The Sovereign's Curse

Chapter 3: Shadows of Trust

The hallways of Valenor's palace felt colder today, as though the walls themselves had absorbed the tension radiating from Leon’s every step. He hadn’t slept. He couldn’t. His mind was haunted by the knowledge of his looming fate—a death he couldn’t seem to outrun, no matter how many times the loop would reset.

He replayed the events over and over in his head, trying to piece together a pattern, a clue, anything that would help him break free from this cycle. His suspicions centered on Elysia, but something still didn’t quite fit. Why would she kill him? And why did he keep returning to the same point in time?

A sudden voice, light yet teasing, broke through his thoughts.

“If you keep walking around with that look on your face, people are going to think you’re planning a coup.”

Leon stopped and turned. Standing in the dim corridor was Cedric, his childhood friend. Dressed in a rich blue tunic that was just a bit too casual for court, Cedric flashed a grin that managed to be both mischievous and sincere. His eyes sparkled with that same youthful energy Leon had known for years—an energy that always seemed out of place in the cutthroat world of nobles.

“Leon, my dear prince, you look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Cedric added, stepping forward. His gaze sharpened slightly, though he still wore that lazy smile.

“Maybe I have,” Leon muttered, unable to keep the weariness out of his voice.

Cedric’s smile widened, but there was a flicker of concern beneath the humor. “Not getting cold feet about the wedding, are you?”

Leon huffed. “I’d need to have been warm to begin with.”

“True, true. Marriage isn’t exactly your idea of fun.” Cedric leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. “But Elysia... now, there’s a woman who doesn’t give a damn about ‘fun,’ does she?”

Leon stiffened at the mention of her name. He couldn’t help it. Elysia had become a puzzle he couldn’t solve, a force he couldn’t quite pin down. And now, Cedric was bringing her into the conversation with that oddly admiring tone he always used when talking about people who defied the odds.

“You seem unusually taken with her,” Leon said, his voice carefully neutral. “Admiring danger again, are we?”

Cedric chuckled, pushing himself off the wall. “It’s not danger I admire, Leon. It’s ambition. Elysia isn’t sitting back and letting her life be dictated by anyone. She’s taking charge, whatever it costs her. You don’t see that every day.”

Leon’s jaw tightened. “You think that’s something to be admired?”

“Hell yes,” Cedric replied without hesitation. “Someone who tries to take control of their own fate? That’s rare. Most people just drift, hoping life will be kind to them. But Elysia... she’s going to bend life to her will, or she’ll die trying.”

Leon turned away, staring down the corridor, his thoughts clouded. “And if her ambition means stepping over me?”

Cedric was silent for a moment, then he shrugged. “I don’t know, Leon. Maybe it does. But that’s why you need to be smart about this. Don’t look at Elysia as your enemy—look at her as a challenge.”

Leon let out a bitter laugh. “You make it sound so simple.”

Cedric’s expression softened, and he placed a hand on Leon’s shoulder. “It’s not simple. I know it’s not. But if anyone can figure this out, it’s you. I’ve seen you navigate through worse.”

Leon appreciated Cedric’s unwavering support, but the weight on his shoulders didn’t lighten. It felt like every word exchanged about Elysia only deepened the mystery, making her harder to read. Cedric might admire her strength, her drive, but all Leon could see was a woman who held his fate in her hands, and who wasn’t above cutting the thread when the time was right.

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Later that evening, Leon found himself seated in the king’s private council chamber, his eyes heavy with exhaustion. The discussions about the upcoming wedding were endless, and his father’s booming voice echoed off the stone walls as the nobles debated the importance of the union.

But Leon’s mind was elsewhere. The scene felt like a farce—a grand performance meant to mask the dangerous undercurrents of what was really happening. He kept glancing at the door, half-expecting another masked assassin to burst in at any moment. Every second he sat there felt like wasted time—time he could be using to figure out how to break this cursed loop.

Cedric sat beside him, as relaxed as ever, idly toying with the end of his belt. He leaned over and whispered, “Do you think the council would notice if we just... slipped out the back?”

Leon raised an eyebrow. “Tempting, but I don’t think my father would appreciate that.”

Cedric shrugged, a lazy grin on his face. “Your loss.”

Despite himself, Leon smiled. It was a brief moment of levity in an otherwise tense day, and for a second, he felt like they were children again—two boys sneaking out of their lessons to go play in the castle gardens. But that time was long gone, and the weight of his responsibilities crashed back down on him.

The conversation around them continued, but Leon wasn’t listening. His eyes flicked to the far end of the room, where Elysia stood. She was speaking quietly with one of the older nobles, her face a perfect mask of politeness. There was something unsettling about how composed she always seemed—like she knew something he didn’t.

As if sensing his gaze, Elysia turned her head slightly, meeting his eyes across the room. She smiled—a slow, deliberate smile that sent a chill down Leon’s spine.

He looked away, his heart racing. Was she behind all of this? Was she the reason he kept dying, over and over again? Cedric might admire her for taking control of her destiny, but Leon wasn’t so sure. There was a fine line between ambition and treachery, and Elysia danced dangerously close to it.

The council dragged on, and Leon’s head throbbed with the effort of trying to stay focused. When it was finally over, he rose from his seat, eager to escape the stifling atmosphere of the chamber.

Cedric followed him out into the hallway, his steps light and carefree. “You’re thinking about her again, aren’t you?” he asked, glancing sideways at Leon.

Leon sighed. “She’s... complicated.”

Cedric laughed. “That’s putting it lightly. But don’t let it eat at you too much. Elysia may be ambitious, but she’s not the only player in this game.”

Leon glanced at his friend, frowning. “What do you mean?”

Cedric’s smile faded slightly, and for a moment, something darker flickered in his eyes. “Just that the court is full of people with their own agendas. Don’t focus all your suspicion on one person, or you might miss the knife coming from another direction.”

Leon stared at him, trying to read the meaning behind those words. Cedric had always been good at navigating the murky waters of politics, but this time... there was something off. Something Cedric wasn’t saying.

“Are you warning me about something?” Leon asked quietly.

Cedric grinned again, the darkness vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. “I’m always warning you, my friend. That’s my job.”

With that, Cedric clapped him on the back and walked away, whistling softly to himself as he disappeared down the hall.

Leon watched him go, a gnawing sense of unease settling in his chest. Cedric had always been his closest friend, his voice of reason. But now, even Cedric’s words seemed to carry a hidden weight, as though the lines between friend and foe were beginning to blur.

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