Morning light filtered through the palace windows, pale and cold. The morning here felt colder unlike the warm golden mornings of Ravenmoor.

Alina stood beside the bed, staring at the blue dress laid out on it, holding the blue pin in her palm. Her stomach had been tight since she woke, a knot of fear and determination twisting inside her.

Through the open connecting door, she could hear Austin moving in the next room. He was getting ready. She walked to the doorway and stood there, watching him.

He stood in front of the mirror fastening the buttons of his coat. He looked calm and composed but she knew him too well now. His shoulders were tense, and his fingers were trembling a little.

She walked towards him and stopped in front of him.

"Your collar is uneven," she murmured.

Austin looked at her through the mirror. The tension in his face softened at just the sight of her. Alina reached up and fixed his collar, smoothing the fabric under her fingers gently.

"There," she said, satisfied. "Now you look terrifying again."

A small smile escaped his lips.

"Thank God. I was worried I looked approachable."

His dry humour made her smile despite the fear curling in her chest.

"Come here," he said, taking the blue pin from her hand.

She stepped closer and he pinned it into her hair, his fingers brushing near her temple, lingering there for a while, as if he wanted to memorize the moment.

"There," he whispered. "Beautiful."

She put her hand on his chest and felt his heart pounding under her palm.

"Austin..."

"I’m fine."

"No. You’re not."

He smiled.

"All right. Slightly less than fine."

She let out a shaky laugh. His hand slid gently around her waist, pulling her closer until their foreheads almost touched.

"I hate this place," he said. "I hate that they separated us into different rooms like we’re strangers."

"We do have a connecting door."

"I’m still offended."

That finally made her laugh out loud. They stood like that for a while, holding onto the last few quiet minutes before everything changed. Eventually, Alina sighed and stepped back.

"Let’s review," she said.

His expression changed immediately.

"I knew about your royal heritage before the contract. I hid it to protect you from being weaponized."

"The Crane files?"

"We will only present them if the king threatens us."

Alina nodded.

"If he asks about the Pact?"

"I know nothing about a Blood Ink Pact and you ran a charitable initiative for women in difficult domestic circumstances."

The words made her heart ache. Charitable sounded so much smaller than what the Pact truly was. But she understood why they had to frame it that way.

"You should go," she said then. "It’s almost nine."

Instead of walking away, he reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Wait for me."

Then he leaned down and kissed her forehead, before leaving.

The king had called Austin into his private chamber, instead of the grand throne room. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Your Majesty," Austin bowed as he stepped inside.

"Sit."

He sat across from him.

The king didn’t beat around the bush.

"My daughter telss me you’ve been keeping secrets from the crown," he said directly.

"I’ve been just protecting a woman in my household," Austin replied with the same directness.

"Protecting?" The king tilted his head. "An interesting word. My daughter used the word ’hid.’"

"Then I guess she is wrong," Austin replied.

The king’s eyes sharpened.

"Alina Ashworth, the heir to the kingdom of Arcasedia, has been living in your castle under a bed warmer contract for months without the crown’s knowledge. Is it true?"

"Yes."

"And you knew who she was before acquiring the contract?"

"Yes," Austin answered, meeting the king’s gaze. "I bought her to prevent her from being seized by a hostile power."

"And you chose not to inform your king?"

"Because informing the crown would have turned her into a state asset. The crown’s protocol for foreign royalty found in the kingdom is detention and diplomatic utilization."

The king leaned back, studying him.

"You made a unilateral decision about a matter of state security without consulting your sovereign and considering the diplomatic implications."

"For me, a person’s survival is more important than diplomatic consequences."

"Diplomatic consequences are not secondary matters, Duke of Ravenmoor," the king’s voice rose a little. "That is the first thing a duke should know."

"With respect, Your Majesty, the first responsibility of a ruler is to protect the people under his care. Not measuring what they’re worth on a negotiation table," Austin replied firmly.

The room went quiet. The king watched him as if trying to understand what was exactly going on in his mind.

"You asked me to make my choice, Your Majesty," Austin continued. "I’ve finally made it."

