An unforeseen weight dragged at my heart.He’s right...If I went home now, I’d only end up playing into the rebels’ hands. As long as I couldn’t prove that I wasn’t really Princess Estelle, they would be tracking me down to marry me off and save the kingdom. But I couldn’t save anyone, could I?
“Killian, if I really was the princess, do you actually think I could separate Sybettal from Ashbourne’s control? Would it even be possible?” My expression deepened as I stared hopefully at the prince beside me. He would have far more political knowledge than I could ever posses. Maybe, I just needed to hear that the Baggios’ plan was truly impossible, then I could let go of this irritating new hope.
“It would be completely possible,” he said honestly, with a hint of hesitation in his tone. “If you were the princess, all you would need to do is marry in order to reestablish the monarchy. I’d like to say that you could do it on your own, but most citizens won’t respect a queen alone. You would also be more vulnerable to attacks and internal manipulation without a king.” He gave a guilty shrug. “It happened to Isalla.”
I nodded, tapping a finger to my lips. “So, theoretically, I would need a king, but after that could I really free Sybettal? I mean, I don’t know anything about kingdom structures or court or any other rulings. How does one even begin to liberate a country?” I huffed exhaustedly.
Killian let out a soft chuckle, then leaned over and tucked a stray curl behind my ear. The touch was so simple, but it made my blood race at unfathomable speeds. “If you were the princess, you could liberate the entire realm if you set your mind to it,” he whispered gently in my ear, sending more shockwaves of adrenaline through my blood. He leaned back, still only a breath away from me. “If I manage to uncover the truth and discover that you’re truly the rightful ruler of this kingdom, then I promise to do everything in my power to ensure that your people are safe and free.”
My heart fluttered as his promise tickled my senses from head to toe.Was he implying...“Everything?” I questioned shyly. He was so close that I could feel his breath meet mine. I wasn’t sure what he had implied earlier, but I knew what I desperately wanted him to say.
“Yes, everything, except...” The light drained from his eyes, and he looked away with a solemn glance. “Everything but marry you.”
Everything inside me shattered. My eyes widened in broken realization that he didn’t want the same thing I did. I hadn’t admitted it to myself until now, but I realized that if I had to have a king by my side, there was no one else I could imagine.
Killian’s face grew instantly apologetic, and he reached out a soft hand to caress my pained face. “Hey... I don’t want you to think that I wouldn’t want to marry you,” he said gently, brushing a stray tear from my cheek. “In fact, there is nothing that would make me happier.”
My eyes darted to his in surprise, and I noticed a pinkish blush spread up into his cheeks. “Really?”
“Truly,” he said with a determined hold on my eyes. “But if you’re really the princess, and we were to be married, my father would swipe the entire kingdom from us.” His expression darkened and a resentful shadow swallowed the light that once gleamed within him. “Once he realizes that my loyalties have shifted, he’ll find a way to claim Sybettal for his own.”
“And that would imply killing me, wouldn’t it?” I looked at him fearfully, and his eyes softened.
“I’m afraid so.” His hand reached for mine, and he stroked gentle circles against my skin. “Nixie, I have a confession to make...”
My overstrained heart began to race once more, unsure of how much excitement it could take between washes of heartache. “Yes?” My reply came out as a meager whisper, my voice lost in the entrancing stare he gave me.
He took a deep breath. “I promised you I would hunt down your origins, but the truth is that I made that promise for selfish reasons. I wanted to free you from the burden of your title so I could be free too.” He squeezed my hands. I could almost feel his racing heart through the touch. “Nixie Greene, when I entered this country, I told myself that I was too strong to ever fall by the hands of a Sybettian.” He leaned closer, his lips only a breath from my own. “But I failed... and now I have fallen so very hard...”
My eyes fluttered closed, and I felt the entire world melt around me. My heart pounded aggressively in my chest as I awaited the soft touch of his lips against mine. The distance between us grew smaller and smaller until we both jumped away from an intrusive scream.
“I found her! Grab her, quick!”
My perfect moment crumbled in a flash, and a pair of arms ripped me away from Kilian’s embrace. I kicked and screamed as I watched a cluster of men in dark green coats apprehend a thrashing Killian and tie a gag around his mouth. Tears collected in my eyes, full of anger and frustration as I watched the man I loved get dragged away from me. I turned my hateful glare toward the man who restrained me and instantly felt my fury double.
