CHAP 5
SS2 -
PART 3 — Celeste’s Truth
In the dungeon below the palace, Celeste sat chained but unbroken.
When the guards came, she laughed before they even spoke.
“Let me guess,” she said. “She cried and now you think I’m the monster.”
The guard said nothing.
But the king entered behind them.
That silenced her.
Celeste lifted her chin.
“You always were sentimental,” she said to him. “That’s why you lost her the first time.”
The king’s voice was cold.
“Tell me everything.”
Celeste smiled faintly.
“You already know everything that matters.”
He stepped closer.
“I know you started a fire.”
“I corrected a mistake,” she replied. “That child was never meant to live. The prophecy said—”
“The prophecy said she would either save this kingdom,” the king interrupted, “or destroy it depending on how we treated her.”
Celeste’s smile faded.
For the first time, something like uncertainty crossed her face.
“That’s not how my mother told it.”
The king leaned forward.
“Then your mother lied.”
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Silence.
And in that silence, Celeste finally looked afraid.
