I didn’t even get a chance to breathe before someone grabbed my arm.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOEyTD7uaYm
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“His Majesty requests your presence,” a guard said, like I’d just been invited for cake instead of after confessing to murder.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyVlv6cAEr4
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Oh, sure. Totally normal post-manslaughter hangout.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXMr8k5HD5
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The palace hallways blur past as they escort me. Gold ceilings. Velvet curtains. Way too much perfume in the air. Everything smells too clean for what just happened.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlRWvKjW1FQ
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By the time we reach the King’s chambers, my stomach’s doing gymnastics.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR0AAQweWg0
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The doors swing open with a heavy creak, and there he is — the King.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvBBfkiSS4u
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He’s older than I remembered. Tired eyes, gray at the edges of his beard, but when he looks up and sees me… it’s like watching the sun break through smoke.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPOQkxA118v
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> “Ariana!”159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBrFt8fljQa
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He rushes forward and before I can dodge, he hugs me. Full royal embrace. Armor and all.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivSPWevvBY
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I freeze like someone hit pause on me.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLi3UhDvGwj
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My brain short-circuits.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsskSltcLw1
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Right. Hugs. With the guy who rules the kingdom. After a public murder. Totally fine.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUNx0dlAAj
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> “My dear, you’re safe,” he says, his voice soft but trembling. “When I heard what happened, I feared the worst. Thank the heavens you’re unharmed.”159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5HhZdF7du
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He pulls back to look at me — and for a second, I see it. Real worry. Real love.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWNDb72gJl2
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And that’s almost worse.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡee3wohV58H
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Because I didn’t do anything to earn it.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQlSAp7MpTH
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The courtiers behind him stay silent.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5C2iEeN3p
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They bow. Whisper. Pretend not to see the mess.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GVFP1cmwH
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No one mentions Clara’s name. Not once.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ2LjQQYABc
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Like she never existed.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0z6TbG7QsJ
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> “You must rest,” the King says gently. “The court will handle the details. You’ve suffered enough.”159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmgCMjs347e
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I nod because what else can I do?159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ89S1TCk4Ee
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If I open my mouth, sarcasm will leak out and ruin my life.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwwqc9jEVo
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So I just say,159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5xGDuUEekp
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> “Yes, Father.”159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjAZcVLbJw4
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He smiles — relieved, maybe even proud — and calls for the maids to take me to my chambers.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtxcM5EVYxL
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---159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrMIL9Dss42
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The walk back feels longer. Quieter.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuoaTTxveNc
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When they finally leave me alone, I collapse onto the bed.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFiwzHSwLoj
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The silk sheets swallow me whole, and for the first time in hours, I let myself breathe.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC8do9nAMym
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> “So,” I whisper to the empty room,159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzSclov0iuo
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“confessed to murder, adopted by the King, promoted to favorite daughter. 10/10 quest rewards.”159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTu9CoOEB20
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I laugh a little — that weird kind of laugh that sounds dangerously close to crying.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnfHtIFxj98
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Then I pull the covers up to my chin and stare at the ceiling.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUMBgHQiez
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> “I’m so screwed.”159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5rJsYHHo6
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The gold chandeliers flicker overhead.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpeS7LluJU5
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Somewhere outside, the bells toll faintly, like the world’s trying to remind me what time it is.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdhqlUHxL6
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But I already know.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ24lAtvLeKe
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It’s the hour when fate stops pretending to be fair.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOgPBwH1OC
1234 copyright protection155ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Ofe43qa8V 尼I close my eyes, but his face won’t leave me alone.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqww60WShYg
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Those blue eyes — calm even with a sword over his neck.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjLl97X12V
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Like he wasn’t scared of dying.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9D1nz6sDCi
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Like he’d already done it before.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeK2iNu8nnV
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And that smile… no, not even a smile — more like quiet acceptance.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCcV6k8YDoL
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The kind that says, “I told you this would happen.”159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqIZWPQ5U8K
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I don’t even know his name.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1SvLQRnlqf
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But when I think about him, my chest tightens, like I’m remembering someone I already lost.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXmxuWN8EI
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Which makes no sense, because I’m supposed to be me. Lily. The girl who fell into a cursed fantasy soap opera.159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7HjMfgLYTH
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So why does it hurt like it’s not the first time?159Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpICfOTewEy
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