Princess Arasinta paced the floor.
"Something is wrong," she muttered.
Tanaya watched nervously.
"Princess, now is not the time to interfere."
"That look on her face," Arasinta said. "She didn't kill Tarula."
Tanaya frowned, "The king has already decided."
"I was the last person to see Tarula alive," Arasinta replied. "The real murderer is still inside this palace."
Tanaya shrugged, "In a few hours the girl will hang."
Arasinta stopped pacing. "And that is exactly what bothers me. I must speak to her."
...
The Dungeons
The whip cracked through the air. Khari screamed. Her body trembled against the post as the lashes tore through her skin. Blood soaked her dress.
By the time the punishment ended, she could barely stand.
The guards dragged her down the stone stairs and threw her into the dungeon. She collapsed into the mud. Darkness swallowed the room.
For a long time, she lay there crying silently.
Then—
Footsteps echoed through the corridor. The soft sound of anklets followed.
Khari whispered weakly.
"Sirene?"
A woman's voice answered instead. "Face me, child."
Khari turned slowly. Queen Omuro stood before her.
Khari bowed painfully. "Forgive me, Your Majesty—"
"No," Omuro interrupted. Her voice broke. "I should be asking for your forgiveness."
Khari looked confused.
"I failed to protect you." Omuro knelt beside her, "Just as I failed to protect your mother."
Khari blinked, confusion seeping from her eyes.
"Your whole life has been a lie," Omuro said quietly. "Your identity. Your family. You deserve the truth. You are the daughter of Stara… and King Bazi."
Khari's breath caught.
"You were born inside this palace," Omuro continued. "If you had stayed here, you would have died. So your mother sent you away. To a grieving family who had lost their child."
Khari's voice trembled. Her mother's words returned like an arrow through the heart. "She said she chose me."
"She didn't choose," Omuro whispered, "She had no choice."
Khari lowered her head.
"It doesn't matter," she said softly, "I will hang at dawn."
Omuro shook her head. "No. I will tell the king everything. He loved your mother," she said, "He deserves to know you survived."
Omuro gently touched Khari's face.
"You look exactly like her." Her voice trembled. "Sit tight, my child. You are not dying tonight."
Queen Omuro stood.
"I will make sure of that."
And with that she hurried out of the dungeon, leaving behind the girl who had unknowingly carried the fate of the kingdom her entire life.
***