I should've known better.
I should've known that once you get involved in a game this dangerous, there's no way to stay out of the crossfire. No matter how careful you are, no matter how much you try to keep your distance, the game always pulls you in.
It had been a few days since I'd spoken to Thorne, but the words he'd said still lingered in my mind. I couldn't stop thinking about them, about the way he'd looked at me. There was something in his eyes—something that both unsettled me and, for some strange reason, drew me in.
But I couldn't afford to think like that. Trust was a luxury I couldn't afford. Especially not with someone like him.
I spent the next few days keeping my distance from the prince, burying myself in my lessons at the academy. The professors here were all too eager to feed me information—strategies, history, politics, manipulation. But I learned quickly that knowledge was only one part of the game. The rest? It was all about power. About making sure you were on the right side when the time came to make a move.
I didn't like it. I didn't like the way the academy seemed to thrive on secrets and lies. I wanted to leave it all behind, but I knew better than to think I could. There were too many people who needed to be punished. Too many who had wronged me.
And the worst part? I couldn't even tell who all of them were yet.
The royal family was a tangled web of intrigue, each member playing their own part, and each one of them keeping their true intentions hidden. And at the center of it all, my father's shadow still loomed. His betrayal still stung, even in this new life.
I wasn't sure what hurt more—the fact that he had betrayed me, or the fact that I had let him.
I was lost in my thoughts when I heard the familiar voice again. "Lady Alden."
I didn't need to look up to know who it was. The sound of his voice had become as familiar to me as my own heartbeat. Thorne.
I glanced up, surprised to see him standing so close. His presence always made the air feel heavier, like the very space around us had shifted to accommodate him. He was watching me with that same unreadable expression, his dark eyes scanning my face as if trying to figure me out.
"What do you want?" I asked, my voice tight, betraying the unease I felt.
He smiled faintly, the kind of smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm not here to make trouble, Lady Alden. I'm just trying to make sure you're playing the right game."
I raised an eyebrow. "And what makes you think I'm playing?"
He leaned in slightly, his voice lowering, as though sharing a secret. "Because you've been playing it since the moment you stepped into this academy. You just don't know it yet."
I wanted to snap back, to tell him that I wasn't here to play anyone's game, least of all his. But something about the way he said it made me hesitate. What if he was right? What if I was already in too deep?
I took a step back, trying to regain some semblance of control. "I don't have time for your games, Prince. I've got my own plans."
His smile didn't fade. "I know. And that's what makes this interesting."
I turned away before I could say anything else. I didn't trust him, and I didn't trust myself around him. Every interaction with him left me feeling more confused, more exposed.
I needed to focus. I needed to remember why I was here. Revenge. I didn't have time for distractions. Especially not from someone like Thorne.