I wandered down the mirror-walled hallway of the royal palace. The lights from the row of chandeliers above were reflected infinitely back and forth into the depths, scattering bright prisms everywhere.

  No refuge for shadows. I had to stroll exposed above ground.

  This wasn't the safest of jaunts. I was completely exposed, and yet, I continued on, my padded slippers muffling each step against the smooth glass floor.

  I had come to this place after my visit to the Royal Library.

  Not an official visit, of course, but through the shadows.

  Too many questions would have arisen if others found out what I had been reading. Also, the guards seemed to be rather hesitant about letting anyone into the inner sanctum of the library. In all the time I had observed the entrance, only one person was allowed in, and he wore the white robes of a librarian.

  So, I had chained my [Shadow Fingers] past them to access the books inside, while I lurked safely in the shadow of an angel statue at the entrance, just to stay in range.

  Unsurprisingly, I found a few books on demons and sorcerers inside, but nothing that touched on reincarnators, just a few mentions about heroes from another world being summoned.

  A few servants strolled past the statue, and their chatter of bringing dessert to the Queen’s quarters drew me into their shadow.

  I hadn’t talked with the Queen since my first birthday. If nothing else, it would be good to see where she resided.

  She knew where I was, after all.

  One by one, the bright lights of the Hall of Mirrors banished the servants' shadows as they stepped across the threshold. I had to leap from the shadow of the last servant to the shadow of two pillars that stood just before the hall.

  When they had moved out of sight, I rose above ground and stepped onto the glass.

  This wasn't a smart move, but I could always say I’m here to visit Tomas.

  Even if I didn’t have an invitation.

  The Consort would vouch for me, but I have no intention of revealing that card.

  —

  “What do you think you’re doing?” a deep masculine voice demanded. There was an accent to his words, but it was light, as if he had been here for a while.

  I pulled my hand from the heavy-set double door, and regarded the figure glowering down at me.

  He had dark rust-color hair braided around his head. His features were sharp, hawk-like, that plus his narrowed dark eyes gave him a fierce, angry countenance.

  His sister circled behind me. She had silver hair, but a similar facial structure. Her brown eyes were narrowed hard at me as well.

  The light from the chandeliers glared off their flashy blue and silver armor. Magical threads of neon blue and white pulsed along the steel edges as they moved to surround me.

  Hmm… ‘Armor of blue and silver, rimmed with glowing lines.’

  “The Twin Stars. Simone and Samson?” I guessed. It fitted Aaron’s loose description well enough.

  “You know us. Then you know our reputations. We do not suffer fools lightly.” Samson spat the words at me, his hand hovering over the hilt of his very long sword.

  Behind me, Simone’s hands drifted to the hilts of her two swords, sheathed on each side of her hips.

  “Then I will leave. I was just hoping to greet your mistress.”

  “You will not disrespect her Royal Highness. And neither will someone as dangerous as you be allowed to simply leave.” He pointed at the dark, writhing fabric of my [Shadow Shroud].

  I should probably have released it when I walked into the hall of mirrors. On the other hand, I’d rather not leave myself open.

  Especially since this one didn’t seem to want to listen to reason.

  His arm muscles tensed. The flow of magic swirled around him. His throat moved to form a word.

  He’s calling on a skill.

  I shot toward him, my elbow slamming into his throat, sending him reeling back coughing. My hand grabbed the hilt of his sword as he stumbled away.

  Schwinnng!

  The long curved blade sang out of Samson’s sheath. I planted my feet, my hips snapped around, and I swung the katana in a reverse arc, stopping an inch from the soft flesh of Simone’s throat.

  “Don’t,” I warned in an even voice, stopping her mid-word. Only one of her hands had touched a hilt.

  Behind me, the dark fabric of my shroud formed spikes and stabbed at Samson. Two sharp, black points stopped right before his eyes.

  “No! Stop!” A green-haired boy ran toward us. “The two of you, stand down!”

  “Your Highness. We’re not the ones holding weapons right now.”

  “Both of you! Promise you won’t attack once she lets you go. You serve me now, remember?” He was bent over, heaving up and down to catch his breath.

  “Fine,” Samson grunted, his eyes still stuck on the spikes before him.

  Simone bared her teeth at me, but dipped her head.

  “Jo, release them,” Anthony asked.

  The shadowy fabric wavering around my head turned to him. There should be no way he could see me.

