Chapter 41

Aeliana could feel their stares.

Even when they weren't looking directly at her, she felt the weight of their scrutiny pressing against her skin, suffocating her as she walked through the grand corridors of the fortress. For the first time since she had arrived in Tharx's world, she was not invisible.

That should have been a good thing.

It wasn't.

The warriors, the nobles, the servants-none of them had forgotten what she was. An outsider. A human. A disruption to the carefully maintained traditions of this empire.

It had been three days since Tharx had elevated her status, stripping her of the title of captive and granting her a place in his court. Three days since the council chamber had erupted in outrage, since whispers of dissent had spread like wildfire. Three days since she had officially become a problem.

She had been given new quarters-no longer a cold, barren chamber meant for a prisoner, but a lavish suite within the fortress's inner sanctum. The robes she wore were of finer fabric, the meals placed before her no longer just enough to sustain, but enough to indulge. She was free to move through the palace without a guard trailing behind her at every moment.

But none of it felt like a victory.

Not when every step she took painted a target on her back.

Aeliana sat stiffly in the fortress library, her fingers pressed against the cool surface of a polished table. Across from her, Vaelkor, a high-ranking scholar, watched her with keen interest.

"You are being tested," he said simply, as if stating a fact as obvious as the sky above them.

Aeliana exhaled slowly. "I figured that much."

He smirked. "The nobility will never accept you, but they will tolerate you if you prove yourself useful. The warriors, however" He leaned back, studying her with sharp golden eyes. "They will never see you as anything but an insult."

Aeliana already knew that.

She had seen it in the way the warriors barely inclined their heads when she passed, how their hands curled into fists whenever she was near.

They had spent years carving their places into Tharx's empire through blood and discipline. And now, a human-a weak, fragile creature-had been placed in his court, a position that no one else had ever been granted.

They hated her for it.

"They will try to get rid of you," Vaelkor continued. "One way or another."

She had no doubt.

She first heard the whispers during an evening gathering in the grand hall.

She was standing near the outer edge of the chamber, feeling out of place amongst the finely dressed nobles who moved through the space like predators among prey. The conversations were hushed, calculated, each word carefully chosen. She wasn't naïve enough to think she wasn't the main topic of discussion.

"She is a disruption," one voice murmured. "An unnecessary distraction."

"She will not last long," another agreed. "The king will come to his senses."

Or he would be forced to.

The suggestions came next-ways to remove her.

Some thought she should be married off to a noble house, tied into an arrangement that would strip her of any direct influence over Tharx while keeping her within the empire. Others were more direct in their solutions.

"She is an obstacle."

"Obstacles can be dealt with."

Aeliana turned away before she could hear more.

She already knew how this world worked.

The assassination attempt was so subtle she almost missed it.

The grand banquet hall was filled with nobility and warriors alike, all gathered in celebration of the recent victory over Draxis's forces. Aeliana sat at Tharx's right, a position that had once belonged to no one.

The meal before her was extravagant, an array of dishes made from ingredients she could barely recognize. Servants moved seamlessly through the hall, refilling goblets with shimmering blue wine that glowed faintly in the dim light.

It was when she reached for her own goblet that she noticed it.

The scent.

Faint, but wrong.

Something acrid beneath the sweet aroma of the drink.

Her hand hesitated, fingers still curled around the stem of the glass. Across from her, Vaelkor's eyes flicked toward her goblet, his expression unreadable.

He said nothing, but the smallest shift of his gaze was all the confirmation she needed.

She set the goblet down.

A moment later, Tharx reached for his own drink.

Aeliana didn't think.

She acted.

Her hand shot out, gripping his wrist before he could bring the glass to his lips.

The hall fell into absolute silence.

She could feel the shock from the gathered nobles, the ripple of horror at the sight of her touching their king so casually, so brazenly.

But she didn't care.

Tharx's gaze snapped to hers, his golden eyes narrowing. His muscles coiled beneath her grip, as if debating whether to pull away.

Her voice was barely a whisper. "It's poisoned."

A long moment passed.

Then, with a slow, deliberate movement, Tharx set the goblet back onto the table.

His gaze didn't leave hers.

He lifted his hand.

A single, effortless motion.

Two guards moved instantly, dragging a trembling servant forward. Aeliana barely had time to process what was happening before the figure was forced to their knees at Tharx's feet.

She could hear the pleading-desperate, incoherent excuses spilling from the servant's lips.

Tharx did not speak.

He did not hesitate.

The blade struck.

The body crumpled.

Aeliana forced herself not to look away.

The nobles did not react. The warriors did not flinch. This was nothing to them.

The conversation resumed. The meal continued.

The blood on the floor might as well have not existed.

Back in her chambers, Aeliana sat on the edge of her bed, staring at her hands.

They were shaking.

Tharx had said nothing to her after the execution.

Hadn't looked at her.

But she had felt it.

The fury.

Not just at the attempt on her life-but at the mere fact that someone had dared to threaten her at all.

She let out a slow, uneven breath.

She wasn't naïve.

She knew this world was dangerous. Knew she had stepped into a game she barely understood.

But tonight had made something abundantly clear.

This was war.

And she was in the center of it.