Varianth’s POV
“It’s good to be home.”
I breathed the words aloud as the palace gates opened before me. The carriage rolled through, and the familiar sight of my kingdom’s towering halls eased the weight on my chest.
The past three days had been long. Endless negotiations, back-to-back councils, forced smiles and empty conversations. But through it all, one thought kept pushing to the front of my mind.
Athena.
She had been trying to tell me something. I’d seen it in her eyes, heard it in her voice each time she approached me. But every single time—something got in the way.
Not tonight.
Tonight, the first thing I would do was find her. Listen. Understand what was really behind her hesitant glances, the way she held her stomach when she thought no one was looking.
Something was wrong. I could feel it.
The carriage pulled to a stop. I didn’t wait for the guards—I stepped out and headed straight toward the main hall. The sun had just begun to set, casting a warm orange glow through the stained-glass windows.
That’s when I saw her.
Athena.
She was descending the grand staircase, her hand lightly on the railing, her dress flowing behind her in soft waves.
And behind her—Emily. Moving silently. Too silently.
My steps slowed as I took in the scene. Something in Emily’s posture struck me as off. She wasn’t walking with grace. She wasn’t smiling.
She was watching Athena. Like a hunter watches prey. Then it happened. Emily’s hand shot out—sharp, brutal.
She shoved Athena hard in the back.
Athena gasped—loud and terrified—as her foot missed the next step.
Time slowed.
I watched, frozen, as her body pitched forward, arms flailing.
“No!” I shouted, but my voice came too late.
Her body tumbled down the stairs, hitting the marble with a sickening crack.
“ATHENA!”
I ran. The guards moved slower than me. They hadn’t seen. But I had. Emily stood at the top, her face pale and lips parted.
And then she spoke—her voice clear, cruel, echoing down the staircase.
“You should have stayed quiet.”
My blood ran cold when I watched Emily push Athena and then retreating to her chamber like the speed of wind.
I dropped to my knees beside Athena. Her eyes fluttered, her breathing shallow. Blood pooled beneath her head.
“Athena,” I whispered, cradling her gently. “Please… stay with me.”