the timid bride

**Chapter 43 – The Serpent's Tongue**

The palace hadn't known quiet like this in years.

Not the quiet of peace.

Not the quiet of celebration.

This was the kind of silence that came when everyone was too afraid to speak — when power hung in the air like a sword waiting to fall.

And at the center of it, stood Zara.

She walked down the east corridor, her steps echoing against the stone floor. Her hand never strayed far from the thin blade hidden beneath her sleeve. She had grown used to the cold now — the cold of enemies pretending to bow, the cold of betrayal in silk robes.

But she walked like a woman with nothing to lose. Because she had already lost everything once.

And survived.

---

Kael stood in the war room, his fists clenched behind his back as he studied the map pinned to the wall. General Thorne and Commander Elric stood beside him, but no one spoke yet.

"I want every council member followed," Kael said finally. "Shadow them. Listen to everything they say. If they so much as whisper the word 'serpent,' I want to know before the word finishes forming."

"Yes, Your Highness," Elric replied.

Kael turned slowly, his eyes dark. "And Merek?"

Thorne hesitated. "He's asking for an audience. Says he's innocent. That the aide who entered Lady Zara's room acted on his own."

Kael's lip curled. "Cowards always blame the dead or the disposable."

A knock came.

Zara stepped into the room.

Every man straightened. She was no longer "just the bride." Not to them. Not after what she'd done.

"Let him speak," she said. "But not here. Not in front of the council. Not where lies are dressed in ceremony."

Kael's gaze met hers.

"You want to question him?"

Zara nodded. "He tried to have me killed. I want to hear him deny it — to my face."

Kael studied her for a long moment. Then he turned to Thorne.

"Bring Merek. And make sure he knows... if he lies, he dies."

---

Lord Merek entered with the same oily charm he always wore — all smiles and slow bows.

He didn't bow to Zara.

But Kael noticed.

They sat at the long table, Zara on one end, Kael on the other, with Thorne standing guard by the door.

Merek folded his hands politely.

"I must begin by expressing my sorrow for the... recent misunderstandings. I had no knowledge of my aide's treachery. If I had—"

"You'd have stopped him?" Zara cut in.

Merek blinked, caught off guard by her sharp tone.

Zara leaned forward, her voice cool. "You expect me to believe that a man willing to sneak into royal chambers and assassinate a future queen acted alone?"

Merek forced a chuckle. "My lady, if you understood how often men act without orders—"

"Then why was he carrying your crest?" Kael asked sharply.

The smile faded.

"You've been whispering poison in the council's ears for months," Kael continued. "But now the poison's spread, and you're choking on it."

Merek stood slowly. "You accuse me of treason, Your Highness?"

Kael didn't blink. "Not yet. But I'm getting very close."

Zara rose too. "I hope you know how to swim, Lord Merek. Because when this ship sinks, the snakes drown first."

Thorne stepped forward. "You may leave now, Lord Merek. But stay close. We have more questions coming."

Merek turned on his heel and walked out, but not before sneering at Zara as he passed.

She didn't flinch.

Kael waited until the door closed, then walked to her.

"You were brilliant," he said quietly. "You didn't even blink."

"I'm tired of blinking," Zara whispered. "Tired of pretending I can't see what's right in front of me."

Kael gently took her hand. "I swear to you, I will expose every last one of them."

"No," Zara said. "*We* will."

---

That night, the moon was full and unforgiving.

Zara stood on the palace balcony in a deep violet cloak, her hair unbound and flowing in the wind. Kael stepped behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist without a word.

He rested his chin on her shoulder. "What are you thinking?"

She didn't answer at first.

Then softly, "That I was supposed to be a wife by now. A quiet one. The kind who smiles and nods and wears whatever crown is handed to her."

Kael kissed her shoulder. "And instead, you became the kind of queen men fear."

Zara turned in his arms, gazing up at him. "Does that bother you?"

He brushed her hair from her face. "It *enchants* me."

She smiled. "Even if I don't always obey you?"

Kael growled softly, pulling her closer. "Especially then."

Their kiss was slow at first — a question, an ache, a promise. But it deepened quickly, turning into something desperate, like they were trying to speak through lips and breath what words couldn't carry.

Kael pressed his forehead to hers.

"If they try again... if they ever come near you... I'll burn this kingdom to the ground."

Zara cupped his cheek. "Then we rebuild it together."

---

Meanwhile, in the lowest dungeons, the captured aide — bruised, bloodied, and barely breathing — was being questioned by Thorne and Elric.

He had already broken twice. But now he spoke with clarity.

"You don't understand," he rasped. "It's not just the council. The Order runs deeper. The serpent isn't just a symbol."

Thorne leaned in. "Then what is it?"

The aide smiled weakly. "It's a person."

That sent a chill through the room.

"Who?" Elric demanded.

But the man's eyes rolled back — and a sudden shudder ran through his body.

He was dead before he hit the floor.

Thorne knelt quickly. "He bit something. A hidden capsule. Poisoned."

Elric cursed. "Someone told him to stay quiet. Even in death."

Thorne rose, fury in his veins.

They had come too close.

But now they knew one thing for sure.

The serpent had a face.

And they were getting closer to revealing it.

---

Back in her chambers, Zara lit a single candle and watched it flicker in the dark. The shadows danced across the walls like whispers, like ghosts of everything she had survived.

She touched the golden hairpin Kael had given her — simple, beautiful, sharp.

A weapon in disguise.

Just like her.

She wasn't just a bride anymore.

She was a blade.

And the world would bleed if it ever tried to bend her again.