the timid bride

**Chapter 48 – The Queen's Gamble**

The smoke had barely settled.

Kael's army was already marching back from the Black Hills, victorious—but wary. Because even in victory, Zara saw something strange in the way the Order had retreated.

They hadn't fought to win.

They'd fought to **stall**.

Zara rode in silence, her armor cold against her skin, mind racing.

She didn't trust victories that came too easily.

---

By the time they reached the palace gates, the atmosphere had changed.

Servants bowed lower. Courtiers whispered louder. Zara and Kael were no longer just rulers—they were **war-born monarchs** now.

But not everyone was pleased.

Lady Mereen, one of the oldest noblewomen in court, made her opinion known as soon as Zara walked into the next council session.

"A queen wielding a sword?" she sneered. "What next? A jester on the throne?"

Zara met her gaze calmly. "I'd prefer a jester. At least they know they're playing a role."

The council chamber fell silent.

Even Kael didn't hide his grin.

Zara leaned forward. "Would you like to question my decisions, Lady Mereen? Or are you merely afraid the kingdom is changing too fast for you to keep up?"

Lady Mereen stiffened. "A queen's strength is in her softness, her silence—"

"No," Zara cut in. "A queen's strength is in knowing **when** to be soft and **when** to strike. And you, Lady Mereen, are weeks away from finding yourself irrelevant if you can't adjust."

---

After the session, Zara slipped into the war chamber alone.

Maps. Notes. Letters.

One parchment caught her attention—a coded message from Thorne.

> "Movement in the North. Three noble families missing. No ransom demand. Suspected Order relocation."

She gritted her teeth.

The Order was shifting again.

Running.

No—**preparing**.

Kael entered moments later.

"You didn't come back to the chamber."

"I couldn't," she said. "I can't keep pretending everything is fine."

Kael walked to her, placing his hands gently on her shoulders. "What are you thinking?"

"That this wasn't a war. It was a **test**. The Order was measuring us. Seeing how far I'd go. How much blood I'd spill."

"And you passed," Kael said.

"I don't want to pass their test," Zara whispered. "I want to **end** the game."

---

That night, she sent for Thorne.

They met in the tower—quiet and private.

"I want you to send a message," Zara said.

"To whom?"

"To the underground," she replied. "To the spies we've paid for years but never activated. I want a complete list of every noble family that's donated to unknown causes in the last six months. Any unusual gatherings. Any 'hunting trips' that didn't return."

Thorne frowned. "That could expose your name."

"I don't care," she said. "Let them know I'm watching. Let them wonder how close I am."

"Won't that provoke them?"

Zara's gaze was like steel. "That's exactly what I want."

---

Days passed.

Kael began to notice Zara speaking less in court and more in the shadows—always with Thorne, or quiet diplomats with ink-stained fingers.

She was pulling strings.

Invisible ones.

And one afternoon, a letter arrived addressed directly to her chamber.

The seal wasn't noble.

It was **serpent-shaped**.

Kael grabbed the letter before Zara could touch it.

He opened it, read, and growled.

"They're mocking you."

Zara read it over his shoulder.

> "We see your crown. We see your thorns. Let's see if you bleed like a queen."

Beneath the letter, an address.

A location deep within the merchant district.

Kael turned to her. "It's a trap."

"I know."

"You're not going."

"I am."

Kael stepped in front of her. "Zara—"

"I'm done waiting for snakes to slither to my door. I'll drag them out by their tails."

His hands curled into fists. "You go, I go."

"No," she said softly. "You're the King. If something happens to both of us…"

Kael shook his head. "Then we rule together or we die together. But I'm not letting you walk into a viper's den alone."

She stared at him for a long moment.

And then nodded.

---

Disguised as merchants, Kael and Zara entered the lower district by dusk.

The address led to an old apothecary.

The building looked abandoned.

Zara gripped the dagger in her cloak. "You ready?"

Kael drew his blade. "Always."

They entered.

Darkness. Dust. Silence.

Then a voice.

"Well, well. The crown comes crawling."

Zara turned.

A figure stepped out from the shadows. Not masked. Not hiding.

A woman.

Tall. Elegant. Dressed in black and silver.

"You're… the leader?" Zara asked.

The woman smiled. "One of them. But let's just say I'm the one who doesn't mind getting her hands dirty."

Kael raised his sword. "Say your name."

"Veris."

The name sent a chill down Zara's spine.

Veris. The Serpent's Fang.

Rumored. Feared. Never seen.

"You sent the men after me," Zara said.

"I sent a message," Veris replied. "You responded with fire. I respect that."

Zara stepped forward. "You think this is respect?"

"I think this is negotiation," Veris said. "You want peace? Step down. Fade into history as the bride who almost ruled."

Zara's eyes narrowed. "And if I don't?"

Veris smiled wider. "Then we'll see if the people love you more than they fear us."

Kael moved beside Zara. "You're surrounded."

Veris laughed. "So are you."

From behind shelves, walls, and trap doors, shadows moved.

Assassins.

Ten. Fifteen. Maybe more.

Zara raised her chin.

"I didn't come here to negotiate."

She reached into her sleeve—and threw a vial to the floor.

**Smoke exploded.**

Kael lunged forward, blade flashing.

Zara ducked, spun, kicked, stabbed.

They fought back-to-back as chaos erupted around them.

Veris vanished into the smoke.

Zara chased her, leaping over crates, slashing through two guards.

Outside, Thorne's men flooded the street.

Steel rang. Screams echoed.

Zara caught up to Veris in an alley.

The woman turned, eyes gleaming. "You're better than I thought."

"I'm worse when I'm angry."

They clashed.

Fast. Brutal. No holding back.

Zara bled.

Veris laughed.

But Zara didn't stop.

With a final cry, she struck hard—blade to throat.

Veris gasped.

Zara held her there. "Call off the Order."

"You… don't understand what's coming," Veris choked. "I was never the worst."

Zara pressed harder. "Then give me the name of who is."

Veris smiled… and died.

---

Kael found her moments later, breathing hard, face bruised, hands bloody.

He held her tightly. "You're alright."

She shook her head. "I'm not. Not until it ends."

He kissed her temple.

"Then we don't stop."

---

Back at the palace, Thorne brought news.

"Veris had maps. Codes. Schedules."

Kael asked, "Did we find anything useful?"

Thorne nodded. "Yes. We know where the Order will strike next."

Zara looked up.

"Where?"

Thorne unrolled the map.

And pointed.

"The royal palace."

---

This wasn't a war anymore.

It was **personal**.