"Yorick, what is she doing here this late?"
Darius's voice was low and flat, but something sharp lurked beneath it.
Josselyn stood beside the herbal shelf, her face still flushed. She had just stepped out of her hiding place and was trying to look normal.
Yorick crossed his arms over his chest.
"She came to learn how to prepare potions. Is there something strange about that?"
Darius looked Josselyn over from head to toe.
"Learning… dressed like that?"
Josselyn reflexively fixed her hair.
"I was just…"
She paused for a moment.
"Experimenting with a new mixture."
Darius raised a brow.
"What kind of mixture makes your face that red?"
"The heat from the furnace," Josselyn answered quickly.
Yorick added casually, "She stayed too close to the fire. That's all."
Darius stepped closer.
Josselyn instinctively held her breath.
"Really?" he murmured. His hand lifted, then pressed against Josselyn's forehead.
The touch made her entire body tense.
The heat surged again, coiling low in her stomach. A soft sound nearly slipped from her lips, but she bit down hard to stop it.
Darius frowned.
"Your body is burning."
"I told you, she has a fever," Yorick said.
Darius glanced at him briefly.
"A fever usually makes someone shiver. She looks like she's… burning instead."
Josselyn swallowed. "I'm fine."
Darius studied her for a few seconds before finally pulling his hand away.
"I came to take you with me."
"Where?" Josselyn asked.
"The Queen wants to see you."
Josselyn blinked. "Now?"
"Now."
Yorick exhaled softly. He stepped forward and stopped between them.
"I'll take her."
"No need," Darius replied, his tone cold. "I'll take her."
Yorick held his gaze for a long moment, as if weighing something.
"She's my apprentice."
"And she's been summoned by the Queen," Darius said flatly.
Josselyn looked between them nervously. Then her gaze dropped to her hand, which Darius was holding. She tried to loosen his grip.
'He's holding too tight,' she complained inwardly, wincing.
"I… can walk on my own."
Darius shook his head. "Not in this condition."
He opened the door, ignoring Yorick, who still stood there watching him.
"Come."
Josselyn hesitated for a moment before finally stepping out. She cast a quick glance at Yorick before Darius pulled her along faster.
The palace corridor was quiet that night. The sound of Darius's footsteps echoed softly against the stone floor.
Josselyn walked beside him, trying to steady her breathing. But the heat in her body had not completely faded.
Darius glanced at her.
"You walk like someone drunk."
"I'm not drunk." Josselyn shook her head quickly. "I'm just tired."
Darius stopped abruptly.
Josselyn nearly ran into him.
"Tired?" he murmured.
His eyes traced her face again.
"Are you sure Yorick didn't give you something?"
Josselyn's heart pounded. The memory of what had just happened in the herbal room stirred uneasily inside her. She scratched the back of her neck.
"No," she said at last.
"A potion?" Darius pressed.
"We were just learning how to prepare mixtures. There were some ingredients that caught my interest. I thought they might help with the Queen's treatment."
Josselyn lied. Deliberately. She barely even remembered what had happened before ending up in the herbal room. Her head still felt foggy.
Darius studied her for a few seconds.
"Then why is your breathing uneven?"
Josselyn didn't know how to answer.
"I…"
Her steps suddenly faltered.
Darius immediately caught her arm.
"Careful."
The touch sent another shiver through her body. She almost leaned into him.
"Sorry…" she murmured.
Darius looked at her sharply.
"You're acting very strange tonight."
Josselyn forced a faint smile.
"We're not close enough for you to say that."
Darius did not respond. He simply started walking again.
A few minutes later, Josselyn noticed something.
The corridor they were passing through was growing quieter. No servants. No guards.
She frowned.
"Darius."
"Hm?"
"Isn't the Queen's chamber in the east wing?"
"It is," Darius replied without turning.
"Then why are we going west?"
Darius did not answer immediately. "Someone wants to speak with you first."
Josselyn blinked.
"Someone?"
They stopped in front of a large door guarded by two knights. The moment they saw Darius, the guards straightened.
Josselyn stared at the door. Her heart pounded.
'The Crown Prince's chamber,' she thought. 'He just summoned me late into the night yesterday. Again tonight? Tch.'
She frowned and clicked her tongue, turning sharply toward Darius.
"You lied, didn't you?"
Darius ignored her. He pushed the door open slowly.
"Go in."
Josselyn took a deep breath. She had already been inside the Crown Prince's chamber once. It had been in complete disarray. She had even gotten injured during that first visit.
"Is His Highness in a stable condition?" Josselyn asked Darius.
Darius only blinked once, as if urging her to move.
Josselyn lightly touched her temple, near the wound.
'Hopefully he won't cause trouble again,' she thought, then stepped inside.
The room was dim. Only moonlight streamed through the open window, the curtains fluttering in the night wind.
A man's silhouette stood near the tall window, hands clasped behind his back.
When the door opened, he turned.
Killian.
His dark eyes fell immediately on Josselyn.
"So you really brought her." His voice was low and cold.
Darius shut the door behind them.
"You asked for her."
Killian stepped closer, slow and deliberate.
Josselyn swallowed.
"Why did you summon me?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Killian's gaze traced her face, stopping at her flushed cheeks, then at her slightly disheveled hair.
"I met that man."
Josselyn frowned. "That man… who?"
Killian raised a brow. "He actually dared to set foot in this palace."
Josselyn looked at him, confused. She didn't understand who he meant.
"I don't…"
Before she could finish, the memory struck her. The corridor. Edmund and Arabella.
Her breath caught. Fear surged through her chest.
"What did they say, Your Highness?"
Under the moonlight, she saw Killian's lips curl into a faint, mocking smile.
"He sold his only niece to the Crown, and now he wants to become part of the palace?"
Killian scoffed, disgust evident in his tone.
"Your family is truly something else."
"They are not my family," Josselyn replied immediately, her breath quick for reasons beyond fear. "I am Josselyn Swift."
Killian let out a derisive laugh. "Using your father's name doesn't erase the blood of the Nightvale family, your mother's line."
Josselyn said nothing. Her fingers tightened around her dress.
"He asked the King to arrange a marriage between me and your cousin. Shameless."
"I already said, I am not—"
"Lady Swift." Killian's voice deepened as he stepped closer, his face nearing hers. "To me, it makes far more sense if this was all your idea."
Josselyn's chest pounded.
'What kind of accusation is that?' she shouted inwardly. Her temple throbbed, her whole body tensing.
"You're accusing me of orchestrating all of this? On what basis—"
She stopped herself. Swallowed hard.
The traitor's daughter.
Yes, she had a clear motive. And now the blade was turning toward her.
Killian's gray-blue eyes bore into hers. Suddenly, he lifted his hand, gripping her chin and forcing her to meet his gaze.
"Tell me the truth."
The touch made her breath hitch. The heat that had begun to fade surged back through her body, making her knees nearly buckle.
"Or I will force it out of you in ways you have never imagined."