Chapter 156
The palace had become even busier. Servants hurried through the corridors carrying embroidered gowns, trays of jewels, bouquets of white lilies, and enough scented candles to fumigate an entire kingdom. Everywhere I looked, people were preparing for a wedding.
Yet no one looked happy.
Even the smiles felt rehearsed.
Lucien adjusted the stolen guard uniform as we walked side by side.
"I hate weddings."
I glanced at him. "You hate most things."
"I tolerate most things."
"And weddings?"
"They involve nobles."
"...Fair enough."
I stealthily took a stack of folded linens from an unattended cart as we continued along the edge of the corridor, blending into the constant stream of servants.
"How do we find where Lysenne is?"
"Simple," Lucien said. "We ask someone."
He stopped a passing maid.
"Excuse me. The bride's chambers?"
The maid looked at him, then at me, her brows furrowing.
"Are you the girl they assigned to help Her Highness get ready?"
I nodded.
"Where were you, girl? The head maid's been looking for you."
"Now, now, don't be angry," Lucien said smoothly. "She got lost, and I found her running in circles near the western corridor. Now, would you be an angel and tell me the way to the bride's chambers?"
He winked.
The maid's cheeks turned crimson as she pointed down the corridor.
"Third floor. East Wing. The bridal suite. Take those stairs, turn right, and it's the third room on the left."
"Thank you, beautiful," Lucien said with a smile.
I cringed at the exchange and immediately pulled him toward the stairs.
"Would you stop flirting?"
"What? I saved us a lot of time, didn't I? You should thank me."
He gave me a proud smile.
I shook my head in amusement. This guy probably had his flirt mode on even in his sleep.
Eventually, we found the East Wing. It was heavily decorated, with fresh flowers lining the corridor and silk banners hanging from every pillar.
Outside the double doors stood two royal guards.
Lucien slowed to a stop.
"I'll stay here."
"You sure?"
He nodded toward the guards.
"They'll question another guard standing outside. But a maid? They won't even remember your face."
He had a point.
I straightened my plain white apron, adjusted the linens in my arms, and made sure I looked like every other overworked servant in the palace.
Lucien leaned closer.
"If anything goes wrong..."
"You'll hear screaming?"
"I was going to say I'll come in."
"I like my version better."
He sighed.
"You always do."
I smiled.
"I know. Relax. I've got this."
Taking a steadying breath, I walked toward the chamber doors.
One of the guards stepped forward.
"Halt."
I lowered my head respectfully.
"I've been sent from the dressing hall."
The guard frowned.
"For what purpose?"
"To assist Her Highness with the final wedding preparations."
He exchanged a glance with the other guard.
"I wasn't informed."
I forced myself to look mildly offended.
"Neither was I. They simply handed me the linens and told me the princess required another pair of hands."
I lifted the folded fabric slightly.
"If I'm late, the head maid will blame me."
The second guard groaned.
"Let her through. The head maid frightens me more than the commander."
The first guard visibly considered this before finally stepping aside.
"...Go."
I bowed my head.
"Thank you."
The doors opened.
As they closed behind me, the sounds of the corridor disappeared.
The room beyond was enormous, decorated in gold and white. Delicate flowers adorned the tables, golden ribbons draped from the walls, and soft candlelight reflected off the polished floors. Everything was beautiful-almost painfully so.
And yet, there was no happiness in it.
The room felt cold despite the warmth of the candles. The beauty only seemed to make the emptiness more obvious, as though someone had tried to cover cruelty with silk and gold.
Lysenne was nowhere to be seen.
I placed the linens on the table and turned around at the sound of barking.
I knew that bark.
I spun around just as Cookie came sprinting toward me.
"Coo-"
I barely had time to crouch before he launched himself into my arms, licking my face enthusiastically.
"Hey, easy there, big guy!" I laughed, trying to hold him still. "You've grown chubbier! Seems she did keep her promise."
I hugged him tightly, running my hands through his fur.
"Cookie, dear, where did you go? Come back here-"
Lysenne stepped through the curtains separating the bedroom from what appeared to be a small adjoining dressing room.
She stopped dead when she saw me with Cookie.
I slowly looked up at her.
"Hey there, sister."
Lysenne looked terrible.
Dark circles surrounded her eyes, her face seemed to have aged ten years, and her eyes were red and puffy from crying. There was no hope left in her expression. She had grown visibly thinner, as though she hadn't eaten properly in days.
