the timid bride

Chapter 54 – A Crown Built on Lies

Liana sat beside the roaring fireplace, her body curled into the armchair though the flames did little to chase away the cold knot in her chest.

The Black Diary rested on her lap, open to the page she had already read a dozen times. Each word was carved into her memory now—Queen Lysandra's secret confessions about Rael's true parentage. Rael, the prince of Velmara, the future king… born not of King Cedric, but of a man from the East. A secret so dangerous it could tear the kingdom apart.

She looked up as the door creaked.

Rael entered slowly, eyes dark and guarded. He didn't speak at first. He didn't have to. He had read the diary. He knew.

And he had come to her.

Liana stood.

"Say something," she whispered.

Rael approached with steady steps. "How long have you known?"

"Last night," she said. "Zena… she left a note. Led me to the West Tower. I found the diary."

"And my mother tried to frame you to keep it hidden."

Liana nodded.

He ran a hand down his face, then turned away. "Everything I am… was built on a lie."

"No," she said quickly, stepping forward. "You are still Rael. The man who defended the kingdom. The prince the people follow. This—this truth—it doesn't erase that."

"But it changes everything," he said bitterly. "My father... he would kill us both if he knew."

Liana hesitated. "What do you want to do?"

He looked at her, and for a long moment, he didn't answer. Then: "I need to confront her."

"Lysandra?"

"She owes me the truth—face to face. I want to hear it from her lips. Why she lied. Why she chose this life of deception. If I'm going to carry this burden, I want to know the full weight of it."

Liana bit her lip. "You're not alone in this."

Rael's eyes softened. "You should hate me."

"I never could."

He took her hand, kissed her knuckles, and whispered, "Then walk with me into the storm."

---

They entered the queen's private chambers without knocking.

Lysandra looked up from her desk, her face pale, her posture regal as ever. She knew why they had come.

Rael shut the door quietly behind them. "Tell me the truth."

The queen straightened her spine. "You've read the diary."

"Yes. But I want to hear you say it."

A long silence passed. Then Lysandra stood, slowly removing the veil from her face.

"Yes, Rael. It's true."

He stared at her, pain etched into every line of his face.

"My father…?"

"Was a soldier. A strategist from the Eastern front. We met during a ceasefire. I was not yet queen. Your father, King Cedric, was away for battle. I fell in love with the man who saw me as a woman, not a pawn. And I bore his child."

"Why didn't you leave?" Rael asked, voice breaking. "Why didn't you run with him?"

"Because I was trapped," Lysandra whispered. "Because if I left, the crown would have declared us traitors. My family would be executed. And you… you would have been hunted like an animal."

Rael turned away, breathing hard.

"I stayed," she continued, "to protect you. I raised you with a man who never knew. And I made sure you would rise, no matter what blood ran through your veins."

"You lied to me every day of my life," Rael said coldly.

"I loved you every day of your life," Lysandra shot back. "You were never a mistake to me. You were my greatest decision."

Liana's heart ached as she watched mother and son wrestle with twenty years of betrayal in a single room.

"You tried to destroy my wife to protect this lie," Rael said.

"I tried to protect *you*," Lysandra said. "The moment you found out, you'd become vulnerable. A target. I did what I had to."

"Zena knew. And she warned us."

Lysandra's expression darkened. "Zena should've been dealt with years ago. That woman has always had one foot in rebellion."

"Then maybe she's the only one who's been honest," Rael snapped.

Lysandra stepped forward, lowering her voice. "You are the heir the people adore. But if Cedric discovers the truth, you'll be dead by morning. He is not merciful. You know this."

"I will not live in fear of that man," Rael said. "And I will not let Liana suffer for your crimes."

Lysandra's shoulders finally sagged. "Then what will you do?"

"I'll keep your secret—for now," Rael said. "But only because the kingdom needs stability. Not because you deserve my silence."

Lysandra said nothing.

Rael turned and walked out, Liana close behind him.

---

That night, Liana sat on the balcony, watching the moonlit gardens below. Rael joined her silently, a glass of wine in his hand.

"Do you think we did the right thing?" she asked softly.

"We didn't do anything yet," he replied. "We're just… surviving."

She looked at him. "Are you okay?"

Rael let out a long breath. "I don't know who I am anymore. But when I'm with you, at least I know *why* I fight."

She leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. "We'll find the truth in all this chaos. Together."

"I used to believe in bloodlines. Now I believe in loyalty," Rael murmured.

"And trust?"

"That too. Especially yours."

She smiled, but it faded quickly.

Because in the shadows beneath the balcony, unseen to them both, a cloaked figure watched and listened—then vanished into the dark.

---

The next morning, a blood-red banner hung from the outer gates of the palace—a sign of challenge.

A message was delivered to the court:

**"To the King of Velmara: You house a traitor upon your throne. And your heir is false. Prepare for reckoning."**

Signed with the symbol of **House Tareth**—the Eastern house that had long remained silent.

Rael read the message in silence.

Then he turned to Liana, his voice steady. "It's begun."

And just like that, the crown—already built on lies—was now teetering on the edge of war.