she hates me. Anything would be better than this endless not knowing.
I'm here, I want to scream. I'm right here and I don't know if I forgive you or hate you or something else entirely.
But I just nod and wait for him to unlock the door.
He does, finally, and I escape into the corridor before I do something irreversible.
The rest of the day passes in a blur of avoiding people and trying not to think about Damien's face when he talked about his dead wife.
When evening comes, I retreat to my chambers—the same rooms I lived in three years ago, now prepared for Lady Raven. Someone's placed fresh flowers on the desk. Lit candles by the window.
And left a small velvet box on my bed.
I freeze.
No one should have access to my private chambers. Lyssa made sure of that.
Slowly, carefully, I approach the box. Open it.
Inside sits the most beautiful necklace I've ever seen. Emeralds and silver twisted into an intricate pattern that probably cost more than most people earn in a year.
There's no note. No indication who sent it.
My training screams danger.
I pick up the necklace carefully, studying it. The craftsmanship is exquisite. The gems are real. And something about it feels... wrong.
I remember Marcus's lessons. Poison isn't always in food or drink. Sometimes it's in the things you wear.
Moving quickly, I grab one of the decorative plants from my windowsill and drape the necklace over its leaves.
Then I wait.
One minute passes. Two.
At three minutes, the first leaf starts to curl.
At five minutes, the entire plant begins to wither.
At seven minutes, it's completely dead—brown and dried like it's been dead for weeks, not minutes.
I stare at the blackened plant, my blood running cold.
Someone just tried to kill me.
And whoever it was has access to my private chambers.