Aeris’s pov
The revelation weighed heavily on me, twisting in my gut like a knife. Nathaniel was no king—he was a snake, slithering through the chaos that he and Arabella had created. I couldn’t stand either of them any longer. They had planned this betrayal meticulously, but I would not fall victim to their games. No matter what came next, I would protect my kingdom. That was the only truth I clung to in this nightmare.
I cursed myself for appointing Arabella as my advisor. What a fool I’d been, thinking I could keep her close, thinking I could outsmart her. All I had done was hand her the keys to my kingdom. Now, everything I had built, everything I loved, was vulnerable to her treachery and Nathaniel’s thirst for power.
Caspian. He had been right all along. He must have sensed someth
