the timid bride

# Chapter 58 – The Whispering Walls

The castle had grown quieter—but not safer.

Zara could feel it in the way the servants paused mid-step when she passed. In the way conversations stopped when she entered a room. The walls of the palace no longer echoed with laughter or music, but with whispers.

And whispers could kill.

A week had passed since Lord Ryle's arrest, but the court had not settled. Instead, the silence had deepened, like a coil pulled too tight. Zara had hoped that Ryle's betrayal would shake Kael's network. But instead, it seemed to have made them more cautious, more invisible.

Invisibility was dangerous.

That morning, while sitting in the reading room reviewing intercepted letters, Zara was interrupted by a knock. Commander Varek entered, his expression grim.

"We caught a servant sneaking out a scroll hidden in the lining of her apron," he said. "It was addressed to someone outside the capital."

"Who?" she asked, instantly alert.

He handed her the scroll. "No signature. No seal. But the ink was mixed with lavender oil—a style favored by merchants from the eastern ports."

Zara read the letter. It was short but sharp:

> *"The lady grows bold. Her blood would soften the crown's steel. Wait until the frost moon. Then move. She won't see it coming."*

Her stomach turned.

"They're planning something," she murmured.

Varek nodded. "They mentioned the Frost Moon. That's in six days."

Zara stood, already moving. "Get me access to the lower archives. I want every record of past Frost Moon gatherings—where the nobles go, what traditions they observe. Maybe it's a signal. A meeting. A trap."

"Yes, my lady."

"And… Varek?"

He paused at the door.

"Thank you. For not underestimating me."

He gave a stiff nod. "Anyone who underestimates you deserves to lose."

—

Down in the palace archives, the air was dry and cold. Dust clung to the shelves like spiderwebs, and the silence was deeper than in the halls above. Zara moved carefully, accompanied only by one scribe and her handmaid, Amara.

They found records of past Frost Moon feasts—noble parties held deep in the forest estate of House Caelin, just beyond the eastern ridge. Private. Guarded. Perfect for secret plans.

She tapped the map. "This is where they'll move. If I'm right, that's when they'll try again."

"Then we stop them before they get the chance," Amara said.

Zara shook her head. "No. We watch. We let them gather, thinking they're safe. And then we strike with proof."

—

That evening, she approached Damon privately.

"I want to go to House Caelin's estate," she said.

He frowned. "That estate belongs to Kael's family."

"I know. And I know there's a feast being planned there for the Frost Moon. If I go—"

"It's a trap," he cut in.

"Yes. But it's a trap I want to spring."

He stared at her. "You're asking me to send you straight into their hands."

"I'm asking you to let them show theirs."

He stepped closer. "You think I can bear it if something happens to you?"

Zara didn't flinch. "I think you know that if we don't stop them now, this will never end."

Silence fell between them, sharp as a blade.

At last, he said, "If you go, I'm going too. And we bring loyal guards. Quiet ones."

A smile touched her lips. "Then we have a plan."

—

The invitation arrived two days later, wrapped in cream parchment and sealed with silver wax.

House Caelin "cordially invited" the royal couple to their Frost Moon celebration, a night of tradition, fire rituals, and peace.

Peace.

Zara nearly laughed when she read the word.

Kael was bold, she had to admit.

On the day of the feast, she wore silver silk threaded with sapphire embroidery, the house colors of her late father. A statement.

Damon wore black and gold, as always, but he added a ring Zara had never seen before—onyx, with the seal of his war division. A quiet message to the nobles: **I am watching.**

They arrived at dusk.

The estate was beautiful—old stone halls woven with ivy, wide courtyards, and flickering lanterns hung like stars above the gathering crowd.

Nobles bowed, smiled, made polite small talk.

And watched.

Lord Kael greeted them with an exaggerated bow. "Your Highnesses. What an honor."

Zara smiled. "The pleasure is ours. I've heard your Frost Moon feasts are unforgettable."

Kael's eyes glinted. "Oh, I assure you. They are."

The night began with music, dancing, and a feast beneath the open sky. Zara moved through the crowd like a queen, gracious but alert, noting every face, every whisper.

Midway through the meal, a servant slipped her a folded note under her wine goblet. She palmed it without blinking.

Later, in a shadowed corridor, she read it:

> *Third tower. Midnight. Come alone.*

Her blood ran cold. But her mind was steady.

She returned to the table and leaned toward Damon.

"Someone sent a message."

He didn't look at her. "Do we go?"

"I do," she whispered. "Alone. Just like they want."

His jaw tightened. "You'll be followed. And if you're not back in ten minutes, I'll burn this estate down myself."

She believed him.

—

The third tower was quiet, far from the laughter and music below. Moonlight filtered through tall, narrow windows.

Zara climbed the stairs alone, heart pounding.

At the top, a shadow waited.

She entered the chamber. The door clicked shut behind her.

A woman stepped from the shadows.

Lady Selene.

One of the high-ranking noblewomen. Quiet. Elegant. Rarely seen at court.

"You sent the note?" Zara asked.

Selene nodded. "I needed to speak to you… without Kael's eyes."

Zara stiffened. "Why?"

"Because I'm not loyal to Kael," she said. "And neither are many others."

That caught her off guard.

"Then why not speak out?"

"Because fear is a stronger chain than gold. Kael's spies are everywhere. One wrong step and you're buried with a smile."

Zara stepped closer. "Why trust me now?"

"Because you did what no one else dared. You stood up. And the people believe you. Some of us… we're ready to follow. But we need protection."

Zara nodded slowly. "Then you'll have it. But we move carefully."

Selene handed her a folded list—names. Loyalists. Hidden allies.

"You're not alone anymore," she whispered.

Footsteps echoed down the hall.

"Go," Selene urged. "Now. Before they see you."

Zara slipped out the side door and disappeared into the night.

—

Back in their chambers at the estate, she handed Damon the list.

He read it in silence.

Then: "You realize what this means?"

She nodded. "We have the beginning of a real alliance."

"A shadow court," he said. "To counter Kael's."

"And it starts now."

—

Before dawn, Kael's personal advisor was found tied in the barn—alive, but missing a satchel of documents he'd been carrying.

By midday, five nobles quietly left the estate without explanation.

And by the time Zara and Damon returned to the capital, the wind had changed.

The walls were still whispering.

But now… they were whispering her name.