The woman stood tall, a striking figure whose slender frame was artfully draped in a man's royal attire. The tailored, midnight-blue coat and crisp breeches accentuated her curves with a daring defiance, while the stark white shirt added a touch of severe elegance. Her brown hair was styled in a studied, messy tousle, framing a heart-shaped face alive with intelligent mischief. Her brown eyes sparkled with a hint of rebellion, a glint that instantly resonated with Jackline. The masculine clothing suited her, creating a captivating and confusing contrast that was entirely her own.
"I was..." Jackline started, the lie dying in her throat as she searched for a plausible excuse for her eavesdropping.
"So you really are her." The woman observed Jackline from head to toe, her gaze intense and analytical. "And your red hair... it really is you." Her voice held a note of genuine amazement, as if Jackline were a legendary creature brought to life.
"I don't understand," Jackline said, confused by the woman's cryptic words and intense scrutiny.
"So they haven't told you yet?" The woman raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, her smile fading into something more serious.
"Told me what?" Jackline pressed, a knot of anxiety tightening in her stomach. The secrets in this palace were beginning to feel like a physical weight, like the stormy sky pressing in from all sides.
The woman paused, taking her time, a master of suspense. She seemed to contemplate the consequences of her words, a flicker of genuine hesitation crossing her features. "Well, you are..."
The heavy oak door to the study creaked open with a low groan that sounded like a warning. The two men stepped out into the corridor, casting long shadows in the dim light.
"Sister, what are you doing here?" Alex asked, his cheerful mask slipping for a second to reveal a flash of genuine displeasure. "And what nonsense are you blurting out?"
"I didn't get a chance to formally introduce myself," the woman said, ignoring her brother's scolding tone and extending a hand to Jackline. "My name is Damaris Lustre, his twin sister and the Princess of Veron Kingdom."
"Princess?" Jackline asked, genuinely amazed, the title a shock. "Does that mean you're a prince?" She turned her head to Alex, a silent question in her eyes. He just shrugged his shoulder, a sheepish, unhelpful gesture that made her want to scream.
Why did he introduce himself as the royal guard? The lies were a labyrinth with no end.
Just then, her eyes caught on the marks on Alex's neck again—faint, yet lingering, like the memory of a deep burn. A wave of worry washed over her, a genuine concern born of instinct. "What happened to you? You should get this checked," she said, leaning in slightly to look at the marks more closely, her immediate human compassion overriding her suspicion.
The man who had been quiet, leaning on the door frame with a blank, unreadable expression, finally spoke. His voice was a low rumble of annoyance. "What do you think you are doing?" Christopher couldn't hide the sharp edge of his voice, a possessiveness that made Jackline instantly retreat.
Alex merely chuckled, enjoying the tension. "Well, my queen, your husband did this to me." He gestured to his neck with an exaggerated, pained look. "But thanks for your concern, I will get better." He clearly enjoyed putting his formidable friend in this position.
Jackline was shocked that Christopher could do such a thing to his friend. It was a level of casual cruelty she hadn't yet witnessed.
"And I think he's jealous." Alex delivered the final barb with a triumphant grin.
Chris gave him a deadly gaze, a silent promise of future violence, but Alex just chuckled, completely unfazed. "We'll get going now. Me and my sister have some catching up to do." He gave a final, winning smile to Jackline.
"Talk later," Damaris said, her eyes meeting Jackline's with a promise of future revelations. And just like that, they were gone, disappearing down the long, shadowed corridor, leaving Jackline and Christopher there together.
Alone.
The silence that descended was heavy, oppressive. Jackline's heart wouldn't stop hammering against her ribs. She avoided his gaze, the intense coldness she felt from him a physical thing. She had changed her mind about coming here; she wanted to be anywhere but in his presence. She was about to turn and make her escape.
"Where do you think you're going?" His voice, a low, gravelly sound, stopped her in her tracks. He moved with that unnerving, shadow-like speed, blocking her way completely, an impenetrable wall of darkness and power.
He loomed over her, his expression a fortress once more. "I'm assuming you had a reason for coming here? You don't just wander the hallways in a storm for pleasure. So what brings you here, Princess?" His eyes, a deep, fathomless void, pinned her in place. The storm outside had nothing on the storm brewing within these castle walls, and Jackline found herself standing right in the eye of the hurricane.