Ria Para, the youngest daughter of the Great Lord Ulric Para, crept through the darkness, her heart beating rapidly. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she continued her journey toward her father’s study. In her hands, she carried a tray with a pot of tea and two cups balancing on it. Reaching the doorway, she looked around to make sure she was alone before setting the tray on the ground and pressing her ear against the heavy wooden door. Straining to hear the voices inside, she closed her eyes and focused.

  At this time of night, the castle was mostly silent, the occasional sound of the guards’ footsteps or the wind rustling the trees outside the only sound. This made it easier to eavesdrop but also made it harder to stay hidden.

  On the other side of the door, her father and Lord Bisconti Bovera were talking, their low voices clear to Ria’s strained hearing. Ria did not trust or like Lord Bovera. Ever since Lord Bisconti’s brother Tulka had married Ria’s eldest sister Sia, she had felt a subtle shift in the way her family operated. But what really made her wary of House Bovera was that her father had no son. With only three daughters, if anything were to happen to him, Lord Tulka, as Sia’s husband, would be the next head of the family.

  Picturing Lord Tulka’s gray eyes, Ria shivered. Something about them made her feel as if he could see through her soul, able to read every thought she had. If he were to be the next family head, she was positive that House Para would be sucked into House Bovera.

  “I was surprised, even amused, that House Nazau would fall in such a manner,” she finally heard her father say, his voice muffled by the thick door. “The use of Borvak to attack them was brilliant; the influence of the Great Shrine is truly mind-blowing.”

  Borvak? Where had she heard that name before? Wasn’t he the bandit king who killed Lord Nazau? And the Great Shrine was involved?

  Sweat broke out on Ria’s forehead, her already pounding heart racing even faster. If she had not misheard, it seemed her father was admitting to orchestrating the fall of one of the Great Houses—and worse, they had help from the Great Shrine.

  “Indeed, if not for the help of the Great Shrine, we would not have been able to destroy Falka,” Lord Bovera laughed, his voice cutting in and out.

  Stomach tied in tight knots, Ria closed her eyes and clutched her hands together to keep them from shaking. Father, what did you do? she silently screamed. This sounded like treason! If the royal family learned of this, they would be stripped of their title! Opening her eyes, she tried to concentrate on the words her father was saying.

  “Did Father Benedict have a hand in this? I understand that Father Linus was the one we reached out to?” her father asked.

  “Yes, Father Linus was the one we contacted, but Father Benedict was the one who reached out to Borvak. Without him, we would not have secured the bandit’s help. We must also remember that Lady Silan’s monetary contribution helped greatly,” Lord Bovera replied, the sound of clinking wine glasses ringing in the room.

  Hearing her father’s laughter echo through the door, Ria stepped backward in shock, her foot striking the tea tray still on the floor. The pot toppled over, spilling hot water across the stone floor.

  Ria’s breath caught in her throat as one of the cups shattered in two.

  “Wait! What was that!”

  Freezing at Lord Bovera’s exclamation, Ria stood in shock as the door to the study was violently flung open. Her father’s hand shot out, grabbing her painfully by the arm.

  “Ria! What are you doing here?”

  “Father, I… I was just bringing tea to you!” she stammered, trying to pull her arm free from his grip.

  “My, my, Lord Para, what do we have here? Is this one of your daughters?” Lord Bovera asked, his gaze drifting toward the shattered teacup on the floor.

  “Father, please! I was only bringing you tea! Let go, you're hurting me!” Ria protested, wincing as his fingers dug into her arm.

  “Lord Para, we already had tea delivered to us at the start of our meeting. Why does your daughter need to bring us more?” Lord Bovera inquired slowly, an eerie smile spreading across his face. There was a coldness in his eyes that never touched his lips.

  Seeing the look on Lord Bovera’s face, Ria felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. “I don't need you to believe me—but that's the truth!” she shouted frantically, her arm going numb in her father’s grip.

