the timid bride

Chapter 53 – The Blood That Binds Us

Liana backed away slowly, her breath catching in her throat.

Lady Zena stepped forward, the moonlight glinting off the curved dagger in her hand. Her expression was calm—too calm. Not a flicker of guilt or hesitation crossed her face.

"I told you to come alone," Zena said, her voice almost gentle. "But I didn't expect you to be brave enough to actually do it."

"What do you want from me?" Liana asked, clutching the Black Diary tightly to her chest.

Zena's eyes dropped to the book. "Ah. So you found it."

"You lied to me," Liana said, voice shaking. "You pretended to help me."

"I *did* help you," Zena replied. "I helped you get here, didn't I?"

Liana's brows furrowed. "Why?"

"Because someone has to end the game." Zena's tone hardened. "The royal family—your husband's family—have played with people's lives for too long. Lysandra thought she buried her secrets. But secrets don't die. They rot. And now, they're poisoning everything."

The dagger glinted again.

"I didn't want to hurt you," Zena continued. "You were just supposed to *find* the diary. Deliver the truth. I never wanted blood on your hands."

"Then put the knife down," Liana whispered. "Help me expose her. We can go to the king together."

Zena's smile faded. "The king? You still believe in him? He's worse than Lysandra. If he discovers that Rael isn't his son, he'll kill her. Then he'll kill *you* for finding out."

"I can protect Rael—"

"No, you can't," Zena snapped. "The only way to save him is to let this secret burn."

Liana's heart pounded. "You're going to kill me, aren't you?"

"I don't want to." Zena's grip on the dagger loosened—but then footsteps echoed behind them.

Both women froze.

The door burst open.

Rael stormed in, sword drawn, his cloak trailing behind him like a shadow.

"Step away from her," he commanded.

Zena didn't move. "So… the prince arrives. Did she tell you? Did she show you what your mother wrote?"

Rael's gaze flicked to Liana—then to the book in her hands. His jaw tightened.

Zena stepped back. "Good. Now you *know*. You're not Cedric's heir. You're not even his blood."

"Liana," Rael said quietly, ignoring Zena. "Come to me."

She moved slowly, the diary still clutched tightly. Her eyes didn't leave the blade in Zena's hand.

Zena's fingers twitched.

Rael's voice sharpened. "Don't."

"Everything I did was for this kingdom," Zena hissed. "Lysandra lied to everyone. She put a bastard on the throne. If this gets out, there will be war. Cedric will lose his mind."

"I'll handle Cedric," Rael growled. "You don't touch my wife."

Zena's gaze flicked between them. For a second, her resolve wavered. Then she dropped the dagger.

It clattered loudly to the floor.

"I've done my part," she whispered, stepping back into the shadows. "Whether you tell the king or not... that's your war now."

She vanished into the darkness.

Rael rushed to Liana, taking her into his arms. "Are you hurt?"

"No," she said, voice soft but steady. "But everything's changed."

He led her out of the tower, sword still in hand.

---

Back in their chamber, Rael sat on the edge of the bed, the Black Diary open between them.

He had read every line, every page. Not once did he flinch.

Liana waited for his reaction. But he said nothing.

"Rael…" she finally murmured.

"So it's true," he said, voice hollow. "My real father was from the East. A man my mother loved. A man Cedric would've murdered if he knew."

"You're still the same man," Liana said, reaching for his hand. "This doesn't change you."

"It changes everything," he replied. "I was raised to be king. Everything I did, everything I suffered… was for a legacy that doesn't even belong to me."

She squeezed his hand tighter. "The people love you. You are their prince."

"But not their blood."

"Blood doesn't define loyalty. Or worth."

He looked at her, something soft breaking through the coldness in his eyes. "You still believe in me? Even now?"

She nodded. "Always."

He pulled her into his chest, burying his face in her hair. For a long time, they sat in silence, wrapped in a pain that neither of them could fully explain.

Then Rael pulled back. "We can't let my mother be exposed. Not yet."

Liana blinked. "What?"

"If the court hears about this now, it'll rip the kingdom in two. We're already on the edge of war with the North. A crisis in succession will finish us."

"But what about your father? What about the lies?"

Rael stood and paced the room. "I'll confront my mother in private. I want the truth from her own lips. Then... we'll decide what to do. Together."

Liana nodded slowly. "And Zena?"

"She disappeared. But she won't stay hidden for long."

He turned to her, his voice lowering. "Until we know who else knows the truth, you mustn't leave this chamber without me. Promise me."

"I promise."

Rael crossed the room and sealed the diary in a small chest.

Whatever came next... they would face it together.

But outside their chamber walls, in the heart of the palace, shadows were already moving.

And someone else now knew the truth.