"You shouldn't be following me."
Adrien said it without stopping. His boots struck the stone floor with purpose, not haste, the way a man walked when he already knew where this was going and didn't like it. Charlotte followed anyway. She kept her head down, hands folded, the posture of someone who belonged in corridors, not decisions.
"You left too fast," she said. "That usually means something went wrong."
He stopped then. Turned. Looked at her like he was measuring weight, not height. "You don't miss much."
"No," she said. "I learned not to."
The palace had changed since the poisoning. You could feel it in the walls. Guards stood closer together. Servants whispered less and listened more. Everyone was pretending things were normal, and everyone knew better. That kind of pretending never lasted long.
"They'll blame someone," Adrien said. "They always do."
"They already have," Charlotte said. "They're just deciding how loud to be about it."
He nodded once and kept walking. They passed a pair of nobles who stopped talking the moment Adrien came into view. One of them looked at Charlotte and then away again, too quickly. That was new.
"You saved the King," Adrien said. "That makes people uncomfortable."
"It shouldn't," she replied.
"It does."
They reached a smaller chamber off the main hall. Adrien closed the door and leaned back against it for a moment like he needed the wood to stay upright. Maps covered the table. Red wax seals lay broken, discarded. Decisions had been made here recently. Bad ones.
"She wasn't alone," Charlotte said, looking at the maps.
"No," Adrien agreed. "Alice doesn't move unless someone promises her the ground will hold."
"Someone inside the palace."
"Or someone who wants inside it."
Charlotte traced a mark on the map with her eyes. "Either way, she wasn't the end of it."
Adrien studied her. "You speak like you've seen this before."
"I've seen what happens when people think power is a prize instead of a burden."
He let out a short breath. "That's a dangerous way to think."
"It keeps you alive."
A knock came at the door. Sharp. Official. Adrien straightened immediately.
"The Queen requests Charlotte," the guard said. "Alone."
Adrien's jaw tightened. "I'm coming."
The guard shook his head. "Her Majesty was clear."
Charlotte touched Adrien's sleeve. "I'll be fine."
He looked at her like he didn't believe that for a second. "You won't be."
"I don't need fine," she said. "I need time."
That earned her another long look. Then he stepped aside. "I'll be close."
The Queen's private chamber smelled faintly of wax and old paper. It was quieter than the rest of the palace, the kind of quiet that pressed on your ears. Queen Isolde stood by the window, watching the courtyard below like she was waiting for something to break.
"You caused disorder today," the Queen said.
Charlotte answered, "Disorder was already present."
The Queen turned. "Careful. I don't reward cleverness."
"I wasn't trying to be clever."
"No," the Queen said. "You were trying to be right."
Charlotte said nothing.
"They will talk," the Queen continued. "They will say you were too quick. Too certain. That you wanted to be seen."
"I did not."
"I know," the Queen said. "That is why I'm speaking to you now instead of burying you under suspicion."
She moved closer. Up close, the Queen looked tired. Not weak. Just worn in places no one else ever saw.
"Princess Alice will confess," the Queen said. "Not the whole truth. Enough of it."
"And the others?" Charlotte asked.
"They will smile. They will stay. They will wait."
Charlotte nodded. "Waiting is worse than acting."
"Exactly."
The Queen studied her. "You understand this court better than most who were born into it."
"I understand danger," Charlotte replied.
"That is not the same thing."
"It overlaps."
For a moment, the Queen almost smiled. Almost. "The Prince trusts you."
Charlotte felt that land somewhere uncomfortable. "He shouldn't."
"That was not a question."
Silence settled between them, heavy and deliberate.
"The court will turn on you," the Queen said. "Not today. Soon."
Charlotte said, "I know."
"They will say you manipulated events."
"I did not."
"They will say you sought influence."
Charlotte met her gaze. "Influence found me."
The Queen nodded once. "That is the most honest thing you've said."
She stepped back. "You will remain close. You will listen. You will not act unless I allow it."
Charlotte bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty."
"And Charlotte," the Queen added, almost casually. "Do not mistake protection for safety."
Outside, Adrien was waiting exactly where he said he would be. He looked up the moment she stepped out.
"What did she say?" he asked.
"That I should be careful."
He gave a short, humorless laugh. "She tells everyone that."
"She meant something else."
He studied her face. "You're in deeper now."
"I was already in," Charlotte said. "I just didn't know how far."
They walked together in silence. Somewhere in the palace, a door slammed. Voices rose, then fell. The machine kept moving.
Charlotte understood something then, clearly and without comfort.
Saving the King hadn't protected her.
It had marked her.
And in this palace, being marked was the beginning of the worst kind of attention.