  “Lord Bovera, would you please excuse us? I want some time to speak with my daughter—alone,” her father said, his voice tight with anger.

  “Of course,” Lord Bovera replied smoothly. “I am merely a guest in your castle.”

  With an apologetic smile and nod, Lord Para started down the hall, Ria’s arm still tightly in his grasp. The loud echoes of his boots thundered around them as he marched, the flickering torchlight darkening the creases on his face, the anger on his face visible even at a distance.

  “Father, you don't have to pull! I can walk by myself!” Ria fearfully protested, the situation almost causing her to hyperventilate. She had never seen her father like this! Ignoring her, her father roughly pulled her towards her room.

  Marching down corridors where startled servants and maids peeked out from behind doors, they finally reached her room. “Get out!” he shouted at a maid before turning to her.

  “Ria! How much of the conversation did you hear?” he demanded, the moment the maid ran out of the room.

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  “All of it! I can't believe you conspired with Bovera to destroy Nazau!” Ria cried. “Father, this is treason—punishable by death and destruction of our House! We must throw ourselves at Queen Milina’s mercy—tell her we had nothing to do with it, that our only crime is not being able to stop Lord Bovera! We must cut all ties with House Bovera if we’re to survive! Father, please, Lord Bovera is called the Peasant Slaughterer for a reason!”

  Clutching at his sleeves, Ria urgently pleaded, her voice cracking as she remembered the look Lord Bovera had given her. “Father, please!”

  “Ria! Be quiet!” her father snapped. “I’m serious! No one—and I mean no one—can know what happened today. As long as you keep this secret, no one in the Kingdom will ever find out!” His face had gone pale, his hands trembling.

  Anger and disbelief flared within her. Ria turned to him, her eyes wide. “Father!” she shouted.” It’s said that the only way for a group to keep a secret is if only one of them is alive! Do you truly believe all those people who know of this will stay silent? Lord Bovera will kill everyone who knows the truth. He’ll eventually come for us! We must go to the Queen!”

  “Did you forget that your sister is married to Lord Tulka!” her father roared, spit flying from his mouth. “If we betray this alliance, she will be killed! Remember, the Royal House was unable to help House Nazau when it was attacked! This proves that their power is waning. They do not have the power to protect us, nor can they stand against Bovera! If we go to the Royal Family, the best we can hope for is for them to kill all the Lords of Bovera and Galra, making your sister a widow!”

  Seeing how unhinged her father was acting, Ria flinched back, her arms protectively crossed in front of her. Why is Father acting like this? She wondered, as panic and desperation threatened to overwhelm her. This is not like him. Something is wrong!

  Stammering, she took in a deep ragged breath and spoke, her words tumbling out as she tried to reason with him.

  “Father, Lord Bovera is not a righteous man. The heavens will not allow such a man to keep living. We must cut all ties with him.”

  “Silence!” her father snapped. “Do you believe the Royal House is any better? Have you forgotten that your grandfather and uncle died because of the war and the negligence that King Alfred led us through? The suffering our family and the rest of the Kingdom are now going through is because of Salizia!”

  He began pacing, his voice rising. “Your grandfather's blind loyalty to King Alfred is why my elder brother died, why countless good men died, and why our house really lost everything!

  “House Salizia no longer deserves our loyalty! They repaid our devotion by treating us as disposable—a House to take advantage of and to throw away! You call Lord Bovera unrighteous, but tell me—how is House Salizia any more righteous? At least Lord Bovera is honest about his greed and cruelty; he doesn’t pretend to be virtuous! And despite his reputation, he provided us with food and gold when we needed it most! He was the reason that so many of us did not starve to death in the aftermath of the Domibu war!”

  Her father’s pacing had become almost violent, his arms swinging madly as he continued to rant.

  Stepping back, Ria raised her voice as she tried to talk over her father.

  “Father, sending us gold and food doesn’t make him righteous. We must look at the bigger picture. Lord Bovera did not do this out of kindness. He must have another plan!”

