Chapter 22
LIZ
It didn’t take me long to wake the queen up in the most effective way I could—by causing a commotion loud enough to wake the entire household and getting my hands handcuffed behind me. Minutes later, I was taken to the main throne room, where she sat fully dressed and eyed me with the most unreadable expression there was.
It was such a contrast to Benjamin’s always concerned expression. But with the resemblance these two had, it was almost uncanny. I didn’t struggle as the guards directed me towards the center of the room.
When they finally stopped, I opened my mouth to speak first.
“I know about the princes and I want to speak with you about it, Your Highness.”
I didn’t say anything after that, but it was enough. There was no hint of change on the queen’s face, but she easily dismissed the guards to stand outside. She didn’t eye them as they walked, keeping her gaze on me. It was intimidation at its finest, but I refused to cower and met her gaze head-on, consequences be damned.
When the room was empty, she tilted her head.
“You know I can always get you killed.”
Well, not that kind of consequence.
I swallowed the gasp and tried not to follow the instinct to run. My body was shaking—either from the cold, the ankle wounds or just the general tiredness of it all—but I steeled my shoulders and lifted my chin, showing her that her statement didn’t frighten me one bit.
A certain thought ran through my mind as I spoke next, words that could get me in prison for life.
Or yes, executed.
But I had to say it.
For Lucas. For Benjamin.
“And what makes you think it will stop at me? A princess knows. Can you kill a princess and keep that secret?”
The next look she sent me was sharp. “Which princess?”
“The princess Benjamin is set to marry.”
“Did he tell you that?”
“No. But I’m going to make sure of it, if…”
“Name your price,” she intoned coolly. “I can pay you whatever amount you want.”
“No,” I said. “I’m going to make sure Benjamin marries this princess if you tell me why they turn into beasts.”
Disbelief set over her features—the first actual expression I saw from her. She leaned back in her chair and looked as if she might sigh. But she kept looking at me instead, her gaze calculating.
“To what cost? What makes you think you can just threaten a powerful queen like this?”
“I’m not threatening you,” I said. “I’m offering to help your sons, but only if you tell me everything.”
“Why help them?”
“Because I care about them both.” She was silent, so I pushed on. “And I already did too many things for them, like all this pretending-to-be-a-princess scam. I’m not opposed to doing more.”
My reasoning was kind of all over the place, and half of me expected her to reject my proposal and drive me away. But my surprise was huge when she gave me a considering look instead.
“I want your word that you would keep this a secret—signed and sealed.”
I nodded. “I will keep it. I would also like your word, Your Highness, that you will tell me what you can to help me out and leave my kin alone. Signed. Sealed.”
I thought I saw her eyes gleam, but I might have imagined it. She gave me a firm, decided look. “Sit down. We have a long way to go.”
“Okay. But you might want to send guards who know to the garden first…er, forest.”
“The head guards know. And Benjamin’s bodyguard. What happened?”
“They’re both injured.”
* * *
Half an hour later, the information that was provided to me—no, thrown at me—still had me reeling.
To anchor myself, I took Kyle out of the situation and got him into our room, ignoring his protests and telling him that sleeping now would help him get more energy to help the two princes tomorrow. That worked, and I tucked him in bed and kissed his forehead, watching as his eyes grew bleary before sleep finally took him.
When Kyle was deep in dreamland, I threw on a robe, put my hair up in a ponytail. Then I slipped out of our bedroom, walking in slow, unhurried steps.
It didn’t take me long to reach Lucas’ bedroom, which was where he was taken the moment the guards found him. Benjamin was also taken to his room, but I had a feeling a certain princess was there watching over him. I squinted through the dim lighting and found Lucas under some blankets, bandages all over him and his face looking pale.
My heart lurched at the sight, and I couldn’t have stopped the reaction if I tried. I remembered the queen’s words, as bright as day and as clear as they came.
A curse. It was all a curse.
All because the centuries-ago king had some affair with a woman, and the woman got scorned and decided to take revenge on the king’s family line.
It was a horrible thing altogether, and I couldn’t help but wonder how the queen managed to handle it all without anyone in the know except those old guards. It cemented the knowledge that she felt—felt for her son, even her stepson, despite her cold nature.
I looked at her stepson now. Then I sat beside him on the bed, watching his uneven breathing and worrying.
Would he wake up?
I didn’t know how long I stayed there, but it felt like forever. Finally, when I felt drowsiness setting in, I leaned down and whispered in Lucas’ ear.
