Chapter 34:
A Broken Illusion
Trevus and I walk side by side through the myriad of palace hallways. Every white-stoned passage looks identical to the last. Learning the layout of the palace will be essential to search for the julite in secret, so I’ve taken special care to track my orientation. We’re heading east.
Trevus hasn’t said a word since leaving the throne hall, nor has he even glanced in my direction. The king’s words have been gnawing at me as well.
“I hear that you manipulated the Seventh to assist you. How did you fool her?” I ask. Was his affection all an act?
“The words of the king were but a simplification,” Trevus says. “I bargained for her assistance in his rescue, and she complied. The deceit of my subordinates is not something with which I partake, as it leaves a foul taste.”
“If the Seventh deliberately saved the king’s life, should that knowledge have not been shared with the court?” I have to mind my words when speaking about myself in third person.
Trevus stops. His heavy hand snaps to my shoulder. “Listen well, Raylia.” He’s close. We’re alone in the hallway, and the pendant is hot against my skin. “I shall tolerate your misinformed opinions when I make decrees, write letters of diplomacy or issue orders of governance. But if you dare judge my actions regarding the Seventh again, I shall ensure you never tread on this side of the palace gates.”
I nod. I pushed him too far.
He releases his hold and continues down the passage.
I follow, staying a few steps behind this time.
We exit the east palace door and head into the gardens. A dozen servants in white obans huddle together, surrounded by tall, flowering hedges.
“It was my desire to show you to your chamber and attend this event in private, but our time was shortened on account of the king’s summons,” Trevus says.
“I shall stay out of the way,” I say.
Trevus greets the others and shakes their hands. I join the group but keep my gloved hands folded behind my back. An older gray-haired woman introduces herself to me as Lenia, but most only speak to Trevus.
The atmosphere is sullen. They all clearly know one another. Trevus stands among them as companions rather than a prince issuing orders. Despite their friendly interactions, their voices remain soft and hushed, as if speaking too loudly would disturb the greenery that surrounds us.
They offer only brief phrases to one another, but rarely engage in conversation beyond a few sentences. I overhear the occasional apologetic words – ‘sorry’, ‘unfortunate’ and ‘way of things’. I want to ask what’s going on, but I’m so sorely out of place that my mouth remains shut.
Besides Trevus, there aren’t any soldiers in line of sight. These palace servants can’t be the people he usually interacts with. I shift through my memories in Antiock and his party. No Versillian gathering held any resemblance to this one. What’s going on?
Lenia rests her hand on Trevus’s shoulder and whispers something in his ear. Trevus nods, his face downcast.
They each pick up a gray river stone from a nearby wheelbarrow and pass through an opening between the hedges. I follow them. We reach a wide-open field covered in small stone piles. Trevus faces the group with the smooth river stone between his hands.
“Mehlia was known by many personas,” Trevus says.
I bite my lip. This field is a cemetery. I’ve wandered into Mehlia’s funeral.
“To some, Mehlia took the persona of a tough sparrer who made burley men kneel,” Trevus says.
A few people laugh, and he smiles. The day of her death returns front of mind, playing itself out in my head, like it has a thousand times before.
“To others, Mehlia took the persona of a loyal friend, one who could be entrusted with great personal matters.”
The pendant’s heat is unrelenting against my chest. Any longer and it’ll burn my skin.
“As you all have gathered, for myself, Mehlia took the persona of a nurturing mother. But that was only one of the many personas I knew her by. Finding friendships was not of ease throughout my formative years in Lystra. However, it mattered not. Mehlia, too, was my closest companion.
“With my father otherwise occupied, Mehlia took the persona of a strong, dependable patriarch. She also bore the persona of a doting grandmother and comical grandfather. Mehlia became all the kin, companions and role models a young boy required.”
Trevus pauses. I knew this, but hearing him say it again wrings my guilt-ridden heart.
“And I sorely regret only discovering that truth upon her absence,” he says. “Before leaving for Antiock, Mehlia called that I follow. Failing to accompany her was the greatest mistake of my time.”
