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Chapter XIX

"It's you," he breathed, stepping towards me. I took a step back and he frowned.

"How… how could you?" I asked, horrified. I looked back and forth between him and Stephen. "You're working for Stephen now?"

"It was the only way I could get to you!" he exclaimed, holding his hands up. "Please! Don't walk away!"

"I…" I was speechless. Not only was Noah alive, but he seemed to be siding with Stephen. "No! This isn't right…"

"I'm doing this for you!" he hissed, grabbing my shoulders before I could react and shaking me. My eyes widened. "Don't you understand?" He shook me again.

"H-How?" I gasped. "You are supposed to be dead!"

"But I'm not, see!" He put his hands on his chest, as if he were trying to convince me. "After your parents sent me away, I found myself in Satania. I worked in the stables for almost a year and a half, trying to figure out a way to get back to you. Prince Stephen found out I was from Lumaria, and once he discovered that I knew you, and that I was the one you were looking for, he promised me that if I helped him, you could stay here, with me!

"He told the prince that he killed me, naturally. In truth, I had been helping him with his plan. I remember what your handwriting looked like, and I wrote the letter to your parents, telling them to come to Vittoris so the prince could apologize."

"You wrote the letter?"

"Your family was a great distraction."

"You never planned to marry Alexandra," I said, looking at Stephen.

"Of course not," he scoffed. "That wasn't planned. I wasn't expecting for you to announce that you were engaged—"

"You're what?" Noah gasped.

"So"—he continued pointedly, glaring at him—"I made up my own engagement as well. Not only did it add to the distraction, but it seemed to make you think that I would stop with my plotting, though you were sorely wrong. Noah has been going around and collecting information on you and on the prince. Nobody knows who he is, and he was perfect to use as a spy in my own kingdom."

"Who are you?" I whispered, looking at Noah. His eyebrows shot up, disappearing under the fringe of his hair. I took a step back from him.

"Amanda, I'm the same person I have always been," he said, gently this time

"Enough with this," Stephen said, almost disgusted. "There is no time for sentiment." And with that, he grabbed my arm, dragging me away from the man I used to know.

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The light came in through the decorative glass window stained red; the ray across my plate looked like a puddle of illuminated blood.

I grimaced at the image above me and then winced back down at my food. The depiction of one man stabbing another built out of hundreds of shards of colored glass did nothing to help my appetite. The window was beautiful, in its own disturbing way, but I came to learn that beauty had its price, and that the most beautiful lies held the ugliest truths.

"Eat," Stephen commanded from across the table. I looked back up at him. He was seated directly under the window, which was either extremely coincidental or just an indication of his soul—or lack thereof. He scowled, gesturing to my plate. "I have most graciously served you breakfast, so you must eat it."

"I'm not hungry," I lied. In truth, I was completely famished—my stomach growled louder than it ever had before—but I did not want to accept his gracious meal. It was partially because I didn't trust him, and partially because I just wanted to spite him.