“Wake up soon, you hear me?”
There was no response, and he didn’t even stir. With a sigh, I padded out as quietly as I could, the thought of my bed already calling my name so tempting.
“Liz.”
The words startled me as I closed the door. I looked up in shock and found Benjamin’s gray eyes on mine. He was leaning against a wall, his forehead and wrist bandaged but everything else looking clean. There were bags under his eyes, though, and he looked quite tired—the first time I saw him looking this way, I realized. He didn’t even look this weary when he ran away and got mugged.
I hesitated—something he sensed, because I saw him wince and almost take a step back. I shook my head and walked towards him, feeling bad that I made him feel like I doubted him for a second. “Ben. Sorry.”
“I should be the one apologizing,” he said gravely. “I…I didn’t mean to attack you. God. I feel so awful.”
I shook my head again, watching as he looked down and mentally beat himself up. Something hard hit me, and before I knew it, I was stepping forward and pulling him in for a hug.
He gave out a surprised oof. But Benjamin slowly returned my hug, tightening his arms around me. It gave comfort as much as it took, and I felt my body ease into it and gradually relax. Finally, we both stepped back and smiled at each other.
“Your mother explained everything.”
He almost gaped. “And nothing happened? She didn’t order you killed?”
I remembered the threat to kill me and almost laughed. “Let’s just say we made a bargain.”
“Hmm. So what do you know?”
“That you turn into this because of some scorned lover centuries ago. And you only get five free nights where you don’t turn.” I shot him a pointed look. “And you wasted three of those nights when you ran away from home.”
A chuckle escaped his lips, and I grinned. Then I sighed, my worry going back to the room again. “Will he be okay?”
“Yes. He just needs to recuperate.”
“What about…?”
“He hasn’t wasted his free nights, so he doesn’t need to turn as long as he’s unconscious.”
“Oh.” I bit my lip. “Has it always been like this for you two?”
Benjamin nodded. “Since we turned sixteen. The hunger and uncontrollable urge grow every year. It only eases back when the crown prince marries someone of royal blood and produces a male heir…which was why we badly needed your help to eliminate the impostor.”
“Hmm.”
The male heir will then receive the curse, easing it from the father and his siblings, but not completely removing it. It will lessen for them, though. Only a female offspring can break the curse, but we’ve never had one yet. We keep trying, because we want to break the curse. Their hunger can be alleviated in different ways—longer hours in the forest, sex, alcohol, drugs…
The queen’s words hadn’t sounded sad, but the story itself was so sad that it should have been illegal for any family to undergo this—an innocent family at that, all because of an old king’s mistake.
“So Liz…”
“Hmm?”
“You and my brother?”
There was silk in his tone, a teasing note, and I felt my cheeks heating up in response. I remembered how I babbled about the stable thing in my panic, and well…there was really no getting around that. So I shot him a look instead. “Don’t even. I’ll punch you, Ben, prince or not.”
This time, he threw his head back in laughter. Then his face sobered up, and I started when he took my shoulders. But he only stirred me closer, then turned my body to face his completely.
“I don’t know what’s going on, and I don’t know if it’s a lasting thing for you. How do you feel about him?”
How did I feel about Lucas?
I wanted him. I still wanted him, despite knowing his true nature now. In fact, maybe I wanted him more now because I knew he’d been doing all those things before to drive me away and protect his family’s secret.
I also cared deeply about him—enough to keep his secret, their secret, and protect them from any kind of outside threat.
Those were honest answers. But I knew they weren’t the answers Benjamin wanted to hear, and I didn’t want to give him false expectations.
“I want to protect him,” I finally said. “And I want to protect you.”
Something flickered in his eyes, turning the gray irises dark. But then he smiled. “My brother means everything to me.”
My heart lurched again, and I felt my chest tighten. His meaning was clear.
Don’t hurt him.
I nodded and tried to smile. “I know.”
Silence filled the air. After a while, I took one of his hands and squeezed. “I’ve got something to ask you.”
“Yes?”
“How do you feel about letting the other princesses go home? I have a plan.”
He looked at me in surprise, then confusion. But I clamped my mouth shut, and I could practically see the wheels in his brain turning as he tried to figure me out. Finally, he sighed. “Care to tell me what this is all about if I do that?”
“You’ll be the first to know. Don’t you trust me?” I gave him a cheeky smile.
“I do.” A pause, then, “Alright.”