He places the stone on the grass. “Elie, I long to see your soul again. The world has darkened.”
I’m sorry, Trevus. I’m so sorry.
The pendant’s heat has become unbearable. I adjust it through my shirt, but relief for one part of my skin only burns another.
Trevus steps aside, and Lenia takes his place, stone in hand. “I recall the day Mehlia first entered the grand gate. Her young self was bold, ambitious, and fierce despite an outline even shorter than my own.”
The pendant around my neck feels like it’s on fire. I reach under my shirt and clutch it in my hand. Pain erupts in my palm, but I don’t dare let go. It draws power from contact with my skin. If it stops touching me, the illusion breaks.
At this rate, the pain will soon force my hand away, regardless of my will to hold on. I have to get it off. I have to get away. I turn. I walk. I cross back between the hedges. I step out of their sight. I run.
I sprint for the palace. There has to be a place to hide. I must avoid drawing attention from the guards, but the stinging in my hand makes it impossible to keep my thoughts in order.
I burst back through the east palace door and sprint down the stone passage. I pass the inside gardens and a stone courtyard, pressing every door as I rush by. Everything is locked. There are people everywhere. Soon the pain will be too much to bear, and my fugitive face will be exposed for all to see.
I shove a door open, revealing an empty kitchen. My eyes search the room – there’s a pantry. I rip open the thin wooden door and squeeze inside the small space, pulling it shut behind me.
The alcove is shrouded in shadow, with the only light from the thin slits of the pantry door.
I release my grip on the burning pendant. Taking it off finally offers relief, a sigh escaping my lips. I keep it a distance from my skin, holding only the silver chain.
Under the dim light, my hair changes from blonde back to the chestnut I’ve known my whole life. There’s a comfort in being back in my own skin.
My palm still stings. I feel around for a pail of water to cool off, but my fingers find nothing but sacks of grain.
I’ve worn the pendant for the last two weeks, and it’s never even grown warm before. It must be the julite in the palace, suppressing even Evelyn’s connection. It is real, and it’s here.
Footsteps approach. I squint through the door’s thin opening. It’s Trevus, and he’s closing in fast. Salts. Salts. Salts.
I turn my back to the door and pull my cardigan over my head, hiding my hair and face.
There’s a knock on the pantry door.
“Do not-” I choke at the sound of my own voice. I sound like Jade, not Raylia.
“Raylia?” Trevus asks.
I grab the hot pendant again for just long enough to speak. “Yes. Do not open.”
The door stays shut.
“Are you well, Raylia?” Trevus asks.
He followed just to see if I’m alright? I expected he was coming to chastise me for disturbing the speeches.
I pull my cardigan back down and grab the pendant again. “I am well. I require only a time alone.”
“Are you in distress?” Trevus asks.
I look down at my burned right palm as I take the pendant in my left. “A bowl of water would be of great relief.”
Trevus’s footsteps move around the room. The sound of water splashing follows.
“The bowl awaits at the door,” Trevus says. “I shall return to the ceremony, then meet here afterwards.”
I grab the burning pendant one last time. “Thank you.”
I watch Trevus’s figure as he leaves the kitchen.
After waiting for a while, I open the door just enough to reach the bowl and pull it inside. The cool water eases my palm’s pain.
I’m sitting at the kitchen window, watching over the stone courtyard and enjoying the evening air. The palace is peaceful at night. A few hours have passed since Trevus left, and the pendant has cooled off. It’s around my neck again, presenting the illusion to anyone passing by. Being in the palace itself didn’t cause it to overheat. I must have passed close to the julite this afternoon.
A figure steps through the kitchen door. It’s Trevus. Mehlia’s funeral has concluded.
“Come,” he says. His voice is solemn.
I’m so sorry. I wish that he knew that. I wish that I could tell him, that he’d hear my words and say he forgives me too.
I follow him out the kitchen in silence.
He leads me up two flights of stairs. “Shall I enquire as to why you burst into a sprint this afternoon?” he asks.