  “You didn’t attack me when I got here. Usually, I’m the priority target.” He stepped confidently closer, unconcerned by the black spikes floating between us. “And there were rumors of a beautiful, blue flower wrapped in living black thorns, fighting demons.”

  I pulled the stolen blade from Simone’s throat and tossed it back to Samson.

  “Please, Your Highness. Stay back. She’s dangerous!” Simone hissed, her eyes glaring at me.

  Anthony didn't even look away. “No. She and I are meant for each other.”

  He reached for my hood, ignoring the spikes closed in around him.

  “Stay back.” I modulated my voice to make it sharper, more threatening, and less me.

  But that just emboldened him more. He smiled, reaching closer still. The green bar over his head turned yellow.

  According to Aaron's diary, a full bar was red.

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  So does that mean he likes me more for threatening him?

  Thinking more about it, didn’t the bar first appear over his head when I smacked his hand away?

  What’s wrong with him?

  His fingers touched the fabric and pushed my hood back. I didn’t stop him since this had already gone past the point of no return.

  His golden eyes roamed over my exposed face. “Breathtaking as always, Jo. But that cut… I heard about it, but to see it… Does it hurt?”

  He has gotten better with his words. I’m not sure that’s a good thing.

  I pulled my face away from his touch. “I never gave you permission to call me by that.”

  “Tomas was gloating at me about being allowed to use your special name. So I just had to.”

  I rolled my eyes and turned to leave.

  Nothing good can come from me staying.

  “Wait, I have a proposition for you!” He shouted from behind me. “Another corrupted dungeon has been discovered. And I was thinking we could clear it together!”

  Nothing at all.

  I spun on my heels to face him. “That is not something you do for fun.”

  “But you cleared the Bloomsil one!”

  “People’s livelihoods were at stake, and I had a team.”

  “We can bring them.” Anthony gestured at the twins, who had moved behind him.

  I looked into each of their eyes.

  Do they remember Bloomsil? Do they remember Aaron?

  “No.”

  “Come on, this will help with my Academy practical experiences project.”

  That’s why you wanted to go there?!

  I turned to leave, but Anthony pleaded more. “You want to know more about my mother, right? She’s out in the country with my little sister.”

  “Your Highness, no!” Samson protested.

  Anthony leaned in and whispered into my ear. “She’s been rather unhinged lately. Hiring people to hunt down any cute, five-year-old girls with blonde hair and blue eyes.”

  Suddenly, the image of the game cover for Hearts of Flames flashed in my mind. The heroine standing front and center on that cover—she had those features.

  Anthony cupped his hand over my ear. His hot breath swirled against my skin. “It’s insane. Everyone told her there are too many that fit that description, and yet, she insisted on rounding them up. That’s why she was sent away.”

  Anthony leaned back, his eyes catching some change on my face. “Oh… you know why she’s doing that. Don’t you?”

  “So if you don’t come, I’m going to tell others about the last present I gave you. That’ll really make a scene!” He flashed that devilish grin of his at me.

  He knew he had me.

  —

  Cecilia was snug asleep in my arms, but her tiny hand gripped my finger tight, refusing to let go.

  “I’m so glad you’re here,” Elise exhaled, slumping back into her high-back chair. She took a sip of her coffee, and looked out over the sprays of brightly colored flowers in the garden of our capital residence.

  “This fussy girl of mine refuses to let anyone else hold her, not even the wet nurse.” She flicked open a paper fan and swiped it over herself. “I have barely gotten any sleep lately.”

  “She’s just happy to have your warmth beside her, Mother.”

  It doesn’t need to be mentioned why she’d preferred me as well. I basically conscripted her.

  “But it’s too much sometimes.” She reached over and tickled Cecilia’s little foot, making it jiggle. “You’ve got to give Mommy a break once in a while, Cece. Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.”

  A pause, and her eyes looked up at me, wavering, her lips pulled into a thin line.

  “I’m not that fragile.” I rocked Cecilia against my chest, my eyes drifting over the painted porcelain cups on the small table between Elise and me. “Why did you violate my room?”

  Elise blinked, struck by the chill in my voice. “You mean… Oh… that room… I didn’t know what was in there. Just that you disappear inside for long periods. And that none of the maids had cleaned it, so I thought it must be awful in there… imagine my surprise at finding it immaculate.”

  “So you knew that I’d forbidden anyone else from going in.” Cecilia stirred against me, and I had to take deep breaths. “That was MY place.”

