Chapter 439:

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My chest tightened. “And you didn’t tell me?”

“I needed time to arrange everything.”

I laughed again, but there was no humor in it this time. “You always have a plan.”

She frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”

𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴.𝘤𝘰𝘮

I looked at her carefully. It was strange. I had spent my entire life trusting my twin without questioning where she was going or why. We had shared a womb, a childhood, a family, and secrets nobody else knew. When Anatoria moved, I moved with her. When she hated someone, I knew before she said their name. When she needed something, I found a way to get it.

I had never thought that loyalty could become a weakness. But standing there in the half-darkness of my bedroom, I suddenly wondered whether it had.

“Why would they think I planned it?” I asked.

Anatoria sighed. “Because your name is on the evidence.”

“No.” My voice grew firmer. “You know me. You know what I have been doing all these years.”

Her face remained unreadable. I swallowed.

“I have spent my entire life doing your bidding.”

Her eyes snapped to mine. I continued before she could interrupt.

“Don’t look at me like that. You know it’s true.”

“Victoria…”

“Every time you needed information, who found it?”

She said nothing.

“Every time you wanted someone watched, who watched them?”

Silence.

“Every time you wanted a rumor spread, who made sure it reached the right ears?”

Her jaw tightened. “You didn’t have to.”

My voice cracked. “I did it because you were my sister.”

For the first time, something uncertain appeared in her eyes.

“I lied for you. I carried messages for you. I listened to things I should never have heard because you asked me to.” I stepped closer. “So tell me something, Anatoria. If I wanted to betray Moonstone, why would I suddenly decide to do it behind your back?”

She didn’t answer. I searched her face.

Then she said, “You could have asked me.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “If you wanted something changed, or needed help with the betrayal plans, you could have asked me.”

I laughed bitterly, and something inside me broke open.

“I have spent my entire life protecting you. So why would you believe I would suddenly decide to overthrow Kade?”

She looked at me for a long moment. And that was when the first real crack appeared. Not in her expression, but in mine, because I suddenly remembered something.

A few weeks ago, I had seen Anatoria coming out of the eastern servant corridor long after midnight. She had told me she couldn’t sleep. I had believed her.

Then there had been the strange man I had seen speaking to her near the old gardens. She had called him a messenger. I hadn’t asked whose message he carried.

There had been another night when two servants stopped talking the moment I entered a room. Anatoria had smiled and told me they were discussing palace business. I had believed her.

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