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