Reveal

The news spread quickly. Cassian Yvelone will be crowned a king within weeks. The castle was bustling with life. Councillors were seen in the corridors, whispering, talking. Diplomats from other kingdoms started arriving already at dawn in their decorated carriages of many colours.

They all wanted to know what the new king was planning as if they all forgot that Cassian was doing everything himself already.

Isabelle walked through the castle, feeling even more alien in her own home under the heavy gazes of people visiting. The many onlookers scrutinised her, judged her. She might have looked dignified in her light pastel dress, but her blue hair in a braid with silver pins drew plenty of unwanted attention. Never mind that she was the future Queen of Ariadna, her, a fraud.

"Good morning, your highness." Samuel startled her as he walked out from the side corner.

"Good morning, sir Asselin." Isabelle bowed her head in acknowledgement of his presence.

"His highness is in the throne room. He wants to see you."

"Why?" Isabelle asked instinctively, feeling defensive about a sudden summon. The throne room was never a good place to be. Not back home where it was the place she was often ordered another bout of punishment.

"I am not certain but it sounded like he wanted you there now." Samuel tried to put a time pressure on Isabelle which she understood. Everything seemed fine the night before, why would Cassian suddenly need her in the throne room?

"They're all looking at me." Isabelle whispered to Samuel as they've walked down the hallways.

"You're going to be their queen. Of course they are." Samuel shrugged. He still found Isabelle's uncertainty about her future position amusing.

Samuel led Isabelle to the throne room which they've entered quietly through the side door, hidden in the shadow.

Isabelle walked in carefully, watching the weight she put on her feet, so that her shoes didn't make a single noise on the marble flooring. She hoped to not draw any attention from the people in the room, and there were many of them in varying levels of very fancy wear. Men in wigs and women with feathers in their hair. Dresses so voluminous that the wearers could barely move, some couldn't and were carried by servants. It was a weird spectacle of wealth and power through theatrics and trinkets.

Cassian sat on his throne in his regalia. A gold crown rested upon his black hair, bending the morning light, making it seem like a golden star. He wore white and cream suit with a collar and epaulettes of gold, and many medals. It was so vividly contrasting to his hair and skin making his skin tone seem warmer and more tan. His eyes of deep blue were startling, cold, piercing.

But even behind his appearance of a fierce royal that no one should reckon with, Isabelle noticed his ashen face and his knuckles whitening as he squeezed the sides of the throne. He didn't sleep again and since before the sun broke the dark sky, he was in the throne room receiving visitors.

Isabelle's quiet entry proved itself to be a good idea when she recognised the voice and a person approaching the throne. She immediately recoiled, all her instincts telling her to run. But she was curious and forced herself to stay and watch what was unfolding right before her eyes.

"Your highness, I came here in a rather difficult matter." A young woman spoke to Cassian. Her voice was confident and she smiled with arrogance. A voice that taunted Isabelle for years, that degraded her, called her names, and laughed at her viciously. Adeline stood proudly before Cassian, looking innocent in her ways, not like someone who bullied her half-sister relentlessly. She didn't look like someone capable of spewing the profanities that she did.

"Yes?" Cassian looked bored and fed up.

"I am Adeline Laureze. I am the rightful princess of Galbore." The woman said proudly. Cassian straightened up on the throne. Isabelle bit her lip and clenched her fists anxiously. She drew a breath in which couldn't escape her lungs. Adeline stood proudly in front of Cassian and he watched her with a new found interest and energy. "I was your intended wife and I believe that you were tricked by a woman who posed to be me into a marriage." Adeline easily exposed Isabelle without a single consideration of what was to happen to Isabelle. Not only that, she shifted the entire blame onto her as if Isabelle was the one to decide about the marriage and not the one forced into it because Adeline didn't want to marry a foreigner. It was obviously done to spite Isabelle and hurt her more.

"I can see now why he wanted you here." Samuel chuckled in the background reminding her of his presence but Isabelle's focus was still on her tightening chest and the increasing feeling that she was going to faint. She was going to be dead. She was going to be executed. All because she wasn't Adeline. She turned around to flee but as she did she walked right into Samuel's chest. Never before did he seem that much bigger than her. Never before did she bounce off his chest as he stood like a wall in front of her. She was like a caged small bird, so needing to flee but so entrapped.

"Where do you think you're going?" Samuel asked her with a wide grin. She forgot that he was there. And he was smiling. Why was he smiling? Was he that happy to see her demise? He probably was. Another amusement to cure his boredom. "Go on, this is going to be fun." Samuel grabbed her by her arm and pulled her closer to the main area, closer to Cassian, but not much closer. They were just visible from the throne as the light finally reached Isabelle's face but to no one else.

Cassian's gaze shifted onto them. Isabelle couldn't look up at him. She bowed her head low and she tried to drop to her knees but Samuel kept her up. His fingers still held her arm tightly. "Don't be ridiculous." Samuel said to her in a whisper. "Stand up." Cassian frowned at a sight of Samuel holding Isabelle.

"Stand up?" Isabelle asked him with a squeak. "He's going to kill me." She whimpered. Samuel furrowed his brows as he looked down at her.

"Are you saying that the woman I have been married to for the last three months is an imposter?!" Cassian's voice thundered through the room, holding the power that even Isabelle wasn't aware of. He leaned forward, propping his chin on his hand and his elbow on his knee. He was calm. Too calm.

"Indeed. Her name is Isabelle." Adeline said with hatred in her voice. A hatred that she held onto for years. A hatred for someone who always stood in her way. A hatred that Isabelle didn't deserve but believed that she did. Everyone made Isabelle believe that she deserved the pain and hurt.

"Why did it take you three months to tell me?" Cassian lifted his left brow. He didn't kill Isabelle yet. Instead, his fierceness was directed at Adeline. Isabelle reminded herself that it wasn't going to be for long.

"I-…" Adeline stuttered. "I didn't know, of course."

"So, it has nothing to do with the fact that the king of Ariadna just announced that I am the first in line to the throne?" Cassian pursed his lips. Even Isabelle was stunned into silence at that accusation realising that she didn't know what business Adeline had in revealing that she was Cassian's intended wife and not Isabelle, unless it was to take Isabelle's place.

"That's outrageous, your highness!" Queen Beatrice spoke up, keen to defend her daughter. Her pregnant belly was gone and she wore a tight corset which made her bosom look particularly remarkable.

Isabelle briefly thought of a child that was her half-sibling that she will never be able to meet. Not if she gets executed for being a fraud and a liar.

"Now, something doesn't add up. You slapped my wife after our wedding leaving a bruise on her cheek and you didn't realise then that she wasn't Princess Adeline?" Cassian continued.

Isabelle looked surprised at him, wondering how he knew of this. A memories of that dreadful day flooded her mind. She quickly forgot about a child that might be somewhere in Galbore as that child's mother and sister came here to purposely hurt their half-sister.

"I-…" Queen Beatrice stuttered. "It was sorcery! She can speak tongues!" Queen Beatrice said in panic.

"You can speak tongues?" Samuel raised his brow as he looked down at Isabelle.

"I don't know." Isabelle looked perplexed by her step-mother's accusation. "If I do, I never realised."

"This is hilarious." Samuel decided.

"For you, maybe." Isabelle's hands trembled.