DAUGHTER OF ASH AND NIGHT

Aliana stood in the center of the chamber, surrounded by a line of palace maids, their heads bowed in silent obedience. The air felt thick, weighted with something she couldn't name.

Kaelith sat on the throne-like chair at the far end of the hall, his presence dark and commanding. His golden eyes flickered as they scanned the maids, his fingers tapping lightly against the armrest. The tension in the room was suffocating.

"Look at them," he murmured, his voice cold. "Tell me if you see the one who attended to you today."

Aliana's heart pounded. She let her gaze move carefully across each face. Some she recognized from brief encounters in the halls, but none of them were the woman who had given her the soap.

"She's not here," she said, her voice steady but uncertain.

Kaelith's gaze sharpened. His eyes flicked toward the head maid, a strict woman with silver-streaked hair tied into a tight bun. "Check the roster. Who was assigned to her chamber today?"

The woman bowed and unrolled a parchment. Her fingers traced down the list before stopping at a name.

"It was Miris, my lord," she said, beckoning a young maid from the line.

A girl with auburn hair and timid eyes stepped forward, her hands clasped in front of her. Aliana's breath hitched. This wasn't her.

"You're Miris?" she asked, frowning.

The girl nodded hesitantly. "Yes, my lady. I was the one assigned to you today."

Aliana took a slow step forward. "No. You weren't."

Miris looked confused, glancing nervously between Aliana and the head maid. "But… I was. I brought fresh linens, arranged the chamber, and prepared the bath. You even thanked me before I left."

Aliana's stomach twisted. She looked to Kaelith, but his face was unreadable.

"She's lying," Aliana insisted. "The maid who gave me the soap looked completely different. She had dark hair, sharp eyes. Taller than her." She pointed at Miris. "I know who I saw."

The head maid's expression hardened. "My lady, there is no such person in the palace staff."

A cold shiver crawled up Aliana's spine. She turned back to the line of maids, searching for any flicker of recognition, but they only exchanged confused glances.

"Are you saying I imagined her?" she demanded.

"No," Kaelith cut in, his voice dangerously low. He rose from his seat, his gaze locked on Miris. "Then explain this: If you were truly the one attending to her, what soap did you prepare?"

Miris swallowed. "The standard lavender and chamomile soap, my lord. The same as always."

A deadly silence followed.

Aliana exhaled sharply. "She's lying."

Kaelith didn't move, but the temperature in the room seemed to drop. His power crackled in the air, making the candles flicker.

"Miris," he said, voice smooth but laced with quiet threat, "did you bathe her in blood soap?"

The girl's eyes widened in horror. "No! I would never! I swear it!"

Aliana turned back to the head maid. "Check the records again. See if there's been any change in staff. Any new hires."

The woman hesitated, then shook her head. "No new maids have been brought in, my lady. And I know every single one of my staff. The woman you're describing… she does not exist."

A deep, uneasy silence settled over the chamber.

Aliana could feel her pulse hammering in her throat. How was this possible? Who had that woman been? And more importantly—how had she disappeared without a trace?

Kaelith finally moved. He stepped closer to the maids, his sharp gaze sweeping over them like a predator scanning for weakness.

"If any of you see someone who does not belong," he said slowly, "you will report it immediately. If you do not…" His lips curled into something that was not quite a smile. "You will answer to me."

A ripple of fear passed through the maids.

"Dismissed," he said coldly.

They scattered quickly, whispering to one another as they hurried from the room.

Aliana let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

"You believe me, don't you?" she asked, turning to Kaelith.

He was silent for a moment before speaking. "I believe something is happening."

His golden eyes darkened. "And I intend to find out who is behind it.

The heavy doors shut behind the last maid, leaving only Aliana, Kaelith, and the head maid in the silent chamber. The air still felt charged, as if whatever unseen presence had been lurking in the room hadn't fully left.

Aliana folded her arms, her mind spinning. How could the maid vanish like that?

