I didn’t even get a chance to breathe before someone grabbed my arm.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBkmpi8gA3D
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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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIdFJGqhFd
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Oh, sure. Totally normal post-manslaughter hangout.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFhbirt01Kc
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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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmUWygs9Cum
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By the time we reach the King’s chambers, my stomach’s doing gymnastics.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcxW9mnOo6q
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The doors swing open with a heavy creak, and there he is — the King.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTrHZC9trYf
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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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9WSmqGAFO
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> “Ariana!”132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzft4EvVbNA
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He rushes forward and before I can dodge, he hugs me. Full royal embrace. Armor and all.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnP4CzJdNMn
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I freeze like someone hit pause on me.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJQxCoiz21O
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My brain short-circuits.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkGOBA6I1kE
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Right. Hugs. With the guy who rules the kingdom. After a public murder. Totally fine.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15NJQKuf9Z
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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.”132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYsbtT7UcPj
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He pulls back to look at me — and for a second, I see it. Real worry. Real love.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Y0RPT9etr
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And that’s almost worse.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEdCRfpr91P
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Because I didn’t do anything to earn it.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfqSZPgQx1G
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The courtiers behind him stay silent.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhGemC0O6gV
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They bow. Whisper. Pretend not to see the mess.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdK4HfVOtJ1
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No one mentions Clara’s name. Not once.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbLzS6a3yvW
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Like she never existed.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHq1KIrmiy
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> “You must rest,” the King says gently. “The court will handle the details. You’ve suffered enough.”132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPM5IW9QXix
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I nod because what else can I do?132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvDZ90LwpX4
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If I open my mouth, sarcasm will leak out and ruin my life.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgY54UW6VdW
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So I just say,132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡObmBtAF123
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> “Yes, Father.”132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa70yw3iJun
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He smiles — relieved, maybe even proud — and calls for the maids to take me to my chambers.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPfVnWN2BLI
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---132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDSI3K2QsSm
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The walk back feels longer. Quieter.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMwLsBXa3zZ
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When they finally leave me alone, I collapse onto the bed.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9LVbYmiJqu
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The silk sheets swallow me whole, and for the first time in hours, I let myself breathe.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjw1wnKlF2B
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> “So,” I whisper to the empty room,132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT67FPnD1ue
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“confessed to murder, adopted by the King, promoted to favorite daughter. 10/10 quest rewards.”132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXaMJGerAPy
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I laugh a little — that weird kind of laugh that sounds dangerously close to crying.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxkwkhLROP
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Then I pull the covers up to my chin and stare at the ceiling.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoODcPEPlsa
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> “I’m so screwed.”132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVICgBuB448
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The gold chandeliers flicker overhead.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtywAENJ7qw
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Somewhere outside, the bells toll faintly, like the world’s trying to remind me what time it is.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyfoGeg6AYt
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But I already know.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlDnHdQEpbi
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It’s the hour when fate stops pretending to be fair.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR40AmM5khD
1234 copyright protection128ＰＥＮＡＮＡgmDmxoY1yW 尼I close my eyes, but his face won’t leave me alone.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbzf5Jg0zD
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Those blue eyes — calm even with a sword over his neck.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtC2W0plUzs
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Like he wasn’t scared of dying.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbsAIEXljNX
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Like he’d already done it before.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOl1ME244YI
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And that smile… no, not even a smile — more like quiet acceptance.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ532g4YnRS0
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The kind that says, “I told you this would happen.”132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO8CRVDjhyJ
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I don’t even know his name.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqpdJs9gwB5
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But when I think about him, my chest tightens, like I’m remembering someone I already lost.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsXfnNwJEhk
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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.132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl2pq85SODT
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So why does it hurt like it’s not the first time?132Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsBllqpmOTQ
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