The air in the Smith household had never been heavy with warmth, but now it was suffocating. The knight's words echoed in Celine's mind as silence stretched around them.
Margaret's mouth hung open slightly, her usual sharp tongue momentarily stunned. Henry, who barely acknowledged Celine most days, suddenly looked like he had swallowed something bitter.
Margaret's eyes darted to Henry, then back to the knight. "Surely there must be a mistake. Celine is just a simple girl from Ravenshire… She's no one. Just an orphan we took in out of charity, why would the royal family want anything to do with her?"
A scoff from one of the soldiers.
"Charity?" The envoy's voice was laced with disdain. "You mean deception. You raised her knowing she was not yours. Knowing she belonged to the royal family."
Celine stared, uncomprehending. The words barely registered, like a language foreign to her ears.
"You knew," she whispered. "All this time… you knew?"
Margaret exhaled sharply, glaring at her. "You should be grateful. You had a roof over your head. We could have left you to die in the woods, like the midwife wanted."
Where is she?" the knight demanded. "The midwife who stole her?"
Margaret's lips curled in a bitter smile. "Gone. Vanished years ago."
A frustrated murmur ran through the soldiers. The knight's expression hardened.
"Then we have no choice," he said. "Princess, you must come with us. Your place is not here."
'Princess?'
The word echoed in Celine's mind, strange and unfamiliar.
She looked around the small, suffocating house. The place where she had been nothing more than a servant, an outcast.
Yet, it was the only life she had ever known.
"Gather your things. We leave now."
Celine let out a nervous laugh. "I don't understand."
Margaret stepped forward, panic in her face. "She belongs here! You can't just…"
The knight's gaze flickered to her. "She was never yours to keep."
The words sent a chill down Celine's spine. Margaret's face twisted with fear, but before she could speak, Henry's voice cut through.
"She should go."
Silence.
Margaret gaped. "What?"
Henry didn't look at her. "If the royal family wants her, let them have her."
Celine's breath caught. That was it? No fight? No hesitation?
She straightened, lifted her chin then her gaze drifted to the doorway, where a lone figure stood just beyond the
soldiers.
Lucas Reed.
His brown eyes were wide with disbelief, his hands clenched at his sides. He
had always been her only friend in Ravenshire, the only person who had never
treated her as less.
"Celine…"
Her heart clenched.
But there was no time.
A soldier reached for her arm, not unkindly but firmly. "We must leave
now. It is not safe here."
With one last glance at Lucas, his desperate, helpless expression seared into her mind. She stepped forward.
The envoy nodded. The soldiers closed ranks around her.
The night air wrapped around her as the heavy doors slammed shut behind her.
She didn't look back.
The carriage rocked slightly as it moved, but Celine barely noticed. Her fingers tightened around the fabric of her dress, the thin, faded material feeling even rougher than usual against her skin. She had never been one to fuss over her appearance… not when she spent most of her time scrubbing floors or running errands through muddy streets, but at that moment, sitting across from a royal knight dressed in full armor, she had never felt more… small.
Her reflection in the small carriage window did little to reassure her. A girl with pale skin and tired blue eyes stared back, her dark curls tumbling past her shoulders in a tangled mess. She swallowed hard, tearing her gaze away.
It didn't matter how she looked… it wasn't like this was some grand event for her benefit. No, she had been summoned. Taken from the only home she had ever known, forced into a carriage without a moment to prepare.
Her eyes flickered to the knight sitting stiffly across from her. He had barely spoken since they left Ravenshire, offering only the most basic of responses when she had attempted to pry information out of him.
She tried again. "Are you sure there wasn't some sort of mistake?"
Silence.
She sighed, shifting in her seat. "Look, if you're trying to scare me, it's working. You can just say you are not sure, instead of sitting there like a…"
"A what?" His deep voice cut through the air, hid eyes, cold and unreadable, finally met hers.