  “I’m well aware that nothing in life comes for free!” her father barked, stopping in mid-step and turning to her. “Of course, he’ll try to bind us to him. But if we play this correctly, we can both benefit! We’re allies because we share the same struggles and goals.”

  Seeing the vein in his forehead starting to pulse, Ria finally realized how far her father had gone.

  Father, what has happened to you? Has Lord Bovera’s corruption spread to you? What else do you have planned with him?

  “Father! Do you even hear yourself?” she shouted, her voice trembling. “I can't believe what I’m hearing. Is the destruction of Nazau not enough? What else have you agreed to with Bovera? Father, you’re scaring me—please tell me you don't plan to betray our kingdom!” Tears were now streaming down her face.

  Seeing her emotions, her father’s expression shifted rapidly, changing from shock to guilt, then embarrassment, before settling on anger. His fists clenched at his sides, he growled, “We will not talk about this anymore!”

  Feeling her stomach drop at his tone, Ria knew without a doubt that her father and Lord Bovera had something else planned.

  Throat tightening, she stammered. “Father…” but before she could finish her words.

  “Guards! Guards!”

  Her father’s voice rang through the castle. Two armored men burst into the room, hands on weapons as they scanned the room. “Starting from this moment, my daughter is to be confined to her room!” her father ordered, gesturing to the guards. “She is not to leave without my permission. If she’s found outside without my say-so, every guard responsible will be imprisoned and beaten.”

  Standing there in stunned disbelief, Ria barely had time to protest before her father stormed out of the room and the two guards closed the door behind them.

  This can’t be happening!

  “You can’t do this! Father, let me out! I am still your daughter!” Ria cried, running to the door and banging on it. But it was hopeless; no matter what she did, the door did not budge. It was too strong.

  That night, Ria sat on her bed, hands clenched in determination. All around her was darkness and silence. She could no longer hear the muffled sound of the guards outside.

  I wonder if they fell asleep, she thought, walking to the lamp by her desk and turning it on.

  After what had happened, she knew she could no longer stay in this house.

  Quickly gathering a few clothes and precious items into a small bundle, she quietly crept to her window. Her only thought was to reach her lover, Yansen. Yansen was the nephew of Lord Averell Baura through marriage; his mother’s sister was married to Lord Averell Baura. If she could reach Lord Baura’s estate, she would be safe; even her father wouldn’t dare pursue her there.

  Taking one last look around her room, her eyes lingered on the memories of her childhood—the bed where she and her sister once whispered secrets, the doll her mother had given her on her tenth birthday, the beautiful dresses she could not bring. Gulping hard, she opened her window and climbed down into the cold night.

  “I’m sorry, Father,” she whispered as she looked toward his window.

  Landing softly on the ground, she quickly moved from shadow to shadow, the cold wind causing her to clutch at her cloak tightly. She paused, muscles tight, as a guard passed by. Taking a moment to make sure it was clear, she hurried toward the stables.

  “Hey, Honey,” she whispered to her mare, stroking the horse’s neck. “We’re going on a trip. Can you please be quiet?”

  Hearing Honey's happy whinny, Ria smiled faintly before she started to saddle her. She lifted the expensive leather saddle and set it gently across the mare’s back, tightening her straps. Within minutes, the horse was ready, nuzzling Ria’s shoulder affectionately.

  “Hold on, girl. I have one more thing I have to do,” she whispered.

  Running over to the tack racks, she grabbed the spare saddles and tossed them into an empty stall. “Just need to make it harder for them to catch me,” she explained as she quietly covered them in hay. “I hope they don't find them for a few hours.”

  As they made their way into the night, the cold air seemed to cut against her face. Shielding her face with her arms, she looked back at the castle one more time and found her father’s study, the lone candlelight growing dimmer as she moved away.

  Despite everything, she still hoped her father would see the ruin that Lord Bovera would bring to her family.

  Pulling her hood low, she urged Honey into a fast walk. As the cold air stung her cheeks, she felt tears slowly trickling down her face, but she didn’t turn back.