THE AUDIENCE RAISED A TOAST at the end of the celebration, their glasses raised towards the royal table. During toasts, the noble lords and ladies in rainbow colors tried to find faces. I had to quickly learn the names of all of them, matching colors to clans and clans to people. Maven whispered their names to me, even though I wouldn’t remember them the next day. It was annoying at first, but soon I found myself leaning over to take in the names.
Lord Samos was the last one standing, and when he did, silence reigned. This man was a respected figure, even among the titans. Although his black robes were plain, decorated only with simple silk, and he had no large jewels or insignia on display, he had an undeniable aura of power. I didn’t need Maven to tell me he was the supreme leader of the Notable Clans, the one most feared of all.
“Volo Samos,” Maven muttered. “Samos Clan Chief. He owned and operated iron mines. Every weapon in war comes from his country.”
So, he wasn’t just a noble. His position was obtained not only from his title.
Volo’s toast was short and straight to the point. “For my daughter,” he rumbled, his voice low, steady, and strong. “Future queen.”
“For Evangeline!” Ptolemus cheered, jumping to his feet at his father’s side. His eyes burned around the room, challenging anyone who dared to oppose them. Some of the noble lords and ladies looked exasperated, angry even, but raised their glasses along with the others, respecting the new princess. Their glasses reflected light, each a small star in the hand of a god.
As soon as he finished, Queen Elara and King Tiberias stood up, both smiling at the large number of invited guests. Cal stood up too, then Evangeline, then Maven, and after a moment of stupidity, I joined them. The numerous clans did the same at their tables, and the shuffling of chairs on the marble floor sounded like the scratching of nails on stone. Luckily, the king and queen simply bowed and walked up the short steps leading away from our main table. Already completed. I’ve made it through my first night.
Cal took Evangeline’s hand and guided himself after the two of them, while Maven and I followed behind. When Maven took my hand, his skin was strangely cold.
The Silvers crowded in from both sides, watching us pass with heavy silence. Their faces were curious, cunning, cruel—and behind every fake smile was a reminder;
they are watching . Every eye sweeps over me, searching for cracks and imperfections, making me uneasy, but I won’t break.
I won’t slip. Not now, not ever. I’m one of them. I’m special. I’m an accident. I’m a lie. And my life depends on maintaining that illusion.
Maven tightened his fingers around my hand, guiding me forward. “It’s almost over.” He whispered as we neared the end of the hall. “Almost there.”
The feeling of being suffocated passed as we left the celebration venue, but the cameras followed us with their heavy electric eyes. The more I thought about it, the sharper their gazes seemed to become, until I could feel where the cameras were before I could see them. Perhaps this is a side effect of “my condition.” Maybe it was just because I had never been surrounded by this much electricity before, and this was how everyone felt. Or maybe I’m just a weird person.
In the hallway, a group of Sentinels are waiting to escort us down
upstairs. But what threats might there be to these people? Cal, Maven, and the King of Tiberias can control fire. Elara can control minds . What could they be afraid of?
We will rise, red as the dawn. Farley’s voice, the words
my brother, the Red Front’s statement, came back to my mind. They had already attacked the capital; this place could be their next target. I could be a target. Farley could drag me into a hijacked broadcast, revealing my true self to the world
in his efforts to undermine the Silvers. “Look at their lies, look at these lies ,” he would say, while pushing my face into the camera, making me drip red blood for all the world to see.
Wilder and wilder thoughts ran through my mind, each more terrifying and strange than the last. This place has driven me crazy in just one day.
“That went well,” Elara said, pulling her hand away from the king’s grasp as we reached the bedroom floor. The king didn’t seem to mind in the slightest. “Take the girls to their rooms.”
The Queen did not address her orders to anyone in particular, but four Sentinels broke away from the group. Their eyes glinted behind black masks.
“I can do it myself,” said Cal and Maven in unison. They looked at each other, surprised.
Elara raised one perfect eyebrow. “That’s inappropriate.” “I’ll escort Mareena, Mavey can take her
Evangeline,” Cal suggested quickly, while Maven pursed his lips at the mention of her first name. Mavey . Maybe it was a name Cal gave him as a child and now it stuck, a symbol for a younger sibling, always in the shadows, always second.
The king shrugged his shoulders. “Just leave them alone, Elara. The girls need a good night’s sleep, and those Sentinels would give any girl nightmares.” He chuckled amusedly, throwing a joking nod towards the crowd
bodyguard. They didn’t respond, as silent as a stone. I don’t know if they were allowed to talk at all.
After a moment of heavy silence, the queen turned on her heel. “Okay.” Like any wife, she hated her husband challenging her, and like any queen, she hated the power the king had over her. A bad combination.
“Go to sleep,” the king said, his voice a little more urgent and authoritative. The Sentinels stayed with him, following as the king went in the opposite direction from his wife. I don’t think they slept in the same room, but that’s not too surprising.
“Where is my room, exactly?” Evangeline asked, glaring sharply at Maven. The shy queen-to-be was gone, replaced by the curt girl-demon I knew.
Maven swallowed hard looking at himself. “Eh, this way, Miss—Madam—Princess.” He held out his arm for Evangeline to take, but she just walked past him. “Goodnight, Cal, Mareena,” Maven sighed, looking at me intently.
