Chapter 123: The Silence Before the Summons
Chapter 122: The Silence Before the Summons
Lyria’s POV
I had expected to be summoned.
Not wished for it—no, never that—but expected it all the same.
After what had happened in the Grand Hall, after the way the truth had been dragged—quite literally—into the light, there should have been consequences.
There should have been a reckoning.
The Queen should have sent for me before the night had even drawn to a close. Jacinta should have summoned me too, or perhaps appeared at my door with that sharp look in her eyes, the one that always came before something unpleasant followed.
There should have been something.
But there had been nothing.
And somehow, that was far worse.
I lay still upon the narrow bed in my chambers, my gaze fixed upon the ceiling above me. The faint cracks in the plaster had long since become familiar to me, their uneven lines something I had traced more times than I cared to admit.
It was easier to focus on them than on my thoughts.
But even that did not hold for long.
My mind wandered—restless, unwilling to be quiet.
The palace was quiet. No hurried footsteps. No whispers slipping through the corridors.
It was as though the entire place had simply... paused.
As though it were waiting.
And I did not know for what.
I shifted slightly, turning onto my side, the thin fabric of the mattress doing little to soften the movement.
Why?
The question had circled endlessly in my mind.
Why had the Queen not called for me?
Why had Jacinta not come?
Why had the King said nothing?
It did not make sense.
They had never been ones to delay action—not when it concerned me.
Especially not when it concerned me.
My fingers curled slightly against the blanket.
Had they decided something already? Had they decided my fate without my knowledge? That wouldn’t be surprising though, given who they were.
But still, I was curious. Why was nothing being said to me? The whole kingdom had seen me; they now knew I was the King’s daughter, so I at least expected anger, vile words, something... anything.
But instead, they had all just pretended I did not exist.
A quiet breath slipped from me. Honestly, I think a part of me wanted to be seen too.
Perhaps, somewhere deep within, I had wished to be seen.
To no longer exist in the quiet, unseen spaces of the palace.
To no longer be the shadow that followed Jacinta from one room to the next.
But to be acknowledged as something more than a shadow—not the King’s daughter—but that in itself wasn’t so bad. At least now the King had been exposed for the fact that he hid me away and treated his own daughter like she was nothing but a mere shadow.
I still remembered what happened in the hall, especially before we finally left.
A faint laugh escaped me just thinking about it.
Duke Thorncrest.
Duke Valenridge.
Of all the things I had expected in the hall, their... performance had not been among them.
The memory surfaced clearly.
The sudden commotion.
The way Duke Valenridge had appeared as though he might collapse at any moment.
The concern that had rippled through the hall. How others had failed to realize that the whole performance was a farce... well, except for a few people... was beyond me.
I let out a quiet breath, my gaze drifting once more to the ceiling.
If I were given the chance, I would thank them.
Truly.
Because it was because of them that I had been allowed to leave.
Because of them that I had escaped the suffocating weight of that hall before it became unbearable.
Because of them that I had returned here.
To this small, quiet space to rest.
And more than that, it was because of them that the royal family had not been able to deny me.
If I had remained hidden...
If I had stayed within the shadows where I had always been kept...
They would have found a way to silence the rumours.
A way to ensure that nothing disturbed the image they so carefully maintained.
My fingers tightened slightly against the fabric beneath me.
But I had been seen.
And now...
Now there was no returning to what had been. There was no returning to being a shadow, that much was obvious.
I exhaled slowly, forcing the tension from my shoulders.
Enough.
There was no use thinking in circles. Whatever was to come would come regardless.
Eventually, exhaustion claimed me.
I did not remember closing my eyes.
Did not remember when my thoughts finally stilled.
Only that, at some point, sleep took me.
—
My eyes flew open at the sound. For a moment, I did not understand where I was.
The pounding came again.
I sat up quickly, my heart already beginning to race.
I gazed out my window. It was obvious it was morning, but it was still early—even earlier than when I woke to get Jacinta water to wash up.
Another knock sounded, more forceful this time.
"I a-am coming," I called, though my voice came out softer than intended.
I rose from the bed, smoothing my dress out of habit even as I crossed the small distance to the door.
The floor creaked faintly beneath my steps.
Everything felt too loud.
I reached the door and paused for the briefest moment.
Then I opened it.
A maid stood on the other side.
Her posture was precise. Her expression carefully neutral. I recognized her as one of the Queen’s maids.
"You are to come with me," she said. "The Queen demands your presence this instant."
I inclined my head slightly and then reached for my mask, only to realize the Queen had not given it back when she took it the previous night.
I turned to follow the maid down the creaking wooden stairs as she led the way to the Queen’s chambers. I knew that there was no way the Queen would not have summoned me after what happened, and so I was not surprised.
Immediately we got to the chambers, the guards opened the door and we walked in.