Celine hesitated, then lifted her chin. "Like a statue. A very grouchy statue."
For a moment, there was nothing. Then, to her absolute surprise, the corner of his lips twitched. Not a smile… not even close… but enough for her to catch it before he turned his gaze away.
Encouraged, she leaned forward slightly. "Come on, you must have information."
His jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
Celine looked out the window again. The further they traveled, the less familiar the landscape became. The trees grew taller, the very ground beneath them seemed different… as if she had stepped into another world.
The feeling only grew stronger as the castle finally came into view. The grand gates of the Werewolf Kingdom's palace loomed ahead. The carriage carrying Celine rumbled to a stop, and before she could even gather her thoughts, the door swung open.
"Princess," the envoy announced, offering a hand to help her down.
The title still felt foreign.
Celine hesitated for only a moment before stepping onto the palace grounds., her legs unsteady as she stepped onto the stone pathway leading toward the massive entrance. Her worn boots felt out of place against the pristine ground. Everything about her felt out of place.
Servants paused to glance at her. Guards exchanged looks. Whispers followed her as she was led forward, each murmur curling around her like invisible hands, reminding her that she did not belong here.
She didn't have to hear them clearly to know what they were saying.
She didn't look like a noble. She didn't carry herself like one.
And yet, they were staring at her like she was someone.
Celine forced herself to keep her head high, her heart hammering against her ribs as she followed the knight into the castle. The inside was just as overwhelming as the outside, marble floors that gleamed beneath the golden chandelier and towering pillars carved with intricate designs of wolves.
Yet, despite its beauty, an unnatural chill seeped into her bones.
She was not welcome here.
The doors to the great hall opened, revealing a grand chamber bathed in golden light. And at the very center of it all… sat the king and queen.
Her steps faltered.
The knight did not stop. "Kneel before the king and queen."
Celine's body locked up.
Kneel?
For them?
She turned to glare at the knight, but his expression remained unchanged. He wasn't asking.
She slowly lowered herself onto one knee, her hands curling into fists at her sides. She didn't know why, but something about this moment made her stomach twist.
Silence stretched across the throne room.
Then, finally, a voice broke it.
"…Rise."
It was the queen.
Celine lifted her head, her breath catching as her gaze met the woman's for the first time.
And suddenly, everything stopped.
For a fleeting second, she felt something she could not explain. A strange familiarity, a pull deep within her bones, an echo of something that had been lost long ago.
The queen's eyes…
They were the same color as hers.
Blue… but not just any blue. A specific shade, a depth that she had never seen in anyone else before.
Her heart pounded.
The queen's lips parted slightly as if she had noticed it too. But the moment passed, her expression hardening once more.
The king spoke next. "Do you know why you're here?..."You are here because you are not who you believe yourself to be."
Celine's blood ran cold.
King Alaric leaned forward slightly. "You are our daughter. The rightful heir."
But there was something else in his voice. Something unsaid.
The queen's voice was softer, but no less firm. "You were taken from us as an infant. Stolen by a midwife who sought to replace you with another. You were never meant to live among commoners. You are our daughter… the lost princess of this kingdom."
The words slammed into her like a wave, knocking the very air from her lungs.
She stared at them, waiting for the punchline. The joke. The explanation.
Nothing came.
She let out a sharp, nervous laugh. "That's ridiculous."
The king's expression did not change. "And yet, it is the truth."
Celine shook her head, taking a step back. "No. No, this, this is insane. I'm not a princess. I'm nobody."
The queen's gaze softened. "You are not nobody. You are our daughter, Celine."
Something about the way she said her name sent a shiver down her spine.
But still, it wasn't enough.
It couldn't be.
She took another step back, her breath quickening. "You're wrong."
The king exhaled slowly, as if he had expected this reaction. "There is proof. You will see it for yourself."
Celine's heart pounded.
She didn't know what terrified her more…
The idea that they were lying…
Or the idea that they weren't.