I could only nod at the prince who was walking away. My fiancé. The thought made me sick. Although Maven looks polite, nice even, he is a Silver . And he’s Elara’s son, which might be even worse. Her smile and kind words couldn’t hide it from me. Cal is just as bad, raised to rule, to perpetuate this twisted world even further.
Cal watched Evangeline disappear, his eyes lingering over her retreating figure in a way that made me, oddly, annoyed.
“You’ve picked a real hero,” I muttered once he was out of earshot.
Cal’s smile fades in a downward arc, and he starts walking toward my room, climbing a gentle spiral. My little legs struggled to keep up with his long strides, but he didn’t seem to notice, lost in his own thoughts.
Finally he turned around, his eyes as hot as embers. “I didn’t choose anything. Everyone knows that too.”
“At least you knew this was going to happen. I woke up this morning without a boyfriend.” Cal frowned at my words, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t bear his self-pity. “And, you know, there’s always the certainty that ‘you’re going to be a king.’ That’s definitely a strong motivation.”
Cal chuckled softly, but didn’t laugh. His eyes darkened, and he took a step forward, examining me from head to toe. Instead of looking judgmental, he looked sad. So sad in the reddish gold pools of his eyes, a lost boy, looking for someone to save him.
“You look a lot like Maven,” he said after a moment that made my heart race.
“You mean engaged to a stranger? We do have that in common.”
“You two are very smart.” I couldn’t help but snort. Cal obviously didn’t know I couldn’t ace a fourteen-year-old math test. “You understand people, you understand them, you see who they really are.”
“My intelligence was tested last night. I clearly knew you were the crown prince the whole time.” I still can’t believe it just happened last night. How just one day can bring so many events.
“You know I’m not where I’m supposed to be.”
His sadness was contagious, coursing through me with pain. “So we switched places.”
Suddenly the palace didn’t look so beautiful or so majestic anymore. Hard metal and rock, too harsh, too bright, too unnatural, trapped me inside. And behind it all, the electric power of the cameras continues to hum. It wasn’t even just a sound anymore, but a feeling on my skin, in my bones, in my blood. My mind reached for the electricity, as if by instinct. Stop it , I said to myself. Stop it . Fine hairs stood up on my arms as something fizzed beneath my skin, a crackle of energy I couldn’t control. I don’t know why that feeling is back now, when it was the last thing I wanted.
But the feeling passed as quickly as it appeared, and the energy was electric
it turned into a low hum again, letting the world return to normal.
“Are you okay?” Cal looked at me, confused.
“Sorry,” I muttered, shaking my head. “Just thinking.”
He nodded, almost looking guilty. “About your family?”
Those words hit me like a slap. They hadn’t even crossed my mind in the last few hours, and…
it makes me sick. Just a few hours of enjoying the life of the nobility was able to change me.
“I have sent letters of release from combat assignments for your brothers and friends, and an officer to your house, to inform you of your whereabouts.” Cal continued, thinking that might calm me down. “But we can’t tell them everything.”
I can only imagine how that explanation would go . Oh, hello. Your daughter is a Silver now, and she will marry a prince. You will never see him again, but we will send you some money to help you financially. It even provides job opportunities. What do you think?
“They know you work for us and have to live here, but they still think you’re a servant. At least, for now. When your life is more in the public eye, we will find a way to deal with them.”
“Can I at least write them a letter?” Shade’s letters were always a bright spot amidst our dark days. Perhaps my own letter could be something similar.
But Cal shook his head. “Sorry, but that’s not possible.” “I think so too.”
He guides me into the room, which immediately glows brightly. Motion-activated lights, I thought. Just like in the hallway, my senses sharpened and anything electrically charged became a burning sensation in my mind. Immediately I knew there were at least four cameras in the room and it made me shudder.
“That is for your own protection. If anyone finds those letters, and finds out the truth about you
—”
“Are the cameras here to protect me too ?” I asked, pointing towards the walls. The cameras dug into my skin, watching every inch of me. It’s absolutely crazy, and after a day like today, I don’t know how much more I can take. “I’m trapped inside this cursed palace, surrounded by walls, guards, and people who would tear me apart, and I can’t even find peace in my own room.”
Instead of snapping back at me, Cal looked confused. His eyes swept around with a burning gaze. The walls were bare, but he could definitely feel their presence as well. How could anyone not feel the closely lurking eyes?
“Mare, there are no cameras here.”
I waved at him, brushing him off. The buzz of electricity still prickles my skin. “Don’t act stupid. I can feel it.”
Now he really looked surprised. “Feel it? What do you mean?”
“I—” However, the words died in my throat when I realized: he didn’t feel anything. He didn’t even understand what I said. How can I explain this problem to him, if he has never experienced it himself? How do I tell him that I feel that energy
in the air like a pulse, like another part of me? Like other senses? Will he understand?
Will anyone understand?
“Is that—abnormal?”
Something flickered in his eyes as he hesitated, trying to find the words to tell me I was different. Even among the Silvers, I am different from the others.
“Not to my knowledge.” He finally said.
My voice sounded quiet, even to me. “I don’t think there’s anything normal about me anymore.”
Cal opened his mouth to speak, but didn’t. There was nothing more he could say to make me feel better. There’s nothing more he can do for me.
In fairy tales, the poor girl smiles when she becomes a princess. Right now, I don’t know if I can smile again.[]
