“You must try harder,” Mother hisses, her voice dripping with malice. “Or have you forgotten the consequences if you don’t?”
“N... no. Of course not, Your Majesty,” Florence stammers, her voice trembling. “He has assured me he does not know where the Cupid’s Heart is.”
“He is lying!” Mother screams, followed by the unmistakable shatter of glass. With my pulse quickening, I inch forward and tentatively peek through the slight gap in the ornate double doors.
The receiving room sprawls before me, bathed in the fading light that filters through the tall, arched windows. Opulent chandeliers hang overhead, their heart-shaped crystals trembling slightly from the commotion. The room is furnished with an array of soft, luxurious pieces—deep-cushioned armchairs upholstered in velvet and delicate loveseats embroidered with golden thread. There are low tables of polished mahogany, their surfaces glinting from the chandelier above, and a few intricately woven rugs soften the stone floor beneath them. Everything about the room speaks of comfort and excess, a contrast to my mother’s harsh disposition.
On the far side of the room, Mother stands near a shattered crystal decanter, her white gown pristine despite the red nectar splattered across the wall. Her face is twisted into a mask of fury, her wings pulled tight against her back, the feathers trembling with her every breath.
Florence is beside her, half turned away, her body stiff with tension, her hands clasped in front of her, trembling slightly as she stares at the floor. She is holding herself small, making herself invisible before Mother’s wrath.
I stay hidden in the shadows just beyond the doorframe, knowing they cannot see me from their positions across the room. My heart pounds as I watch them, every instinct warning me that whatever transpires between them holds answers I may not want—but need—to hear.
“But how can he be lying, Your Majesty?” Florence asks hesitantly. “Didn’t he make an oath?”
“Yes,” Mother sneers, glaring down at her palm where the mark of our oath is. “But just like his father, he is cunning. Somehow, he thwarted it. I have yet to figure out how.” She paces the room like a lioness, her fury palpable.
“Perhaps he is telling the truth?” Florence offers meekly, and I wince at her bravado, fearing my mother’s response.
Mother turns slowly on her heel, her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. “Are you doubting me?”
“N...no, of c... course not, Your Majesty.” Florence’s words stumble out, barely coherent. “B… but I do not know how to p… proceed. He hasn’t called upon me in quite some time.”
“Entirely your fault, I am sure.” Mother waves a hand dismissively, her lip curled in disgust. “The boy is smitten with you, has been his entire life. He would not jilt you unless something led to his distrust.”
“It must have been Mother,” Florence ventures quietly. “She appeared, and he expressed concern over her well-being.”
“Your mother is a thorn in my side,” Mother grumbles. “If it weren’t for the oath we made, I would have gotten rid of her long ago. Imagine her insolence—trying to send her sparrow to warn my son!”
The words cut through me like a blade, my heart sinking with the weight of realization. The Duchess had risked everything to warn me, and I had failed her. I should have trusted my instincts, returned later, and ensured her safety.
“Did you have to kill Gia?” Florence whispers, her voice trembling with barely restrained grief.
The silence that follows is suffocating, tightening around my chest. I hold my breath, watching in horror as Mother thrusts her hand out, sending Florence hurtling into the wall. Her muffled sobs reach my ears, and every instinct urges me to rush in, to protect her from Mother’s wrath. Yet, I remain frozen, knowing that stepping in now would only make things worse.
“Listen to me, child,” Mother seethes, her voice ice-cold. “I am perfectly within my right to do whatever I desire. If I wish to extinguish both your sparrow and your father’s, it will be done. If I wish to dispose of you, your father, and your mother, it will be done.” She punctuates each word with the pounding of her staff against the floor. “You are entirely at my disposal. My every wish is your command!”
Hands rest gently on my forearms, and I feel Kati tugging me away from the doorway. I let her guide me, Mother’s words still ringing in my ears. Kati leads me down the staircase, each step feeling heavier than the last.
“My dear boy,” she cups my face in her hands, her eyes brimming with tears. “I wish you had not witnessed to that. I wish you had listened to me, for once in your stubborn life.” She smiles gently, trying to soften her words, but I cannot return the gesture. My heart feels hollow—Florence has betrayed me.
“How long?” I whisper.
Kati sighs deeply. “Too long. Your mother pledged to return the Duke’s title and terminate their banishment if Florence gained useful knowledge from you.”
“How are you able to speak of this to me?”
Kati smiles, though the expression is tinged with sadness. “It is easy to be invisible when one considers you disposable. To your mother, I am nothing but an object to be used.”
Her words pierce me, the weight of her loyalty and sacrifice crashing into me. I clasp her hands in mine, my eyes searching hers. “I promise you, Kati, that I will do everything in my power to restore our kingdom to its former glory.”
“I know you will, Prince Dominic.” She pulls me down, placing a kiss on my forehead. “Now, hasten before her wrath falls on us both. Take the diamonds to her throne room and then leave the castle.”
* * *
Heeding Kati’s advice, I fly high above the palace, trying to figure out where to go. Before this charade began, I only left the court to seek out Florence’s company.
Florence.
How could she betray me like this? After all these years, after everything we held sacred between us? I understand her desperation to restore her family’s honor, but why hadn’t she confided in me? I close my eyes briefly, exhaling a shaky breath. No doubt Florence was bound by secrecy as part of her oath, with dire consequences should she reveal anything. Her parents were likely under a similar vow. Perhaps the Duchess believed she had found a loophole by using her sparrow to warn me. And she’d paid the ultimate price for it.
Nix, where are you? I project, needing to be near my sparrow now more than ever. A moment later, I fly toward the lake and land beside the water, watching as Nix flutters about. It takes a moment for me to realize what he’s doing—tending to Gia’s grave.
He delicately shifts the dirt, widening and deepening the grave, his tiny claws carefully scraping the earth. With a precision that speaks to his devotion, he arranges twigs into a protective lattice, almost as if forming a gentle cradle. When he’s satisfied, he places a few small stones atop the mound, marking Gia’s resting place with a solemn dignity. Once finished, he flies over to me, landing on my shoulder with a soft, weary chirp, as though sighing under the weight of his efforts.
“Hello, my friend,” I murmur, reaching out to stroke his midnight-blue feathers. They shimmer beneath the sun, catching glimmers of light—a hue that mirrors my own hair. “You’ve done well. I’m certain the Duchess would appreciate your efforts.”
Nix nips at my fingers, a gentle, affectionate gesture, before turning his attention to smoothing his feathers. I lean back, letting the soft grass cradle me. The exhaustion of these past weeks weighs heavily on me, tugging at my eyelids.
For now, all thoughts of Florence and my mother drift away, fading against the overwhelming need for rest. I allow the warmth of the sun to seep into my skin, each ray soothing the ache within me. The steady rustle of Nix grooming himself by my side fills the quiet, his presence an anchor in the chaos of my life.
As my eyes drift closed, a sense of fleeting tranquility settles over me—a rare moment of peace. And though I know it cannot last, I let it take me, allowing my worries to dissolve, if only for a short while…
“Pardon me, sir, but you are on my friend.”