Anna stood before the council, her head held high, her expression impassive as stone.
"That’s preposterous, your highness!" Councilor Valor sparked, his voice carrying more ammunition than it should have. Probably because he was still salty about his affair with Thalia’s mother coming to light, but at the mont Anna didn’t care about that.
"This is a sensitive matter, your highness." Councilor Sparrow said in a voice far softer than that of Councilor Valor. "A royal divorce is simply out of the question."
"Right now, you’re not on good terms with the kingdom." The queen said quietly. "The people are calling for your removal. They want you gone, citing all your faults and shortcomings. They want you exiled. If they hear that you broke the royal law and divorced your husband, that would kindle their anger against you even further."
Anna cleared her throat, clasping her hands in front of her firmly. "I don’t care."
Gasps rang out through the air. Every councilor turned and looked at each other. The looks exchanged between the king and the queen were the most disheartened.
"Darling," the king called, his brows furrowed as he leaned in further. "You cannot an that."
"I do, your majesty," Anna’s voice was firm and unmoving.
"You’re playing into their hands."
Anna nodded. She knew. But she also didn’t care. Her mind was made up already. Her marriage with Leon had ended.
"I wish to divorce Leon and that is final." She announced.
The council erupted into quiet murmurs of confusion. Anna patiently waited for them to be done. The king cleared his throat and silence descended over the council.
"I see that we cannot change your mind, Princess," the King said softly. "But a royal decree cannot be rushed while the kingdom burns. We will give you three days. Three days to think about the consequences, and to decide if this divorce is truly worth losing the last shred of your people’s solidarity. If your mind is unchanged by the third morning, the papers will be sealed."
Three days.
Anna didn’t argue. "Thank you, your majesty." She gave a curt, elegant bow and turned on her heel.
"Anna," the queen called out, making her freeze in her steps. "Co have tea with in the evening."
Anna turned, the back of her eyes burning with tears. "As you wish, your majesty." She said before marching out of the suffocating council room.
Once she was out, she collapsed against the wall and drew in a large gulp of air.
Tea with the queen.
Her last eting with the queen rushed through her mind, sending shivers of worry through her entire body.
Who are you? The queen had asked.
Anna didn’t answer that question. She did her best to avoid the Queen since that day. But now?
"Hey," a soft voice called out.
She snapped her gaze up, eting bright blue ocean eyes. Instantly , her back peeled off the wall and she collected herself.
"Kai." She said clearing her throat. "What are you doing here?"
Kai took a step closer to her, a small tentative step like he was scared she’d lash out. Anna didn’t do anything. She didn’t move back or step forward either.
"I tried to stay away but I couldn’t. I went to the hospital and...and they said you were here."
"They?" Anna folded her arms.
"Drax and Ray,"
Anna scoffed. Of course they did. "I’m fine. Now if you’ll excuse ," she turned to leave.
"Anna, please. I’m sorry. I’ll say this as many tis as you want to. I’ll never take my beast form again. I’ll swear off blood just...please look at . Please."
Guilt twinged in Anna’s heart.
Why am I even doing this to him? Leon is the real problem here.
Slowly, she swerved around and t Kai’s sincere gaze. "I can’t ask you to swear off blood, Kai. That’s like asking you to stop breathing."
"But—"
"Can we have this conversation later? I need to head back to the labs."
He stepped forward, reaching out to touch her then deciding against it and drawing his hand back. "I can help you out."
"I doubt you can."
"I can. I may not look like it but I knew most of her original experints."
Anna was about to reply then she paused.
Her initial plan, before eveyrhing went to hell, was to find Leon and ask him about the Dream Weaver he captured once for Princess Orchid. But with how everything had gone down, she wasn’t about to go finding Leon.
"You know what she was up to?" She asked Kai, intrigued.
"Not all of it, of course. She was very secretive. But mostly, yes."
Anna’s heart jumped into her throat.
Realistically, she was to be working on a batch of suppressants. And preparing for her final task of villainy, whatever the system decided it would be.
By the way I’ve not heard from that sadistic system in days...
She shoved her thoughts aside and faced Kai. "She had Leon capture a Dream Weaver. Do you know where it is?"
Kai nodded. "Yes."
Anna exhaled a huge breath of relief. "Thank goodnes! Yes!"
"But...it could be dangerous. That creature was the only one that could draw blood from her."
A mory unearthed itself in Anna’s head. It was foggy at best, but she could see Princess Orchid clutching her blood finger and cursing in low tones.
"I see," she murmured to herself.
That ans I was right. Her foggy mories were tampered with by a Dream Weaver. But how?
Fresh questions filled Anna’s head.
Instead of dwelling on them, she said "take to it."
Kai grinned. A brilliant smile with too much teeth. Anna would never admit it, but it ward her heart. And she realized painfully that she’d missed him.
Maybe when this is all over, we’ll have a real conversation and nd our relationship.
But for now, she needed to uncover the truth about Princess Orchid’s missing mories.
Kai took her wrist and led the way, taking her down the long and winding hallways till they got to her room.
Anna frowned, slowly pulling her hand back from his hold. "What are you doing?"
"It’s here," he said, turning to her with glistening eyes.
Anna looked around the bedroom she’d been used to for almost two months now. There was nothing, no original mory, that suggested a dream weaver was anywhere around here.
"If you’re playing with , I’ll kick you."
"I promise you, I’m not." He said, reaching for her hand again and tugging her into her bathroom.
"Kai. What the hell are you—"
He pushed a tile on the wall and a large section of the wall opened, revealing a long and dimly lit hallway.
"Are those...filant bulbs?" Anna gasped, her eyes widening as she saw the pale yellow flickering lights overhead.
She wasn’t a science guru. But from all she’d learned in this world, electricity was a huge red flag. Filant bulbs definitely ran on electricity.
How is this real?!
Anna stood at the mouth of the opening, a cool breeze wafting in her face. It slled of stale copper and blood, and a faint sweet leftover scent of orchid spores.
"Shall I co with you?" Kai asked from behind her.
Anna shook her head, swallowing her shock. "What is this place?"
"It’s her real lab." Kai replied.
Anna turned to him. "What?"
"The other one is just for show. Cutie—I an Princess Orchid actually kept all her rare and important work here. Don’t you rember it?"
Horror seeped into Anna’s chest like black oil. She didn’t know. How could she? There was no mory of this place. Not even a foggy one.
This place never existed in Princess Orchids original mories.
Unless Kai was lying...which Anna highly doubted.
Just how many more secrets did this woman have?!
"You don’t have to go in there if you don’t want to."
Anna hugged herself. Truly, she didn’t want to. The atmosphere down this pathway was dark and heavy. Like sothing that would lead to her death.
"Have you been in there?" She asked, staring into the dimly lit passage. I can’t even see the end...
"No." Kai said. "Maybe I have, but I don’t rember."
An idea ca to Anna’s head.
She turned, about to ask him if he knew anything about Princess Orchid’s heats. Then she caught herself. Sohow, asking about that felt icky.
If I must know, I have to figure it out for myself.
She cleared her throat and inhaled deeply for courage. "I’m going in. This is important to ."
"Let co with you," Kai reached out, slipping his hand into hers and lacing their fingers together.
Anna’s heart skipped a beat at the soft gesture. She t his eyes, caught off guard by how breathlessly beautiful they were.
She didn’t know what possessed her, but she reached out, tucking stray strands of hair behind his ear. He leaned into her touch, his brows slanted together.
Fuck...I missed him.
"Kai, you can’t co with ." She said, removing her hand from his.
She
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