I carefully placed Cookie on the floor and walked toward her.
"Surprise."
For a moment, she simply stared at me.
Then she broke down.
Tears streamed down her face as she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around me.
"I'm so sorry, Cassie. I'm so sorry..."
Her grip tightened around me as though she was afraid I'd disappear if she let go.
"I didn't have a choice. Theo had asked me to reach out to Miss Ann if anything happened in his absence, but I couldn't even reach out to you. I was scared..."
I let out a quiet breath.
"Hey, hey, hey... I'm alive because of you. And it takes a little more than a public execution to get rid of me."
A watery laugh escaped her.
When she finally pulled back, tears clung to her lashes.
I studied her face. The confident princess I'd met months ago was gone. Dark circles rested beneath her eyes, and exhaustion seemed to weigh down every feature.
"I've been worried about you too..." I admitted softly. "I'm sorry about your mother."
She smiled faintly.
"We tried everything, but we couldn't save her."
Her smile trembled.
"I think a part of me still expected her to walk through the door holding my hand one day, as though none of it had ever happened."
Her gaze dropped to the floor, her fingers tightening around each other.
"But some goodbyes are cruel because you never get the chance to be ready for them."
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
I had no words that could possibly make it better, so I simply pulled her into another hug.
"I'll miss her very much," Lysenne whispered, her voice cracking.
"You're allowed to."
We stayed like that for a few minutes before she suddenly pulled back.
"Cassie, Rhaevan's alive."
I looked at her.
"He's being held somewhere in the prison beneath this palace. I think he's badly hurt."
I smiled.
"He's safe. We found him."
A flicker of confusion crossed her face.
"We?"
"Lucien's here too. And a few of my friends."
Relief softened her expression.
"Thank the heavens he's safe."
I felt a pang of guilt as I looked at her. She loved Rhaevan, and the relief on her face at the knowledge that he was alive and safe was genuine. It came from concern for him, not from anything else.
And now that Rhaevan and I were together, there was no way around the awkwardness of what I was about to say.
"Lysenne, there's something you should know."
She looked at me, waiting.
"I heard you confessing to Rhaevan in the tower. I know what happened."
A sad smile touched her lips, and she looked away.
I didn't know how to continue. I didn't want to rub salt into a wound that was already bleeding, but she deserved to hear it from me. After everything that had happened, I didn't want there to be another misunderstanding between any of us.
"There's more..."
She looked back at me.
"I... I don't know how to say this."
I swallowed.
"During our trip, things happened, and Rhaevan confessed his love to me. And..." I hesitated. "I love him too."
Her expression remained unreadable.
"So... we're together now."
The faint smile disappeared from her face.
She took a slow breath and stepped back, eventually sitting on the edge of the bed beside Cookie, who had sprawled across the covers as though none of the emotional turmoil in the room concerned him.
I stepped closer.
"I know this isn't the right time, but I thought you should know."
I lowered my gaze.
"I'm sorry."
For a moment, Lysenne said nothing.
Then she looked toward the window.
"My father and mother were never in love. Their union was the result of a political alliance."
Her voice was quiet, almost distant.
"They loved me very much, but we were never a happy family."
She paused.
"I still remember when we were children. Father was standing in the western gardens, looking at you as you played alone in the other corner. I saw that sadness on his face, as though he missed someone... as though he longed for someone."
Her voice softened.
"That night, I found him crying in his room, saying to himself, 'Our child reminds me of you.'"
She looked down at her hands.
"Until then, even I believed you were simply an orphaned distant relative of Father's, someone he pitied and sheltered in the palace. I wanted to get closer to you, but I was told not to involve myself with you."
Her eyes drifted toward the floor, and she gave a faint, humourless smile.
"I didn't understand it then. But when I learned the truth, everything suddenly made sense."
She looked at me, her eyes already beginning to glisten.
"He only loved one woman, even though he wronged her in every way."
Her voice trembled.
"He only loved your mother."
She swallowed.
"I was angry when I found out. At first, all I knew were the rumours that your mother had somehow trapped Father. I felt betrayed. I was angry at you too."
She took a shaky breath.
"I had decided to confront you, only to learn that you had escaped. I sought Rey's help to find you. I don't even know why I did it. I just wanted to find you, that's all."
Her fingers tightened together.