Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4: ELARA

Aldridge Hall. 6:41 AM.

I didn’t sleep. The anonymous text was still on my phone.

You’re not safe here, Your Highness. But you’re not alone.

Safe. Alone. Two words that shouldn’t go together.

A knock at my door. Sharp. Three times.

I opened it. No one there. Just a cream envelope on the floor, thick paper, red wax seal. The Virell crest. A lion with a broken crown.

My hands shook when I broke the seal.

Elara,

Your transition to Altiora has been noted. As you are aware, the stability of Virell and your brother’s forthcoming ascension remain paramount.

To ensure your focus remains on your studies and that you do not engage in discourse detrimental to the crown, I have retained private security. You will not know them. You will not seek them. They will ensure compliance.

Do not disappoint me again.

His Majesty,

King Cassian of Virell

No love. No daughter. Just Elara.

I read it twice. Three times. The words didn’t change.

Security. That’s what he called it. But it wasn’t. It was a leash. A camera in my dorm. A shadow in the library.

He didn’t trust me.

After everything — after I left without a fight, after I took the name Venn, after I buried the princess — he still thought I’d ruin everything.

I sank to the floor. The letter fell from my hands.

You’re not safe here.

Of course I wasn’t. My own father sent someone to watch me.

Roxanne: Library. Seven A M. You better be there.

Elara: I got a letter.

Roxanne: From who?

Elara: Home.

Roxanne: ...

Roxanne: I’m coming to you. Stay in your room.

Aldridge Hall. 7:02 AM.

Roxanne didn’t knock. She used her keycard. Resident Assistants had masters. So did Roxanne, apparently.

She took one look at me on the floor, at the letter, and her face did something I’d never seen before. It softened. Not strategy. Not calculation. Just… human.

Eve was behind her, coffee in one hand, a bag of bagels in the other. She stopped when she saw me. No jokes. No president smile. Just quiet.

“Hey,” Eve said, sitting on the floor next to me like it was normal. Like princesses sat on dorm floors all the time. “Can I read it? Or do you want us to just… be here?”

I handed her the letter.

Eve read it. Her mouth pressed into a line. She didn’t say I’m sorry. She didn’t say that’s awful. She just put her hand over mine. Warm. Solid.

Roxanne read it over Eve’s shoulder. When she finished, she didn’t say anything for a long time.

“He’s an idiot,” Roxanne said. Flat. Certain. “If he thinks surveillance equals loyalty, he doesn’t deserve either.”

It wasn’t comfort. It was fact. And somehow, that was better.

“They will ensure compliance,” I whispered. “That means someone’s watching me. Here. At Altiora.”

“Then we find them,” Roxanne said. She was already pulling out her phone. “And we make it clear that you’re not a variable to be managed.”

Eve squeezed my hand. “You’re not alone in this, Elara. Not anymore. Because we said so.”

Roxanne looked at Eve. Something passed between them. Not a secret. Just… them.

“Library is cancelled,” Roxanne said. “Today we eat bagels. And we figure out who your father hired.”

Commons Green. 1:15 PM.

I skipped Political Theory. Roxanne forged a doctor’s note. Eve covered for me in Student Government. They didn’t ask if I was okay. They just… helped me.

I was sitting under the big oak tree, the one everyone called “The Hangman’s Tree” because it was old and creepy and perfect for brooding. The letter was in my bag. I felt like it was burning a hole through the canvas.

“Elara Venn?”

I looked up.

He was tall. Black hair. Ice-blue eyes. Gray sweater, jeans, no blazer. He looked like every other Altiora senior. Except he didn’t.

“Damien,” he said. “Damien Cole. And yes. I’m the one who texted you yesterday.”

He sat down across from me. Not too close. Not threatening. Just… there.

Damien sighed. No humor in it. Just tired. “Your father hired me, yeah. Six weeks ago. Before you even set foot at Altiora.”

My throat closed. “To keep me quiet? To make sure I don’t talk to the press. To professors. To anyone who might ask about Virell. About my brother.”

“So you’re my leash,” I said.

Damien shook his head. “I’m your shadow. There’s a difference.”

“Which is?”

“A leash yanks. A shadow follows. I’m not here to report every word you say, Elara. I’m not here to stop you from having friends or going to class or living your life. I’m here to make sure you don’t end up dead in a ditch because you said the wrong thing to the wrong person.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “Do you know how many people would love to get their hands on a Virell? Press. Foreign agents. Conspiracy nuts. Your father isn’t worried about your brother’s reputation. He’s worried about you getting kidnapped or used as leverage. And frankly, so am I.”

“Why?” My voice shook. “Why would you care? You’re just following orders.”

“Because it’s my job,” Damien said, flat. “And because babysitting a walking international incident is a pain in the ass. You think I want to file incident reports every time you talk to someone new? No. So here’s the deal: I keep you alive. You don’t do anything reckless. We both get through the next four years without a crisis.”

He leaned back against the tree, looking at me. Not cold. Just… exhausted.

“You’re not a prisoner,” he said. “You’re a liability. My job is to make sure that liability doesn’t get us both killed. That’s it.”

“So what am I to you?” I asked. “A job?”

Damien studied me. For a long time. “Yeah,” he said finally. “You’re a job. One I didn’t ask for. One I’d rather not have. But it’s mine now. So you don’t go anywhere alone after dark. You don’t talk to press. And if someone from Virell shows up unannounced, you come find me. Immediately.”

He stood. Looked down at me.

“You’re not safe here, Elara. Not with that last name. Your father knows it. That’s why he sent me. But I’m not your warden. I’m just the guy who has to pull you out of the fire if you jump in it.”

He walked away. Across the Commons Green. No goodbye.

I sat under the Hangman’s Tree with my father’s letter in my bag and Damien’s words in my head.

You’re not a prisoner. You’re a liability.

Not a leash. A shadow.

And somehow, that didn’t feel much better.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***