“Hello, Nixie darling.” Todd Baggio grinned proudly. “A little late to the wedding, are we?”
chapter twenty
The musty cave was just as putrid as I remembered. Killian and I both had to be fully bound and restrained in order for them to carry us back to the compound. After everything that had happened over the last weeks, I was not about to come quietly. Luckily for Todd, my dagger was buried too deep in my pocket for me to make any decent use out of it. It only took a few rounds of cursing for the Baggio brat to gift me my own gag along the journey. To my dismay, a few of the rebel members indentified Killian right away, so he received a far less royal treatment on the journey back. My heart seized each time they jostled him or let him fall to the ground. I watched in horror as he cried out in pain against his gag while the men simply laughed it off.Can’t they see he’s already injured?I swallowed back a cry as his desperate eyes met mine. The look he gave me was loaded with worry, but it wasn’t for himself... it was for me. I wanted to scream at him for not being more concerned about his well-being. These rebels hated Ashbourne probably more than anything, and now they had one of their princes wrapped in their vengeful clutches.
By the time we were dragged to the front of the assembly, I was ready to start tearing off limbs. Sir Baggio approached us both with scathing eyes, clearly displeased by the amount of restraints we had required.
He gave Todd a disgruntled glare, but his son merely shrugged. “She wouldn’t cooperate, and there are too many children here to let her keep running her mouth the way she was.” Sir Baggio raised an eyebrow at me, and I gave him a testing glare.
The man let out an irritated sigh, then turned his back to us to face his followers. “It would seem that we have caught the thief who kidnapped our princess,” he boomed over the crowd. My head split from the excessive echoing, and I noticed Killian wince as well. The men who held him were whooping and cheering almost directly in his ear. “Well done, men! Not only have we rescued our monarch, but we have apprehended one of our greatest enemies!” He turned to Killian, giving him a deathly glare. “Prince Killian Jay, second prince of Ashbourne.” An eruption of angered shouts and curses erupted from the crowd.
Sir Baggio pulled a sword from his hip, then crossed the space until he was standing tall over the bound prince. He raised his blade, resting the tip of his sword a mere breath away from Killian’s throat. I let out a terrified squeal, but my gag made it impossible for me to be heard. My hand dug around for the dagger I had left tucked in my belt. I had wrapped it up in spare fabric from my skirt to protect it from the river water, so none of the men had been able to recognize it as a weapon to confiscate it. I had been planning to save the weapon for a more private moment to break free, but I couldn’t sit back and do nothing while Killian was in danger.I can almost reach it...
“The cherished second-born of the monstrous King Darius, this man is one of the villains who have exploited our people for decades!” Sir Baggio roared with the crowd. “He and his vile family showed our kingdom no mercy when they ransacked our homes, stole our mages, and now plunder our men for war! Now, thisprincehas taken our last hope, our dear princess, and held her hostage for weeks! It’s a miracle she came back alive to us at all! And now, the poor girl is lost and confused about her purpose, because this twisted scoundrel has likely sowed seeds of doubt into her innocent mind.” More shouts ensued from the enraged crowd, and I watched anxiously as Sir Baggio’s sword drifted closer to his skin. I urged my hand to stretch its restraints further. I could barely touch the hilt of the blade now, but the fabric was too slick for me to get a firm grip.
“So, tell me, my dear followers...” the leader continued, “what mercy should we grant our dear prince?”
“No mercy!” The crowd chanted hatefully. The walls echoed with the angered screams of years of hurt and anger that had stemmed from a single crown. Men, women, and children all threw the blame for their years of suffering onto the misguided prince who stood silently and without struggle. Killian’s strong expression melted into a remorseful pain. He could see it now—all the suffering his kingdom had put upon this land and its people. It’s easy to ignore the repercussions of your actions when you’re a kingdom away, but being in the thick of a rebellion full of broken souls made it impossible to neglect. I met Killian’s eyes amidst the chaos, and he looked at me with a broken apology. A sad glisten shone in his shadowed eyes, and I could see how heavily their blame weighed upon him. I wanted to tell him that it wasn’t his fault that he didn’t know, that he had changed and was a different man now. He wasn’t like his father or even his brothers. He had shown me kindness, compassion, and selflessness. Sure, he had sought after the power of a crown, but he had since abandoned his pursuit and looked to live without the burden of ruling. I wanted to tell him that despite forgoing his claim to the throne, he still would have made the most incredible king...
But I wasn’t going to get the chance.
A dark, gleeful smile spread across Sir Baggio’s face. My blood froze as I watched in slow-motion as he raised his sword above Killian’s heart. “Farewell, Prince Killian.” He took a step back, positioning his blade for a clean, fatal blow. My panic granted me the last inch of reach I needed, and I latched onto the weapon. Every muscle in my body moved on its own as I cut straight through my restraints and pulled away from Todd in a single breath. Sir Baggio’s voice rang through me while all other sound and feelings went numb. “Long live Sybettal!”