CHAPTER 11
Jun 9, 2025
CADEN’S POV
“This can’t be real,” I whisper, but the royal seal mocks me with its authenticity.
Mother’s face has gone pale, the color draining from her cheeks as she reads the document for the third time. The silence between us stretches, taut as a bowstring ready to snap.
“Elara is the heir to Verdana,” I say again, testing how the words feel in my mouth. Each syllable burns. “The woman our family has treated like dirt beneath our shoes for months is the daughter of King Dorian.”
Mother finally looks up, her eyes wide with something I rarely see in them—fear.
“We didn’t know, Caden. There was no way to—”
“Don’t,” I cut her off, my voice sharp enough to make her flinch. “Don’t pretend this isn’t a catastrophe of our own making. We’ve humiliated her publicly. Repeatedly. I’ve dismissed her as nothing but a political pawn.”
I laugh, but it’s a hollow sound that echoes off the oak-paneled walls. “My own wife—the true heir to Verdana—wants nothing to do with me or this family. Can you grasp what that means for our kingdom?”
Mother rises from her chair, her composure returning in increments. “We can salvage this. The alliance with Isolde’s family is nearly complete. If we approach Elara with the proper respect now, perhaps—”
“Respect?” The word explodes from me. I slam my fist against the desk, sending papers scattering. “Is that what you call it? After months of treating her like she was nothing?”
Mother’s eyes narrow. “Lower your voice, Caden. This isn’t helping.”
“You know what’s not helping? Your refusal to acknowledge what we’ve done!” I’m shouting now, unable to contain the fury that’s been building. “You pushed me toward this marriage, claiming it was for the good of our kingdom, and then immediately undermined it by arranging for Isolde!”
“I did what was necessary!” Mother snaps back. “How was I supposed to know? For you to take the throne of your father, you need strong alliances…”
“And how do you expect me to do that now when all you have done is to humiliate and insult her?” I’m pacing now, unable to stand still with the energy coursing through me. “She even asked for a divorce. Do you understand what that means for us? For Verloren?”
We fall silent as the weight of the situation settles over us like a shroud. The alliance with Verdana had been tenuous at best, a fragile connection that we’d carelessly broken. And now, knowing who Elara truly is…
The door creaks open, and Kaela slinks in, her eyes darting between Mother and me suspiciously.
“What are you talking about? Elara?” she asks, her voice dripping with disdain.
Neither of us responds. I continue pacing, while Mother fidgets with the edge of her sleeve, a nervous habit she’s had since childhood.
Kaela’s lips curl into a familiar sneer. “Did that silly woman do something again? She asked for a divorce? What gut!”
My jaw clenches so tight I can hear my teeth grinding. I don’t trust myself to speak.
“Caden,” Kaela says, her voice suddenly saccharine, “Isolda is here to see you. She’s waiting in the east parlor.”
I stop pacing and stare at my sister, incredulous. “Tell her I’m not home.”
“What?!” Kaela exclaims, her eyebrows shooting up toward her hairline. “But you’re home. You don’t want to see her because of Elara? What the hell has that woman given—”
Mother’s hand shoots out, grasping Kaela’s wrist with surprising strength. “Kaela darling,” she says, her voice unnaturally calm, “you need to go to Elara right now and apologize to her for everything you have done to hurt her.”
Kaela looks at Mother as if she’s lost her mind. “What?”
I can’t help the bitter smirk that crosses my face. “Elara isn’t just some random noblewoman from Verdana. She’s the princess, the crown princess, and we’ve treated her like garbage.”
Kaela chuckled sofly. “What are you talking about, Caden? Thats’s ridiculous!”
“Whether you like it or not, you have to believe it because Elara is King Dorian of Verdana’s only daughter and the true heir to his throne.”
Kaela’s eyes dart between Mother and me, searching for some sign that this is a cruel joke. Finding none, she collapses into the nearest chair.
The color drains from Kaela’s face so quickly I think she might faint. Her mouth opens and closes several times before she manages to sputter, “What the hell?!”