“My preference is to keep it private,” I say. “Only know that it was not my choice.”
He accepts my answer without probing further. His mind is already occupied.
We continue down a closed passage and reach another staircase. Two guards step aside for Trevus. They’re ginger haired twins.
Trevus puts an arm on my shoulder and pulls my frame before them. “Norallius, Harrius,” he greets the guards. I recognize the first name – Trevus said that I should ask for Norallius if I wanted to reunite with him in Lystra after our mission, back when he still wished to see me.
“This is Raylia of Corinth, my new assistant,” Trevus says.
“Administrative assistants do not pass beyond the third level,” Harrius says.
“Raylia is also my servant. She shall dwell near my quarters,” Trevus says.
“Very well, but she is still forbidden from entering the fifth,” Norallius says.
Trevus heads up the stairs, and I follow him onto the fourth floor. Another four guards protect the staircase that leads to the fifth.
I wait until we’ve past them before asking – “What is upon the fifth level?”
“‘Tis the king’s quarters,” Trevus says.
He stops at a wooden door with a decorative carved panther. “Do you recall our path?”
“Yes.”
He gestures to the door. “My office, where you shall await at dawn.”
I nod.
We continue down the hall around a corner, stopping at a set of double doors with two symmetrical lions carved across them. “My dwelling. Should my office be empty an hour after sunrise, make your way here.”
Around another corner and a few more steps, we arrive at a small, plain door. Trevus opens it, revealing a cozy stone room with a wooden floor and a large, shuttered window.
“Your dwelling.” He steps aside.
I enter. There’s a beautiful built-in stone fireplace, and a large bed with four posts and fine white bedding. This is all for me?
“Your uniform is in the wardrobe, and the written etiquette is upon the desk.” He reaches in to close the door, not stepping into the room itself. “I shall meet you tomorrow.”
“Goodnight,” I say.
He pauses, appearing a little surprised. Don’t Versillians say goodnight?
Thinking back, I can’t recall any of his party ever uttering that phrase. I assumed it was absent from the guards at Antiock due to their contempt, but maybe it wasn’t part of their vocabulary. What’s more concerning is I must have said it at least once during my time in his party.
“Yes. Have a good night,” Trevus says. The phrase sounds clunky, as if he contemplated each word independently. He closes the door, slow so it clicks shut with a whisper.
Author’s Note:
Has Jade “Raylia” already aroused Trevus’s suspicion?
Yes
Good idea
I don’t think that pendant is honna hold on for much longer
Same
I hope they can sort this out soon, I feel sad for both
She is not trickster, that’s for sure
Dude left an entire funeral to check on this blabbermouth woman lol
Just ask for a toilet
This was his home his whole life
Girl suddenly has a voice, and she is eager to use it XD
pls update soon. i love this story.
He knows! I know he knows!!!!
Yes, I want him to as well. Especially since he doesn’t seem to have any ill will towards her from what happened.
@Thegigl Agreed 💯
Oh absolutely. But my thing is, I actually WANT him to catch on🥹 I miss him😭
He’s 100% on to something for sure
Broken Illusion” something is GOING to happen
😭💔
the title makes me nervous help
I LOVE YOUUUUUU
@FalcaWing Oh I’m sure he already knows… that’s why he didn’t react to her saying that other then to give a Versillian example that could draw less attention her way.
It’s also overly familiar of someone who’s your boss… especially in Versillian society I imagine.
Oh not only was it not a phrase Versiallins use it was a the Mephian version of it…
💔💔☹
Even if they do it’s oddly familiar for you to say that to someone who’s just your boss and you’ve only known for what, a few days?
Yup, goodnight is very casual. The way Jade always told him😬😬…Am anxious and excited on what’s going to happen next🥹
@MaeveEville I think he’ll save her. Because it will most likey come out at a very bad time.
@FalcaWing no kidding. question is what he’ll do when he knows for sure
Jup. The man aint stupid
most likely
uh oh