1. The Bitterness of his Lies

I stared down at the cup of something revolting—gentian tea, Lisa had called it. Supposedly good for my health, though at this point, I wasn’t sure my body could be helped.

“Do I really have to drink this?” I asked, my voice lacking any enthusiasm.

Lisa nodded, her eyes full of worry. “Yes, Lady Meredia. It’s for your recovery.”

Sighing heavily, I lifted the cup and swallowed the bitter liquid in one swift gulp. Immediately, the awful taste hit me, and I gagged. “Ugh! Kill me now,” I groaned, pushing the cup away.

Lisa gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. “Don’t say that, Lady! You’ve barely recovered. I don’t want to lose you again!”

I let out a small, frustrated huff, rubbing my temples. “Relax, Lisa. I’m not going anywhere.”

Yet as I said the words, they felt so... hollow. Everything felt hollow. My heart was heavy, weighed down by the storm of emotions I hadn’t had a chance to process. Kairan had gone off to war, and I was left with nothing but the wreckage of what he had done to me. His lies, his deceit... all of it was gnawing at me, twisting my insides into knots.

Lisa was watching me closely, her expression filled with concern. She hovered near me like I might collapse again at any second. And perhaps I might, but not from physical exhaustion. No, the wound inside me was far deeper.

Everything hurt, but most of all, it was him. Kairan. He had lied to me. Left me broken and confused.

After I’d fainted earlier, Kirill had carried me back to my room, and I’d woken up feeling just as lost as before. And now... I was being asked to drink tea like that could somehow fix all of this. As if it could fix me.

But it couldn’t. Nothing could.

I stared out of the window, the fading daylight casting long shadows on the walls. He had left—Kairan, the prince who had destroyed everything I thought I knew. Off to war without even a goodbye, without telling me why he had done what he did. No explanations, no closure.

Just silence. Just the endless, suffocating weight of his absence.

“I don’t understand,” I muttered aloud, though I wasn’t speaking to Lisa. I wasn’t speaking to anyone in particular. “Why did he leave like that? Without even explaining...”

Lisa sat beside me, her hand brushing against mine, but she didn’t say anything. How could she? She didn’t know what I was talking about. She didn’t know about the betrayal that had torn my world apart.

But even if she did, I doubted she’d have any answers.

The silence in the room grew heavier, the shadows lengthening as the sun continued its descent. I could feel the tears threatening to spill again, but I bit them back. Crying wasn’t going to change anything. He was gone, and I was left to pick up the pieces alone.

Lisa squeezed my hand gently, as if that small gesture could somehow bring me comfort. But nothing could. Not now.

I was shattered. And I wasn’t sure how—or if—I would ever be whole again.

I slumped back against the pillows, staring blankly at the ceiling as tears welled up once more. Lisa moved toward me, her hands reaching out to steady me, but I pulled away. I didn’t want comfort. I didn’t want pity. I wanted the truth—something I still hadn’t received.

“Lady Meredia,” Lisa began cautiously, breaking the tense silence. “After you fainted in the palace, there was no one to give a full report of what had happened in that room... and we didn’t tell anyone about your power eruption.”

I turned my head slightly to look at her, my brows furrowing in confusion. “So?” I asked, my voice hoarse but sharp.

“Well...” Lisa hesitated, wringing her hands nervously. “You were badly injured. It took you an entire week to wake up, and during that time, we couldn’t exactly hide everything from your family. We had to tell Duke Oberon about your condition.”

My heart skipped a beat. My eyes widened as dread washed over me, the floor beneath me suddenly feeling like it was falling away. “What? You told who?!”

Lisa waved her hands frantically in front of her, shaking her head. “No, no, don’t worry! I didn’t tell the Duke about... everything.”

I blinked, still panicked, my chest tightening with fear. “So... what did you tell him, then?” I pressed, my voice shaky.

Lisa shifted awkwardly. “I told Lord Kirill the full truth and asked him to handle Duke Oberon.”

I stared at her, my mind racing. She hadn’t told my father, but Kirill now knew.

Of course, he did—he is always the one cleaning up the messes Meredia can't control.

But still... it didn’t ease the gnawing panic inside me.

I closed my eyes, exhaling slowly, trying to steady myself. “And what did Kirill say?”

Lisa bit her lip. “He said he would take care of it. That he’d keep it from the Duke until you were ready to speak.”

I nodded, though the panic still clawed at me. At least Kirill knew how to navigate our father. Still, the thought of what he might be thinking... what he might have said...

I took a deep breath, trying to process everything Lisa had just told me. Kirill had taken care of things with Father, at least for now. But I knew that wouldn’t last forever. Eventually, questions would be asked—questions I wasn’t ready to answer.

Lisa shifted nervously beside me, as if hesitant to speak. After a moment, she cleared her throat softly. “Lady Meredia... there’s someone else who’s been waiting for you.”

“Who?”

“Lord Eamon,” she replied quietly, watching my reaction closely. “He’s been coming every day since you were brought back. He’d sit outside your door, waiting... but each day, he left more disappointed and worried.”

Eamon?

I blinked, feeling a sudden pang of guilt in my chest. I hadn’t even thought about him in the chaos of everything that had happened. The last thing I remembered was... well, him being a childhood friend. And now, he was sitting outside my door like a concerned lover? I shook my head at the thought.

“Why... why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

Lisa looked down, her hands clasped tightly together. “I didn’t want to overwhelm you, Lady. You’ve been through so much already. But... I think it’s important for you to know that he cares.”

I exhaled slowly, my mind swirling with thoughts of Eamon’s visits, his concern. The weight of it all was starting to feel like too much. Kairan—Kai—had left me in pieces, and now Eamon was hovering in the wings, trying to... what? Save me? Pick up the shattered pieces of who I once was?

“Lisa,” I started, my voice trembling, “I don’t know if I’m ready to face anyone right now.”

She nodded understandingly, though there was a soft plea in her eyes. “I know, Lady. But maybe... maybe seeing him might help, even if just a little.”

I turned my head back to the ceiling, closing my eyes. I didn’t know if seeing Eamon would help or make everything more complicated, but I knew one thing for certain—I wasn’t the same person he remembered.

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