Chapter 6: The Silence I Will Break
I realize it slowly—
In this house, truth dies quietly.
No one screams.
No one protests.
Everyone only watches…
and waits—to see who the next victim will be.
My name comes first, in whispers.
In the servants' eyes.
In conversations that stop at the tea table.
"She asks too many questions."
"She's too close to Grandfather."
"She doesn't understand Montclair rules."
I smile.
Because I understand—
These aren't accusations.
They're fear.
This is exactly how Kael's mother was broken, in the beginning.
I look at Kael.
He is calm, as always.
Too calm.
He says nothing—
but I know he hears everything.
He notes everything.
"You're staying silent,"
I say to him one day.
He looks at me.
"Because words don't always save people."
I reply softly,
"But silence turns lies into truth."
For the first time, he pauses.
He wants to say something—
but he doesn't.
I know this much:
Kael doesn't fight in public.
He fights beneath the board.
His brother—
oh, he's different.
A smiling face.
Sweet manners.
And poison in his eyes.
"Sister-in-law,"
he says one day,
"You're really changing this family."
Sister-in-law.
He uses the word on purpose.
I smile faintly.
"Is change such a bad thing?"
He smiles back.
But his smile never reaches his eyes.
That's when I understand—
this man isn't just a rival.
He's a planner.
The Montclair family is not just a name.
They own land.
Iron trade.
A private guard force.
Contracts with the royal council.
Power here isn't inheritance—
it's a game.
And Kael…
he knows this game very well.
At night, sitting alone,
I remember the name Isabella.
No one ever told her truth.
Everyone only made her the culprit.
I decide—
I will not stay silent.
But I will not rush either.
Because truth, when forced, burns.
And when it comes slowly—
it takes root.
I don't know if Kael will stop me.
I don't know if he will stand beside me.
But one thing is clear—
I will not disappear like Isabella.
I am Elara Montclair.
And in this house,
what was once buried—
I will bring it into the light one day.
Slowly.
Very slowly.