I was already inside those passageways.
And honestly… they were way narrower than I had imagined.
I could barely fit.
The walls were so close that sometimes my shoulders brushed both sides at the same time, and the ceiling wasn't particularly high either, forcing me to hunch over in some areas.
On top of that, they were incredibly long.
Dark.
Endless.
It seemed impossible that all of this could exist inside the palace without anyone talking about it.
I guess Aria hadn't been exaggerating when she said they connected almost every room.
Even so…
Was I really going to have to spend a while in there?
Just thinking about it exhausted me.
Not only was it uncomfortable, but there was a constant draft running through those tunnels.
It was a cold breeze.
Damp.
The kind that slowly seeps into your clothes until it makes you shiver even in summer.
I lightly hugged myself as I walked.
I already wanted to go back home…
I hadn't even been hiding for a day and I already missed my room.
My bed.
Even the silence of my empty house.
But I knew perfectly well that I couldn't go back.
If the king found me…
I didn't even want to imagine what he'd do to me this time.
I kept walking through those hidden corridors.
It was like an endless maze.
But little by little, I started to realize something.
The passageways were full of life.
Not inside them.
But on the other side of the walls.
Voices.
Footsteps.
Laughter.
Small fragments of conversations.
I stopped when I heard two male voices fairly close by.
—How was your weekend?
—Exhausting. Being a father is harder than I thought.
The other man let out a laugh.
—Tell me about it. You know the worst part?
—What?
—No more alone time with your wife.
The two of them started laughing.
I frowned slightly.
I didn't really understand what was so funny about that.
I kept walking, ignoring the conversation.
It didn't seem important.
Sometimes there were even small cracks or openings in the walls that let you see outside.
I moved closer to one of them.
On the other side was the palace kitchen.
It was huge.
Way bigger than I had imagined.
There were giant pots, silver trays, knives, ingredients everywhere… and dozens of people moving nonstop from one side to another.
They ran.
Shouted orders.
Carried food around like they were in the middle of a battlefield.
And it wasn't even lunchtime yet.
—They're all insane… —I muttered.
I definitely didn't want to work there.
I kept moving through the tunnels.
And while I walked, I realized something.
Luca would have loved this.
I smiled a little at the thought.
He loved exploring any weird place, and if it was inside the palace on top of that… he'd probably be losing his mind right now.
I could even picture him talking nonstop while touching the walls and asking ridiculous questions.
"What if ghosts lived here?"
I let out a quiet nasal laugh.
I'd definitely tell him about this someday.
He'd probably get really mad that he hadn't come too.
And I could laugh about having explored the palace before him.
I think it would be the first time in my life.
Though… maybe not the last.
"We'll explore the world together."
I remembered that sentence perfectly.
But it wouldn't be the same anymore after…
Elijah came back to my mind.
Something inside me dimmed for a moment.
Images.
Memories.
His voice.
His smile.
I clenched my teeth slightly and shook my head.
No.
Not now.
I pushed the thoughts away and kept walking.
These hallways were endless…
Did Aria really spend her free time wandering all of this?
And just as I thought about her… I saw her.
There was another small opening in the wall.
I moved closer and looked through it.
There was Aria.
She carried a silver tray in her hands while walking through one of the palace corridors.
And… she seemed like a completely different person.
Her posture was perfect.
Elegant.
Her movements were smooth and precise, as if she had been doing this her whole life.
The tray didn't even seem heavy to her.
She wasn't running around like the other servants.
She simply walked quickly, naturally, staying calm even amidst all the chaos of the palace.
It was strange seeing her like that.
Much more serious.
More distant.
She definitely didn't seem like the same Aria who laughed with me in the room.
It was as if she changed completely depending on where she was.
It was true that Aria seemed very professional.
But there was something else too.
Something strange.
Her expression.
Her eyes looked dull.
Much duller than when she was with me in the room.
And I suppose that went perfectly with her lips.
She wasn't smiling.
Not even a little.
She seemed to move purely out of habit.
Like someone who had been doing the same thing for so long that they had stopped feeling anything about it.
She was definitely very different out there.
Then I remembered something she had said earlier.
"The passageways help you not feel so alone."
I frowned slightly.
Was Aria really lonely?
That couldn't be.
There were other maids in the palace.
She probably had friends.
Didn't she?
Though… thinking about it, judging by the way she talked… it didn't really seem like it.
I shook my head a little.
I shouldn't be thinking about that right now.
I kept moving through the passageways.
At that point, I had absolutely no idea where I was anymore.
If I had to find the exit quickly, I'd probably end up lost for hours.
I didn't understand how this could be considered an escape route.
Though, of course… maybe that was exactly why it had stopped being used.
Or maybe an era of peace had simply arrived and nobody needed it anymore.
Who knew.
I kept walking until I reached a different area.
The passageway started going upward.
And upward.
And upward even more.
It felt like I was climbing the palace itself from inside the walls.
As I ascended, the maze became simpler.
Fewer paths.
Fewer openings.
Fewer chances to get lost.
And then, when I least expected it, I looked through a crack and froze completely.
That room…
It was enormous.
And luxurious.
Far more than anything else I had seen inside the palace.
It looked half-bedroom, half-office.
There was a gigantic bed with red fabrics draping around it, giving it an almost imperial appearance.
Everything there radiated authority.
Power.
Silence.
Above the bed hung a painting.
A portrait of a woman.
I stared at it for a few seconds.
She had brown hair and strangely captivating eyes.
She was so perfect in the painting that she almost looked like a doll.
It felt like there was something strange about that portrait.
As if it carried too much presence even while standing still.
I slowly looked away and observed the rest of the room.
On the other side was a large dark wooden desk.
The expensive kind. Very expensive.
Stacks of perfectly organized papers rested on top of it.
Off to one side sat an elegant wooden chair, pushed up against the desk.
I stared at all of it in silence.
Was this…
The king's room?
Judging by how luxurious it was, it definitely seemed like it.
And then I realized something.
This was exactly what I had been looking for.
Even without realizing it.
If I wanted to discover what the king was really hiding…
I had to go in there.
My gaze slowly dropped to the hidden lever beside the wall.
I placed my hand on it.
Ready to pull it.
But then I hesitated.
Aria had said we should wait until the king was distracted with something important.
He wasn't there right now…
But what if he came back?
What if he discovered me?
What if I ended up locked away again?
Or even worse.
What if I found absolutely nothing and got caught for nothing?
I could wait for another opportunity.
It was fine.
…No.
Of course it wasn't.
The more I delayed this… the longer it would take to go back home.
The longer I'd stay trapped in that palace.
I had to do it.
I clenched my jaw.
My hand trembled slightly over the lever.
Don't think about it, Ren.
Don't think.
And in that exact moment…
I pulled the lever.