  “You are only five…” She glanced away, sighing. “I didn’t realize I’d find such pain there.”

  “That was my pain, for me only. Not even Lady Meridol, who had nursed me since the beginning, had seen it.” I bit back the boiling fury within.

  “You had no right to see it or show it to Father.”

  She set her cup with a sharp clink.

  “No,” she said emphatically. “He had to see it. He had to understand what he was doing to you. Not even the painting convinced him.” She rubbed at her temple with her fingers. “It took showing him the stacks of your drafts for it to finally get through that thick skull of his. He had to see the manic lines scrawled out on each and every sheet, and the tear stains dotting them, for him to truly understand what he had wrought.”

  “I…”

  I don’t remember the tears.

  I saw my father standing there, looking over all the iterations of her eyes, how desperately I had tried and failed to capture them using smeared brush strokes.

  “...what did he do?”

  Elise turned to me. “I left him to it, but I heard screams.”

  The howls of anguish that night as I was carried away…

  “You had no right…” I hissed, though the venom was draining out of me.

  Elise's fingers found my lips, silencing the rest. “You would’ve refused me, I know.” Her hand moved up to touch my cheek. “But you are too young to carry such burdens alone.”

  She inhaled deeply, and her fingers dropped to touch Cecilia’s little foot. “Ah… isn’t this one of those precious mother-daughter moments? Where we finally reach a turning point?”

  The tone shift was so jarring I wanted to scream, but before I could pull away, she grabbed my arm.

  “I do want to thank you… for saving both our lives, hers and mine. It’s a debt we could never repay.” Her eyes locked fiercely onto mine. “I will never betray you, daughter.”

  She just has her own idea of what betrayal means…

  I sighed, giving up. “Next time, just tell me before you stab me like that.”

  Elise offered a small smile, and returned to prodding Cecilia in my arms.

  As I watched them, a thought popped into my mind.

  Why her? Why would the Queen poison Elise?

  My birth mother, I could understand. She was the heroine of the previous story Hearts of Flames: Zero. But Elise wasn’t anyone important in either the prequel or the current one.

  At least as far as I knew.

  “Mother, did you know the Queen?”

  “Her Majesty? We interacted only a few times at the Tower. I was helping her and another professor with their research project.”

  “You were a researcher of magic?”

  “An assistant...” She frowned at the look I gave her. “Is that so hard to believe? I may be a bit single-minded, but I got results.”

  I bounced Cecilia in my arms, lulling her back to sleep.

  A bit single-minded… Not very surprising at all.

  “What was the project about?”

  “It’s a long time ago, but I think it was about ways to increase energy throughput for a dimensional portal. It was rather interesting, you see, the energy requirements for portals connecting dimensions could be quite drastic depending on their axis alignment.”

  It was a bit disconcerting seeing the way she could instantly shift between normal conversation and research talk.

  “And the result of the research?”

  She waved her hand dismissively in the air. “It wasn’t hard structuring the magic for large enough throughput. But the energy required was impossible. The professor left the tower, and my father called me back because a promising batch of suitors had arrived for the spring mixer.”

  A portal between dimensions… Was Sarsee looking for a way back home? Did she poison Elise to keep her mouth shut on the project?

  “Who was the professor?”

  “That’s strange…” Elise rubbed at the side of her head. “I can’t seem to remember it. But speaking of suitors, I really do think we should do something about that ghastly cut across your cheek.”

  “I’m fine with it. And I’m already betrothed, remember?"

  “You still should look presentable. Now, I have been given a voucher for several esteemed shops in the capital. Why don’t you go out with a few friends, have your hair and makeup done, and enjoy some fine sweets?”

  “Oh, the girls would love that.”

  “Girls?”

  “My maids. You talked with them before.”

  Elise put her hand up. “I know they are good servants. But you need friends of your social standing. I know a few that will be just right for you. They’re a bit older, but you can pass for ten or eleven as you are.”

  “No. I’d rather take my girls.”

  “Jo, please. You don’t want others to laugh at you behind your back. These girls can take you around and get you the respect you deserve. You can be a proper noble daughter here.”

  I took her hand and lowered it gently to rest on the sleeping Cecilia.

  She can be her proper daughter.

  I have my own proper, one dictated by my own virtue.

  “I don’t need that, Mother. I am fine with them thinking of me as just a simple village girl.”