Althea’s knees weakened the mont the Queen Mother exited the room, her composure finally breaking. lva quickly caught her by the arm and helped her stay upright.
Uriel’s expression was unreadable as he studied her. “My Lady,” he said slowly, disbelief lacing his tone, “are you really that confident you can heal Princess Riela?”
Before Althea could even answer, a voice thundered from behind them. “Leave. All of you.”
Everyone froze. Gavriel’s tone left no room for argunt. lva didn’t even look back—she hurried to take Ash into her arms and pulled Uriel out of the room with her, closing the door behind them.
Silence followed, thick and heavy.
Althea pressed her trembling hands together and bit her lower lip. Her strength was fading, and she could feel remnants of the spell crawling through her veins like icy threads. She took a step back until she reached the edge of the bed and sank down slowly, breathing unevenly.
Her vision blurred for a mont, the taste of iron on her tongue reminding her that the Covenant of Binding wasn’t a re oath, it was a living spell now resting dormant within her. Once activated, it would take full control of her body, forcing her to drink that potion if she failed to heal the Princess.
She exhaled shakily, trying to calm the rush of pain beneath her ribs.
Gavriel’s heavy steps drew closer until he stood before her. “Why?” His voice was quiet now, but it carried the sa intensity as his roar earlier. “Why would you agree to that? You just put your life in her hands, Althea.”
She looked up, her eyes tired but steady. “Because it was the only way,” she murmured. “Your mother wouldn’t have trusted otherwise.”
Gavriel clenched his jaw, his fists tightening at his sides. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
“I had to,” she said softly. “If I didn’t, she would’ve never allowed near your sister Riela. And besides...” her gaze softened, “I won’t fail, Gavriel. I promised you—I’ll save your sister.”
He stared at her, searching her face for any sign of hesitation, but there was none.
The bond between them pulsed faintly, carrying her resolve straight into him. And though he hated the situation, a part of him couldn’t ignore the calm certainty in her voice, that sa quiet strength that always managed to disarm him.
Still, his hand reached out to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing lightly across her skin. “You’re always reckless,” he muttered under his breath.
Althea let out a weak chuckle. “You’re only saying that because you care.”
His eyes darkened. “You shouldn’t know how to use that against .”
“I didn’t,” she whispered, leaning slightly against his touch. “I just feel it.”
Gavriel’s voice rumbled, low and dangerous. “If anything happens to you, Althea, not even the heavens will save whoever caused it.”
“The healer who ca with your mother earlier,” Althea began, her voice low as she recalled the woman’s cold, calculating stare.
Gavriel frowned. “You an Nilda?” His tone carried disbelief. “She’s my mother’s most trusted royal healer. She’s been with the family longer than I’ve been alive. Even Riela depended on her.”
Althea swallowed hard but didn’t look away. Whether he believed her or not, he needed to know.
“I read her thoughts,” she said carefully. “She’s working with Lady Ava. Their plan is to make it seem like I’m the reason Princess Riela’s condition gets worse.”
Gavriel’s expression hardened, his jaw tightening as his aura flared with controlled rage.
“She even thought that once I’m out of the picture, she’ll ‘bring Princess Riela back to normal’ and make sure Lady Ava take the credit for it,” Althea added, her tone quiet but edged with anger. “They’re using your sister as part of their sche.”
Althea t his gaze steadily. “I’m not asking you to believe right away. But please—look into it, quietly. If I’m wrong, then I’ll accept it. But if I’m right...” She took a breath. “Then Nilda’s been tampering with the potions and countering Uriel’s treatnts all this ti. Her thoughts were very clear, Gavriel. She’s serving Lady Ava.”
Gavriel’s eyes darkened with fury. “So that woman has been standing in front of us all this ti, pretending to heal and take care of my sister while helping her suffer?” His voice dropped to a low, dangerous growl. “I should’ve known.”
Althea reached out, lightly touching his arm. “You can’t confront her yet, Gavriel. Not now. If we act without proof, your mother will only see it as an excuse to protect and it’ll make things worse.”
He turned to her, the anger still simring in his eyes. “And you want to sit here and do nothing?”
“I’m saying we’ll need to be smart about this,” Althea replied firmly. “Let begin the treatnt first. If I’m right, her interference will show itself once I start using pure magic. This Nilda will either react or try to block again. That’s when we’ll have our proof.”
Silence filled the room. Gavriel’s fists clenched at his sides, his power simring just beneath the surface.
Althea hugged his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. Everything still felt foreign to her, but Gavriel seed to trust her fully —his emotions through the bond were loud and clear. There was no doubt and hesitation when she told him everything.
His controlled fury washed over her through the bond, and she knew he would have killed Nilda on the spot if she hadn’t stopped him.
“I will treat and heal Princess Riela no matter what. I will make up for what my father did, even if it costs my life,” she muttered to him, sincere and steady.
Gavriel turned his head slightly, his gaze softening as he looked at her. “Don’t say that,” he murmured, his tone low but firm. “You’re not going to die. I won’t let that happen.”
There was a mont of silence and Gavriel broke it. “I’ll make sure Nilda and Ava pay for what they’ve done,” he said darkly, his thumb stroking the side of her arm. “You focus on Riela. I’ll handle the rest.”
Althea felt the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath her ear and found herself relaxing, despite the storm surrounding them.
“You’re really not going to doubt ?” she asked softly.
“Not for a second,” he replied without hesitation. “The bond doesn’t lie, Althea. I can feel your truth.”
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