My mind was in turmoil.
I don’t tolerate liars.
Chaos’s words echoed in my head, a relentless reminder of the web of lies I’d spun since arriving at the palace. I had been deceiving him, hiding my true identity and my mission. What would he think if he found out? Would he ever forgive me? Could I even face him again?
The guilt weighed heavily on me, a constant ache in my chest. I sighed deeply, trying to push the thoughts away, but they clung to me like shadows.
A knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts. I opened it to find Chaos standing there, his expression filled with concern. Without waiting for an invitation, he walked in and sat on my bed. I followed, sitting beside him.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice soft.
“What’s wrong?” I echoed, stalling for time.
“You know what I’m talking about,” he said, his eyes searching mine. “You’ve been acting strangely since yesterday, after your talk with Marcela.”
Should I tell him? The question gnawed at me. If I did, I’d be betraying my kingdom, my mother. But if I didn’t, I’d be betraying him.
“You know, you can tell me anything,” he added, his tone gentle.
I swallowed hard, my heart racing. I needed to distract him, to steer the conversation away from my secrets.
“Are you engaged?” I blurted out, even though I already knew the answer.
Chaos blinked, caught off guard. “Oh,” he said. “No, I’m not.”
“I see,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Is this what’s worrying you?” he asked, his hand resting gently on my shoulder.
I didn’t answer, my mind still racing.
“I’m not engaged, Aroa,” he repeated. “Unless you want to get married now?”
“Uh, no…” I stammered, my face heating up.
Get hold of yourself, Aroa! I scolded myself, trying to regain my composure.
“By the way, I want to go to the market later,” I said, changing the subject.
“Do you need someone to assist you?” he asked.
“No, it’s just… I’ll be using the black card you gave me. You know, shopping.”
Chaos smiled, his eyes lighting up. “You don’t need to ask for permission. It’s yours.”
“Alright,” I said, feeling a small sense of relief.
“Before you go, I want to give you something,” he said, standing up.
“Don’t tell me it’s a kiss!” I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them.
Chaos laughed, a deep, rich sound that filled the room. “Ha ha ha! No,” he said, still chuckling. “But if you like, I’d gladly give you one.”
I felt my face flush with embarrassment. How could he!
“Are you done?” I asked sarcastically once he finally stopped laughing.
“Yeah,” he said, still grinning. “Let me show you something.”
He led me to his room, which was even more opulent than I’d imagined. Everything seemed to be made of gold—or at least painted to look like it. He brought me to the far end of the room, where a large curtain hung.
“What’s this?” I asked, curious.
Without a word, he pulled a lever on the wall, and the curtain lifted to reveal a painting.
Of me.
“Do you like it?” he asked, his voice tinged with pride.
“Mmm… yeah,” I said, staring at the painting. It felt familiar, though I couldn’t quite place why. Then it hit me—the strokes were messy, amateurish, just like the strange painting in the Art Building.
“Did you paint this?” I asked, turning to him.
“No,” he replied.
“Who did, then?” I pressed.
He smiled, his expression enigmatic. “Someone you know.”
__
The Market
Unable to get more information from Chaos, I decided to proceed with my shopping plan. The market was bustling with activity, and I quickly found myself drawn to a stall selling miniature figurines of Chaos.
“Wow, these look amazing!” I said, picking up one of the figurines.
“Do you like it?” the vendor asked, beaming.
“Yeah, it almost looks like the real thing,” I replied.
“Of course! We based it on the live image of the king,” the vendor said proudly.
“You mean you’ve seen the king in person?” I asked, intrigued.
“Yes!” he said, puffing out his chest. “In the palace.”
“But isn’t the palace restricted to royals?”
“You must mean the time when the palace was closed twenty-three suns ago,” he said. “But it’s always been open to the people since then. Of course, there are rules about where common folk like me can go, but otherwise, everyone’s free to visit.”
I held my breath. This vampire had been alive before the war. He might know something about what happened back then.
“You must be really knowledgeable,” I said, trying to sound impressed.
“Yeah, of course! I know a lot of things,” he boasted.
“Was the public alarmed when the palace was suddenly closed back then?” I asked, subtly pressing for more information.
“Yeah, very alarmed,” he said, lowering his voice. “There was a rumor that spread back then.”
“A rumor?”
“Yeah, some said the king had a strange illness, which was why the palace was closed.”
My heart raced. This was the information I’d been looking for.
“Really?”
“Yeah, for six months, the palace was closed, even to vampires.”
“Then what happened?”
“Then, he opened the palace again, but the kingdom was closed. The king forbade gods and other demons from entering. That lasted about five years.”
“Hmm…”
“Mysterious, eh?”
“Yeah, really mysterious,” I agreed.
“There’s something more, though,” he whispered, leaning closer. “Some said the palace was closed not because of an illness.”
“What then?”
“They said the king had been killed twenty-three suns ago.”
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