never came from enemies.
It came from someone who once touched your hand like it was sacred.
Someone who told you they'd protect you.
Someone who called you beloved.
For Aris, it came on the fifth day after the Council Review.
And it came from the Prince.
The summons arrived with silk ribbon and red wax—his personal seal.
She didn't hesitate.
She wore a pale lavender gown, sleeveless, soft against the deep warmth of her skin. She braided her hair back in tight coils. No jewels. No weapons.
Just presence.
The kind that made men feel both blessed and cursed.
The guards opened the door to his chambers.
Inside: the Emperor. The generals. The Knight.
And the Prince.
He didn't look at her.
> System: Oh. So this is a trap.
Finally. I was getting bored.
The Emperor spoke.
"You are accused of subverting the chain of command. Of manipulating royal favor to ascend without title or blood. Of sowing instability."
Aris turned her gaze—slow, unreadable—on the Prince.
He flinched.
Just a flicker. But she saw it.
"You called me here," she said.
He swallowed. "I had no choice."
"No," she said quietly. "You had a spine. You just lost it."
A document was laid on the table.
"Testimony," the Emperor said. "From one of the Council scribes. You coerced him."
A lie.
Or at least... not her lie.
Aris looked to the Knight. He met her eyes—finally.
He looked tired.
"I warned you," he said. "You went too far."
"No," she said. "You were just too slow."
Then, they asked her to confess.
Publicly.
On scroll.
With humility.
To save the Prince's reputation. To "quiet the court."
A beautiful way to say: Fall on your knees. Apologize for their fear.
Aris took the scroll.
Held the ink brush.
Paused.
Then, without blinking, she signed it—with the name of the scribe who lied.
Not hers.
His.
A beat of silence.
The Knight's eyes widened.
The Emperor sat forward. "What is this?"
She looked up, eyes calm as storm-tide.
"That's your real traitor," she said. "You just couldn't see past my skin to find him."
The room shattered.
It came out fast. The scribe cracked under pressure. Named Cassian's allies. Named two generals. Named his own lover inside the court.
By dusk, three arrests had been made.
And Aris?
She walked free.
---
The Prince followed her down the corridor, panicked.
"I didn't mean to turn on you," he begged. "I thought they'd—"
"You thought I'd be helpless."
"No—"
"You thought I was soft," she said, turning, her dark skin glowing with heat and rage beneath the torchlight, "because I let you touch me."
He said nothing.
She smiled, sweet and bitter.
"I needed to know if you were a king or a child."
She touched his cheek.
Wiped away the tear he didn't want to admit had fallen.
"Thank you for the answer."
She walked away.
Later, in her chamber, the System pinged low and smug in her skull.
> System: I gotta say... that was one hell of a reversal. Even I didn't expect you to outmaneuver a royal setup.
> System: You feel anything for him?
Aris: "Regret."
> System: Regret you didn't ruin him harder?
Aris: "No. Regret I mistook him for something more."