Starting the day after the ball, Kel's life in the Serin Empire began to change.
The first change happened when she started being called to the emperor's study regularly to prepare for her mission to infiltrate the Pantheon Masquerades. The once strange, twisty path to the obscure wing of the main palace quickly became second nature.
She'd also started running into Barclay more often, and he didn't hesitate to express his disappointment in her colluding with the Serin ruler. It was as if the timing and nature of their interactions up to this point had been purposefully manipulated to create the most friction possible between them.
Kel was left feeling abandoned when she needed Barclay the most, and Barclay ended up misunderstanding her cooperation with the emperor. It had all gone so perfectly wrong.
One afternoon, Kel plodded along the path through the palace's gardens, having just finished a frustrating encounter with her stiff comrade. Per usual, Barclay had given her a lecture. She'd listened respectfully to his words, suppressing her frustration at his unwillingness to understand her.
.
Like always, two halves of herself tore at each other as she wavered between feeling immense debt and gratitude to the man and feeling unfairly treated.
Lately, all their encounters had gone exactly this way, but this time, Barclay acted a bit strangely toward the end.
"Kel.." he'd whispered nearly inaudibly, giving her a pleading look she'd never seen from him before. "Don't forget who you are.. and who you're not."
I know I'm not the real princess, Kel huffed, kicking a pebble across the path, but isn't that all the more reason to make myself useful?
She certainly never envisioned working with the Dragon Emperor, but her entire sense of right and wrong had been dulled. She didn't know if she was right to trust the people of Serin, but she knew she definitely couldn't trust the country that had thrown her away.
"Brrrr." Kel wrapped her arms around herself as the wind cut through her thin dress. Only a week ago, the sun felt like a vicious predator, but lately, it was her only salvation from the cold.
Come to think of it, when had she stopped feeling like she was burning alive from the inside out?
She pondered the question as she crossed into the pleasant warmth of the palace's interior. Had it been before or after the ball?
She made a mental note to ask Lucy what she thought, since the maid seemed to know more about Kel's daily doings than Kel did.
"You're here," Ira's usual aggravated voice greeted her as she approached the emperor's study.
"Good afternoon, Sir!" Kel responded joyfully. She'd noticed recently that the most satisfying way to get back at the man's sour attitude was to put on a big smile and giggle hysterically.
Ira gave her a curt response before ducking down the hallway. It was difficult to tell in the dim light, but she thought she'd seen his cheeks redden a little.
Grinning to herself, Kel continued into the emperor's study. She expected to find Thane jumping up to greet her, but the room was empty.
"Was I not supposed to come today?" Kel wondered, peering around the vacant room. "Ira could have at least mentioned that in the hall just now."
With a sigh, she flopped into one of the empty chairs. The warm darkened room and soft rustling of the wind outside made her feel sleepy.
"I'll just close my eyes for a minute while I wait for them," she yawned, leaning back against the well-cushioned chair.
"Hmm." A tiny groan escaped her lips as her brain suddenly began to stir. When had she dozed off?
She slowly became aware of someone stroking the hair near her face. The thin fingers' delicate movements nearly lulled her back to sleep.
"I've heard all sorts of rumors about the golden-haired princess of Mevani," murmured a voice similar to the emperor's, but much sweeter. "Even then, I didn't allow myself to hope for too much.. For the chance that it might be.."
Kel's eyes shot open, completely sobered by the ambiguous words. The Dragon Emperor was seated in a chair right next to her, staring absently out a window as he ran his fingers through her hair.
"You know, I've had this thought before," he spoke again, "but you far exceeded all my expectations."
Was he talking to her or himself? Did he think she couldn't hear him? After a split second of panic, she decided it was best for everyone if she just made her presence known.
"Your Majesty?" Kel addressed him timidly. "What do you mean by that?"
"Oh you're awake?" The emperor turned to her with his usual smirk. "Don't you have a party to prepare for?"
Kel never did get an answer to her question, as she was hurriedly ushered back to her room where Lucy began frantically dressing her for the night's masquerade.
Set up with a dark cloak to hide her hair, black mask tightly affixed to her face and indistinct party dress swishing around her ankles, Kel was ready to take on the empire's underworld.
She rode with Thane out of the palace in a low-profile carriage, which dropped them off in a quiet area of the city. The knight, still blubbering over having to send Kel off, gave her overly detailed directions to the Seven Lions Inn.
"Don't forget to meet me right here when you're finished," Thane whined, furiously circling their location on the crude map he'd drawn.
"I won't forget," Kel rolled her eyes. The knight's concern was appreciated but nearly overwhelming. At least she could take comfort in the fact that he thought she was this weak; it meant her true identity was still well-hidden.
"Don't be late!" Thane called as Kel strutted away.
"I got it!" Kel called back, chuckling as she tucked the map away.
When was the last time anybody had been this concerned for her? To some extent, she liked the way it felt.
Refocusing on the task at hand, she felt a little rush of excitement at being on a mission. Spending so many days locked away in a fancy palace had been suffocating. The life of a princess wasn't something she'd ever envied Adriell for.
The adrenaline coursing through her veins intensified as seven striking lion statues came into view. She marched confidently between the statues and through the front doors, resisting the urge to gape in awe at the incredible architecture.
A woman in a red dress with curly black hair stood smiling behind a large desk several feet in front of the doors.
pαпdα-ňᴏνêι·сóМ Kel quickly glanced side to side to get an idea of her surroundings, which seemed to be those of any regular hotel. It was such a lovely front for hiding such an ugly secret.
Trying her best to appear casual, as if she'd been here several times before, Kel approached the woman at the counter and presented the paper flower.
The woman's smile deepened as she took the flower out of Kel's hand. "Right this way, Miss," she instructed, parting the curtain behind her.
Kel returned with a smile of her own as she stepped through.
On the other side was a wide hallway with a single wooden door at the end. For the supposedly lavish events that happened here, the area was surprisingly plain. Not a single decoration graced the plain tiled floor and wooden walls Kel passed by.
When she finally reached the door at the end, she took a deep breath. It was probably too late to back out now, so she might as well get it over with.
"Here goes nothing!" she whispered, pushing the door open.
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