Iplace my hand on the door handle and hesitate, knowing deep down that I’m about to do something Felix likely doesn’t want me to do. My chest expands as I take a deep breath and quietly walk out of the room, Elaine’s words still ringing through my mind.Her tone was off when she told me to stay away from the east wing, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned as Althea’s forgotten princess, it’s that the right information wielded at the right time can deliver a bigger blow than the mightiest of weapons. I’m far from powerful, so I’ll have to try my best to outsmart the Shadow Emperor if I want to stay alive.The corridors are empty as I slowly make my way toward the entrance of the east wing, and the temperature continues to drop as I walk. The air becomes heavy, and judging by the worn carpets and the damaged walls, it’s clear this part of the palace hasn’t been maintained.The moment I walk through the large arch that separates the heart of the palace from the east wing, the torches all extinguish, leaving me temporarily blinded as I try my best to adjust to the darkness. My heart races, and for a moment, I hesitate. Was Elaine right? Something feels wrong here, yet I can’t suppress the feeling that there’s something in the east wing I need to see.noveldramaI carefully take a small step forward, my path illuminated by the slivers of moonlight entering from the cracks in the ceiling, only for every door I walk past to slam shut, as though I’m being kept out by the palace itself, when it was so welcoming during my tour yesterday.I pause by a torn portrait, a beautiful and elaborate dagger still embedded in it, the emerald on the hilt shimmering. My hands tremble as I pull it out, magic buzzing all around it, a shimmery gold sheen enveloping it. Unlike the cuffs and other magical artifacts my father has used against me throughout the years, this doesn’t feel malicious. I’m barely thinking straight as I hide it in the deep pockets of my dress, praying it won’t cut straight through the fabric and hurt me. I’d been considering stealing a dinner knife so I’d have something to defend myself with should the need ever arise, but this is much better.My gaze roams over the two curled parts of the portrait, and once more, I follow my instincts as I push the two pieces of the canvas flush against each other, my brows rising at the sight of the completed portrait. I’m mesmerized for a moment as I stare at those familiar turquoise eyes, the golden specks sparkling. Felix. I take in his unmarred face, devoid of the black veins that try to obscure it, and for a few moments, I just stare. Is that what he looks like underneath? His jaw is chiseled and strong, his lips full without being overly so. He looks like a living god, and I suspect the painting is hugely dramatized to appease the subject’s ego.I step back, unable to shake my conflicted feelings. I’m uncertain what I was supposed to find here, but I know it wasn’t this, nor was it the dagger. There’s something else, and I can feel it calling me, like a low buzzing that runs all over my skin, urging me to come find it.I shiver as I walk farther into the east wing, the temperature growing even colder, frost appearing at the edges of the torn paintings that line the wall. Black tendrils of something dark cling to the walls, entirely in contrast with the golden magic that surrounded my new weapon. It feels evil, even more so than the weapons my father used to punish me. My teeth begin to clatter as I make my way up a surprisingly well-maintained tower, certain I hear voices in the distance.It’s almost as though I’m being led forward by an invisible force as I put one foot in front of the other, a woman’s voice becoming more and more audible with each step I take. My breathing becomes more shallow as fear sets in, the cold air turning it into little puffs of smoke. My intuition overrules every hint of panic, making me forge ahead, until I’m standing in the only open doorway I’ve come across, all the way at the very top of the tower.I inhale sharply when I notice Felix standing in the corner of the room, his long black cape blowing in the icy wind. He’s still in his travel cape, so he must have just arrived and headed straight to the east wing. Felix appears to be standing in front of a mirror that’s just out of view for me, and I take another cautious step forward, my heart beating so loudly that I fear he can hear it.My eyes widen as the mirror comes into view, and for a second, I am certain I see a woman in it—pale skin with unseeing eyes and blood-red lips, but then I blink, and she is gone.Felix’s eyes find mine in the mirror, and he whirls around, an expression I can’t quite describe on his face. “What are you doing here?” he shouts as he steps toward me.I stumble back, reality finally catching up to me. I knew there was a chance I’d get caught, but I was so certain he hadn’t returned yet. “I… I—” I stammer, the look in his eyes filling me with pure terror.He takes off his cape and throws it over my shoulders in one smooth move before cupping my cheeks with warm hands. “You’re shaking, Arabella. You’re freezing.” He sounds furious as he leans in and picks me up the way he did when we arrived at the palace. “Are you completely out of your mind?” he chastises as he begins to walk back the way I came. “Has no one warned you how dangerous it is to come here? You could’ve frozen to death without even realizing what’s happening.”His cape feels warm, and I instinctively press my face against his neck, needing his warmth more than I even realized. “I was just wandering around and got lost,” I lie, wishing I could ask the questions on my mind. The more I think about it, the more certain I am that I saw a woman in that mirror, and it’s clear Felix didn’t want me to find out about her. Is she what I was supposed to see?“Don’t ever come here again,” he warns as he carries me down the stairs and into our room. “It isn’t safe.”I nod reluctantly and push away from him a little, expecting him to lower me to the floor, but instead, he sits down on the bed with me in his lap, holding me tightly, his head on top of mine.“This wouldn’t have happened if I’d been there to show you around myself,” he says, his tone filled with regret. “If all goes well, I won’t have to leave for another few weeks, so with a bit of luck, we’ll be able to make up for lost time.”Though his words are undoubtedly meant as reassurance, they do nothing but fill me with fear and apprehension. If he’s back, then that makes tonight the first night we’ll spend together as husband and wife. It’s our wedding night.