Chapter 3

Celeste's POV

"Back in the hall, you said the place was full of lies and scheming." Ronan's eyes, deep and dark, stayed fixed on me. "A woman who just lost her husband doesn't rush to run from the family she married into unless that place scared her. If that's what happened, I promise you, no one in my territory will ever make you suffer. Not even the crown."

Watching him, so earnest it almost looked clumsy, I felt something crack in that corner of my heart still frozen over with hatred from my last life.

"You're half right." I took the tea from him, my voice soft. "It wasn't fear. I just finally saw certain people for who they really are. Ronan, thank you for coming for me today."

Ronan knelt in front of me, took my hand, and looked at me like I was something sacred. "By the gods, if I break this vow, may my soul be torn apart. Celeste, from this day forward, my sword belongs to you and no one else."

Three days later, the Gryphon Kingdom held its grand coronation.

The old king was getting on in years, and this coronation was set to make the next ruler official.

Prince Nathaniel had always been the obvious heir, stronger and more beloved than anyone else in line. And now that Tobias was dead, none of the nobles who'd once backed him had any ground left to argue.

In the carriage on the way to the Sacred Flame Plaza, Ronan held my hand the whole ride. He was dressed head to toe in formal robes today.

"You seem to be in a good mood today." Ronan watched the faint smile tugging at the corner of my mouth.

"Of course." I smoothed down my skirt. "There's a pretty good show coming up."

The plaza had been loud and restless, but the second I walked in on Ronan's arm, it went dead quiet. Every eye in the place turned to us, some curious, some jealous, some just plain awestruck.

I took my seat in the front row of the guest section, facing the massive altar at the center.

The Sacred Flame burned on top of it, the same fire the Gryphon Kingdom had kept alive for a thousand years.

Before long, the horns sounded. Tobias walked up to the altar in his crown prince robes, Sabrina's hand in his.

Sabrina had dressed to be seen, a crown of elven flowers sitting on her head.

She stopped when she passed me. Leaning in close to my ear, she smiled and said, "Celeste, seeing me standing next to Prince Nathaniel, doesn't it just eat you up inside? Too bad. You're just a cast-off widow who got tossed out of the palace now."

I lifted my eyes, my smile not quite a smile. "Sabrina, we're past the point of pretending. Tell me honestly, are you even sure that's Nathaniel standing next to you?"

Something flickered across Sabrina's face, hard to hide. But she caught herself fast. "What are you talking about? Nathaniel is Nathaniel. Who else would he be?"

"What's wrong?" Tobias caught the change in her and walked over, frowning.

"Nothing... it's nothing." Sabrina forced a smile and pulled Tobias along toward the altar.

I shook my head, watching her terrible acting.

She'd known all along. She'd known the man beside her was Tobias, and she'd helped him lie to me.

I guess in her mind, it never mattered who actually sat on the throne. What mattered was being the woman standing next to whoever did.

"The coronation ceremony will now begin!" The high priest's voice rang out across the plaza.

Gryphon tradition required the heir to the throne and his partner to pass through the Sacred Flame together. Only those the flame accepted would earn the protection of the Gryphon spirit.

Tobias drew a deep breath, took Sabrina's hand, and stepped into the roaring gold fire.

In my last life, Tobias had carried Nathaniel's token and blood on him, enough to fool the flame. But this time, I'd already bribed the attendant in charge of guarding that token and swapped out the one carrying Nathaniel's true blood for an ordinary fake.

The second Tobias and Sabrina stepped into the flame, everything changed.

The gentle gold fire turned violent and dark red. Instead of dissolving into light and sinking into their bodies the way it always did, it came alive like an enraged beast, tearing into their skin.

Screams ripped through the air. Tobias and Sabrina thrashed inside the flames, their fine robes burning to ash in seconds.

Tobias tried to fight back with everything he had, but the flame's power was absolute, and it stripped his disguise apart without mercy.

"What's happening? The Sacred Flame's gone wild!"

"It's rejecting them! How is that even possible? He's the crown prince, first in line!"

Panic swept through the plaza. Old King Theodore shot to his feet, his face frozen in shock.

The high priest scrambled to cast a spell to put out the flame, but nothing worked.

Once the Sacred Flame's judgment began, it never stopped.

I shook my head as everyone around me stared on in horror, watching the two of them writhe on the ground. "It won't help. Stop struggling. Did you really think the flame would ever accept two frauds?"