The Protector's Doubt
KAEL
I don't trust sudden changes.
I already know the real Princess Aurelia from her character, manners, and actions. Yes, she is cold not only to me but to everyone, but precise. She's ruthless but thoughtful. Every step she takes is careful; every word is harsh but cautious. She doesn't hesitate about anything. She doesn't… improvise.
The woman at the table earlier is far from the one I knew.
I stand in the corridor outside her room. Two guards stand at a distance. I tell them to stay there. I prefer to observe alone.
Her door is closed, sealed with a thin line of changing sigils. I watch the patterns for a moment. Their reactions are slow, as if uncertain.
Just like her.
Something is wrong and certain, but the question is what possibilities are forming in me, and possibly related to the interference of magic.
A curse. A spell was placed on her mind. Maybe this is why he's been reacting differently.
But no. I had a different feeling. She seemed like a different creature, a foreign creature inside her body. There was something about her face that wasn't normal.
My jaw tightened slightly. It was possible.
Everything about him had changed, from her speech pattern to her posture. She was reacting to things she should have understood by now, like food, customs, and even basic court manners.
But still… she had recovered very quickly.
I took a deep breath as I replayed the dining hall in my mind. The way she looked at the food. Not disgust or desire. A curiosity. The way she held a knife was different from the others here.
And the way she spoke to me. It was too casual, as if we had no past. She wasn't Princess Aurelia.
I took a step closer to the door. Inside, I heard a faint movement. Slow walking. As if restless.
She wasn't like this before.
I pushed the door open. The sigils vanished as I opened the door.
She stood near the tall obsidian mirror. Her reflection slightly lagged behind her movements. Her clothes shifted between bright red and black as she moved.
She turned quickly when she heard me, the moment she decided how to react.
"Commander," she said.
Too quickly, as if she had been caught in the act.
I closed the door behind me.
"I did not request entry," she added, raising her chin.
"I do not require permission," I said.
Her expression changed for a moment. Then it became calm.
I walked slowly around her, just observing. She followed my movements with her eyes. Her movements were cautious, but the way she looked and spoke was defiant.
"Is there something you need?" she asked.
Yes. This was true, but I didn't say it. "You hesitate," I said.
She frowned. "About what?"
Everything.
"That question," I replied.
Silence surrounded us.
She was staring at me with a question in her eyes. Maybe she knew I was suspicious, but why not force me to confront her like before?
"You are unfamiliar with your surroundings," I continued. "You react to known elements as if they are new."
Her lips parted slightly. Then they pressed together, perhaps thinking.
"Maybe I just don't like them," she said.
She quickly looked away.
"Aurelia does not 'like' or 'dislike,'" I said. "She tolerates or discards."
Her eyes narrowed. "You seem very confident about who I am."
"I am."
I took a step closer. I was closer now. Close enough to see the change in her breathing.
"You are not behaving like the Aurelia I was assigned to protect," I said.
She said nothing for a moment, but then—
"People change," she repeated.
It was the same line from the past.
"Not without cause."
Her silence was longer this time. I moved a little closer and lowered my voice.
"Were you tampered with?"
Her eyes widened for a few seconds. "No," she said quickly.
"Possessed?" I asked.
She sighed. Then she grinned. "What kind of question is that?"
I studied her face. Every detail and reaction. She was hiding a fear, but not for me. I became more suspicious, curious about what was happening to her.
I stepped back. She exhaled slowly. Her shoulders slumped. She seemed to feel relieved.
So, she thought I might act.
Interesting.
"I don't know what you think is happening," she said, quieter now, "but you're overthinking it."
"No."
I turned slightly, glanced in the mirror. Her reflection followed again for half a second.
I noticed this.
"From this point forward," I say, "I will remain near you."
She turns to me. "What?"
"You are a potential risk."
I hear her soft, brief laugh, as if teasing. "To whom?" she asks.
"To everyone."
Another silence between us. Then, even softer.
"For me?"
"Yes."
She stares at me. Not hurt, not angry. Just… tense.
Good.
She understands the situation now.
I approach the door. My decision is complete. Watching is no longer enough. I need to watch her personally.
"Commander," she calls.
I stop but don't turn around.
"What happens if you decide I am… a risk?" she asks.
I smirked, a reasonable question. I answered without hesitation. "I remove the threat."
Silence again. I opened the door.
"The next time you hesitate," I added, "I will assume the worst."
Then I stepped out into the hallway. The door closed behind me.
The guards looked at me. Waiting.
"Watch the princess closely," I told them. "Let me know everything she does, talks to, and even the smallest information, clear?"
They nodded. "Yes, Commander!"
I walked away, but my attention was on her. I couldn't hurt her, whoever she was. The princess's body was still facing me and everyone else in the palace.
She chose me as her mate instead of Prince Darius, her ardent lover. What was her plan? Who exactly was she?
I will keep watch.
Until I find the truth.
Or until I am forced to act.