The king narrowed his eyes.

"And what choice did you make?"

"I’m choosing Alina," Austin replied without hesitation.

The silence that followed was heavier than before.

"And what about my daughter?" the king asked. "What about your engagement with her?"

Austin let out a small, humourless laugh.

"Your daughter spent months trying to destroy a woman in my household. Poisoning, rumours, manipulation, sabotage. Whatever foundation that engagement once had, Audrey destroyed it herself."

"My daughter has denied all these accusations."

"She denies everything very convincingly, Your Majesty," he replied. "That’s what makes her even more dangerous."

For the first time, the king looked unsettled. He clenched his fists before speaking again.

"I will see Miss Ashworth now. You are dismissed."

Austin nodded and stood up. The lack of any clear verdict or threat made the situation even more terrifying. The king was making him wait knowing waiting was its own kind of torture.

Meanwhile, Alina spent those two hours trying not to unravel. She sat near the window with her hands clasped tightly together, her mind racing with every possible worst outcome.

What were they talking about? Had the king threatened him? Had Austin stood firm or bowed down?

Every possible answer hurt.

At exactly eleven, a palace messenger arrived and led her to the king’s chambers. The walk through the long corridors felt endless. When the doors finally opened, she took a deep breath and stepped inside.

The king sat behind the desk. His sharp eyes lifted immediately, assessing her. Alina crossed the room and sat in the chair opposite him without curtseying.

The king noticed, his left eyebrow rose slightly, but he didn’t say anything.

"Miss Ashworth," he began, "I’ve found you very courageous since we first met at Ravenmoor."

He paused.

"And now I understand where some of that courage comes from. Princess Isadora of House Ashrael was your mother."

"My mother was a princess the same way I’m a bed warmer," she said, looking into his eyes. "By circumstance, not by choice."

"Circumstance shapes reputation," he said. "Choice shapes character. So tell me, Miss Ashworth... what are you?"

Her fingers curled tightly in her lap.

"I’m just a woman trying to survive a world that keeps turning women into possessions."

The king looked genuinely surprised by her answer.

"You are quite bold."

"I’m just honest."

For a moment he just watched her. Then, unexpectedly, his expression softened a bit.

"You are either very brave or very foolish," he said.

A small smile tugged at her lips.

"Aren’t those two things the same?"

To her surprise, the king almost smiled back at her response.

"You may go now, Miss Ashworth."

Her eyes widened.

"That’s all?"

"I have heard you."

She stood up, feeling both relieved and uneasy. She walked to the door but then stopped and turned.

"Your Majesty... one more thing."

The king looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

"Your daughter, Audrey, was involved in incidents at the palace when she was younger," she said, watching his expression carefully. "And it tells a different story about your daughter than the world knows about her."

The king’s face hardened immediately. He understood what she was trying to say.

"Where did you hear such things?" he asked, his voice colder now.

"From the same people Audrey used to learn about me," Alina replied. "The difference is that she searched for information to destroy me while I searched for it to survive."

She gave him a small bow and left.

The second the doors closed behind her, her legs nearly buckled from the release of tension.

I’ve done it.

Instead, of opening her own door, she opened the door to Austin’s room. He was already standing in the middle of it, waiting. The moment he saw her, he ran towards her and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly.

She clung to him just as hard, pressing her face against his chest.

"Tell me what happened," she whispered, still wrapped in his arms.

He told her everything. When he finished, he pulled back slightly to look at her.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"Everything," she replied. "Even about Audrey’s buried incidents."

Austin stared at her in both disbelief and admiration.

"God, Alina..."

She smiled and tightened her hold on his coat.

"What did he say?" he asked.

"He said he heard me."

And that frightened her more than anger would have. Because it meant the king was thinking, and when a king thinks, he can be very dangerous.

The fear showed on her face. Austin immediately pulled her closer again, his one hand sliding gently into her hair to confort her.

"We did everything we could," he murmured. "Now we just need to wait."

She nodded, pressing herself even closer to him, letting his warmth ease some of the fear inside her.