Work together..
The ceremony ended with applause, but it felt hollow to me. As the crowd began to disperse, I moved to leave the hall, eager to be anywhere but here. Before I could slip away, Lucas caught up to me.
“We need to talk,” he said quietly, his expression serious.
I didn’t respond at first, just nodded, leading him down a quieter hallway away from the prying eyes of the court. When we reached an empty room, I turned to face him.
“What is it?” I asked, folding my arms.
“We can’t keep avoiding this,” he said, his eyes searching mine. “I know you’re doing this for the children, but we need to work together if we’re going to make things easier for them as time passes. We have a lot of enemies, and trust me, they’re not going to sit idly by after today.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” I scoffed as I murmured under my breath. Lucas and Simon were so focused on the external enemies they had, while the biggest one, however, resided in this house with us. He looked at me as if contemplating whether to say something or not, but I continued anyway. “Well, I totally understand where you’re coming from, but I don’t think I can actually trust you or Simon completely, not after everything that’s happened.”
Lucas sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I get that. But this is no longer about just us anymore, and you know that. Alliances are being formed outside the kingdom between our enemies-dangerous ones. We have to put our past aside and focus on the real threat. If we don’t, they’ll tear this kingdom apart-and take our children down with it.”
I bit my lip, knowing he was right. But trusting them again wasn’t easy, especially after the way things had fallen apart between us. Still, Veronica was a bigger threat than they had come to realize, and I couldn’t afford to fight this war alone.
Before I could respond, Simon appeared in the doorway, his gaze flicking between Lucas and me. “Is this a private conversation, or can I join?”
“It’s about my kids,” I said, my voice tight. “Lucas thinks we need to work together, especially now that we are… you know.”
Simon raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t think you’d be interested in working with us, after everything. But then again, you actually have no other choice but to join us fully. It’d be risky not to.”
“I’m not,” I said softly but with a resolved tone. “It’s not me that doesn’t have a choice-we all don’t at this point. You two wouldn’t have had to resort to kidnapping in order to secure the future of the kingdom and your bloodline if you weren’t desperate enough. You had no choice, and that’s why I’m here in this house after so many years. It has nothing to do with me not having a choice other than to return because we all know I was living a thrilling life outside all on my own.”
They both remained silent, but at this point, I would rather have had them speak because their aura was just so dangerous and unreadable. After an awkwardly silent moment, I took a deep breath and looked toward them with a much calmer expression.
“Veronica’s moves are already getting bolder, and if care isn’t taken about the people she has started joining hands with-starting with the one we already know, Fabian-things could get even worse or maybe even detrimental to more than just this kingdom.”
Simon nodded slowly, his expression thoughtful. “Alright. Let’s just say that one way or the other, we’ve all had our shortcomings, but what’s really important is that we actually try to work together. Now the question we should be asking is, do we have a plan?”
That was the question I had been trying to figure out for days. I had the papers, but they were only part of the puzzle. To take Veronica down, we needed more-proof of her outside alliances, evidence that would force the elders and the court to turn against her.
“We need to start gathering information,” I said finally. “Not just on the enemies outside, but on anyone that might be against us inside here as well. Who knows, we could be progressing a step forward on our goals, but an internal enemy is enough to take us miles backward.”
Lucas nodded, his face holding a look of slight annoyance. “Sure, whatever. And we need to keep this quiet. The moment people start suspecting us, especially when our enemies come to understand that we’re onto them, they’ll most likely strike us blindside.”
“Then we start tonight,” I said, feeling a sense of determination settle over me. “We start here from inside, and then make our way out just to be safe.”
As I turned to leave, I glanced back at Lucas and Simon. Even though we weren’t fully on the same page just yet, at least we had mutual goals to uncover the truth while exposing evildoers. We still had our differences for now, but I knew that wouldn’t last forever. Once Veronica was out of the way, our alliance would grow stronger. And when that time came, I’d be ready.
For now, though, the game was on. Veronica may have had the upper hand before, but this time, I wasn’t going to let her win.
As I walked back toward my chambers, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the walls were closing in on me. The palace that had once been my sanctuary now felt like a prison, with secrets lurking in every shadow. But I wasn’t the same woman I had been when I arrived here. I had learned how to survive, how to fight. And now, I had a new goal: to ensure my children’s safety, no matter the cost.
The sun was setting outside, casting long shadows across the courtyard. In the distance, I could hear the boys laughing, unaware of the storm brewing around them. I smiled to myself, knowing that as long as they were safe, I would keep fighting.
And Veronica? She had no idea what was coming.