The grand palace doors opened as Cassandra stepped out of the carriage, a footman offering his arm as he escorted her inside.
Before her stretched the familiar marble corridors, their polished floors gleaming beneath the late afternoon sunlight streaming through the tall windows.
With every step, she found herself surrounded by memories she had spent years trying not to revisit.
She passed by the eastern gallery on her way to the queen’s private quarters and the sight of the courtyard she walked through on her way inside, pulled her back to her childhood, to afternoons when she and Princess Lillian had giggled unabashedly, playing hide-and-seek between the tall hedges.
Lillian’s laughter had once echoed within these very halls. Cassandra could almost hear it, but it was a distant, bittersweet echo. That young girl had been her closest friend, her confidante. Sisters in all but blood.
They had met for the first time when they were eight years old, during Cassandra’s first visit to the palace with her father.
One look at the auburn-haired princess had been all it took for Cassandra to decide she wanted to be her friend.
There were moments they spent together in the past when Lillian had seemed so full of life, so full of joy, that Cassandra momentarily forgot her friend was born sickly. But there had also been plenty of moments when that fact had been impossible to ignore.
Lillian passed at fifteen. The doctors that attended to her said it was a miracle she had lived that long to begin with. And it was the tragedy and grief of losing her that had pulled Cassandra to the queen at first.
She paused at the entrance to the Queen’s private wing. The last time she had walked down this hallway in her past life, the Queen had been gone, murdered. Now, as the guard opened the doors to the Queen’s chambers, Cassandra felt her heart leap.
The Queen turned at the sound of her arrival.
Queen Delphine was as radiant and regal as ever, a graceful woman with rich auburn hair and striking blue eyes, the very features her daughter, Lillian, had inherited. But her auburn hair has lightened over the years, now showing strands of soft blonde and silver, fitting her age.
The sight of her struck Cassandra with such force, she almost faltered. The Queen was not a memory or a distant dream, she stood before her, healthy and very real.
Before she could think, Cassandra closed the distance. She didn’t care about protocol at that moment.
Gently, she took the Queen’s hands, holding them like they were precious. The warmth of Delphine’s fingers was the most tangible proof that this wasn’t a dream.
"Cassandra?" Delphine’s brows lifted in mild surprise at the uncharacteristic gesture.
For a moment, Cassandra could only stare, her eyes misting as she absorbed the reality.
"You’re here." The words were soft, reverent. "You’re well."
The Queen tilted her head, a tender smile forming. "Of course I am, my dear. Is everything alright?"
Cassandra remembered herself, easing back and releasing the Queen’s hands as she reined in her emotions.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty. I—it’s just a relief to see you." More than she could say, but she couldn’t explain the feeling of knowing how fragile that life had been in another timeline.
The Queen gave her a curious glance but let it pass. "You’ve always been loyal beyond measure. Now, come. We have much to discuss."
As they moved toward the table where documents awaited, Cassandra’s thoughts shifted. She listened attentively as the Queen spoke of the recent border disputes and growing unrest in the southern provinces.
But beneath every word, Cassandra’s mind spun. In her previous life, this unrest the queen spoke of had been small and mostly inconsequential, minor disputes here and there that barely affected anyone.
But with the way the queen spoke about the matter now made it clear that the problem was anything but minor.
Things were happening differently already, just like the ruler of the dead said it would.
Were there connections she had missed? Had the seeds of the conspiracy been sown earlier than she realized?
Despite her chaotic thoughts, she still managed to ask, "Your Majesty, have you noticed anything noteworthy in recent years among the nobility?"
The Queen hummed in thought. "Not particularly, though the Duke of Aldermere has been a vocal advocate for increasing trade with the east."
In her previous life, she had never paid particular attention to discussions like these unless they directly concerned the Queen’s agenda. Her duty was to Delphine above all, everything else came second.
Looking back now, she wondered how many seemingly insignificant conversations and dealings she had overlooked. How many petitions and reports had she let slip past her unnoticed, only to become pieces of a puzzle she hadn’t realized existed until it was too late?
Queen Delphine noticed the thoughtful look that settled over her face.
"Does something trouble you?" She asked softly, like a parent checking on their child.
Cassandra’s thoughts scattered.
"No, Your Majesty." She offered a small smile. "I was merely thinking."
"About?"
"The kingdom." The answer was truthful enough. "Sometimes I wonder whether we’ve become too comfortable. We concern ourselves with threats beyond our borders, but perhaps we don’t look closely enough at those within them."
The Queen regarded her thoughtfully.
"An interesting observation." Delphine rose from her chair and walked towards the tall windows overlooking the palace gardens.
"The greatest dangers have rarely come from foreign kingdoms. History has taught us that much. More often than not, they come from ambitious men who believe they know how to govern better than their sovereign."
There were countless ambitious nobles within Arden. Dukes, marquises, Counts, ministers—any one of them could have coveted greater power. The conspiracy had been so meticulously hidden that even after years serving beside the Queen, Cassandra had never once suspected anything.
Why had she been specifically targeted and framed? She hated how little she knew.
She couldn’t prevent what she didn’t understand.
Queen Delphine turned back towards her.
"You’ve been unusually contemplative this morning."
"I fear I haven’t been sleeping particularly well." Cassandra lowered her eyes briefly.
The Queen’s expression softened.
"You overexert yourself. It can’t be good for you." The grief of losing Lillian might have been what brought the two of them closer but Delphine had grown to love and care for her like her own daughter. Theirs was a bond that was rare and precious.
Cassandra chuckled. "So everyone keeps telling me."
"I should hope they do." Delphine returned to the table before picking up one of the documents awaiting her signature. "The kingdom would survive if you took a day to yourself now and then."
Cassandra smiled, though sadness tugged at her heart.
She had heard those words before. In another life.
The Queen had often chided her for burying herself in work.
"You’ve gone quiet again, my dear." Delphine’s voice drew her back to the present.
Without thinking, Cassandra moved closer.
She looked at the Queen for a long moment, committing every detail to memory. The gentle lines around her eyes. The warmth in her smile. The kindness that had never once diminished despite the heavy grief she carried with her since Princess Lillian’s death.
For twelve years, Cassandra had watched this remarkable woman endure unimaginable loss without allowing bitterness to consume her.
She would not lose her again. Not this time.
"I was simply reminded," Cassandra said softly, "how fortunate the kingdom is to have you."
The Queen smiled. "I suspect some of the ministers and nobles would disagree after this morning’s council." And it wasn’t an exaggeration.
Delphine was a reformist to her core and her policies tended to anger the traditionalist aristocrats.
Delphine reached out to straighten a stray lock of Cassandra’s hair, just as she had done countless times since Cassandra was a little girl.
"My sweet Cassie," she said warmly. "Whatever burden you’re carrying, you needn’t bear it alone."
The familiar nickname almost undid her.
Only those she loved most dearly still called her that.
Cassandra swallowed against the sudden tightness in her throat.
"If I ever require help," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, "you’ll be the first person I turn to."
And this time, she vowed silently, she would make certain there would still be a Queen to turn to.