Kaelith paced in slow, deliberate steps, his expression unreadable. He wasn't the type to be easily rattled, but there was something sharp in his gaze—something calculating.

"This wasn't a mistake," he muttered. "It was deliberate."

Aliana looked up at him, eyes narrowing. "But why? Who would do something like this?"

Kaelith's jaw tightened. "That is what we will find out."

The head maid, standing rigid beside them, shifted uncomfortably before clearing her throat. "My lord, if I may… This kind of deception is unheard of within the palace. It's impossible for a stranger to infiltrate the staff. The guards at the servant entrances would have seen her."

Kaelith turned toward her, his gaze sharp. "And yet, it happened."

The woman lowered her head. "Yes, my lord."

Aliana felt the weight of his attention as he shifted back toward her. "Are you certain she looked nothing like Miris?"

"I know what I saw." Her voice was steady, but inside, doubt gnawed at her. Could she really trust her own memories? The image of the maid flashed in her mind—sharp cheekbones, piercing dark eyes. She had been real.

Kaelith studied her for a moment, then exhaled through his nose. "Something isn't right."

He strode toward the door, his movements quick and purposeful.

"Where are you going?" Aliana asked, following after him.

"To see the guards," he replied. "If someone entered this palace who does not exist, then someone let them in."

The corridors were quieter than usual at this hour. The ever-present guards standing along the marble walls gave Kaelith stiff bows as he passed, but he didn't acknowledge them. His focus was razor-sharp.

Aliana hurried beside him, her heart still pounding.

"Do you think she was a spy?" she asked.

Kaelith didn't look at her. "That's one possibility. Another is that this was a test."

Aliana frowned. "A test for what?"

"To see how easy it would be to reach you."

The words sent a chill down her spine.

They reached the eastern corridor, where two palace guards stood at attention. Kaelith's presence alone made them stiffen.

"Who was on duty at the servant's entrance today?" he demanded.

One of the guards, a burly man with a scar running down his cheek, hesitated before answering. "That would be me, my lord."

"Did you see any unfamiliar maids entering today?"

The guard shook his head. "No, my lord. All who entered were accounted for. No new faces."

Aliana felt the weight of unease settle deeper in her chest. She turned to Kaelith, expecting frustration, but his expression was unreadable.

"You're certain?" Kaelith pressed, voice dangerously quiet.

"Yes, my lord. If someone new had entered, I would have noticed."

Silence stretched between them.

"And yet," Kaelith said slowly, "someone did."

The guard swallowed. "Forgive me, my lord, but I don't see how that could be possible."

Kaelith turned away, his jaw tight with thought. Aliana could see the wheels turning in his mind, his sharp intelligence working through the problem.

"If she didn't enter through the main servant entrance…" Aliana trailed off, her mind racing.

Kaelith's eyes darkened. "Then she was already inside."

A cold shiver ran down her spine.

The unease followed them as they made their way back to Aliana's chamber. The candles flickered against the walls, casting long shadows that made the corners of the room feel too dark, too hollow.

She hesitated at the threshold, her fingers tightening around the fabric of her dress. "What if she comes back?"

Kaelith didn't answer right away. He stepped into the room first, scanning it with sharp eyes before motioning her inside.

"She won't," he finally said, voice lower. "Not tonight."

Aliana wasn't sure whether that was meant to comfort her or warn her.

As she moved toward the vanity, something caught her eye. A small glint near the basin. She bent down and picked up a single strand of black hair.

It was long, smooth, and definitely not hers.

Her stomach twisted.

"Kaelith," she called softly.

He turned, and when she held up the strand of hair, his expression darkened.

He took the hair from her fingers and twirled it between his own. Then, slowly, he let it fall into the open flame of a candle.

The fire flared unnaturally, turning a deep shade of blue before vanishing just as quickly.

Aliana's breath caught.

"Magic," Kaelith murmured. "Whoever she was… she was no ordinary maid."

A heavy silence followed.

For the first time, she felt something colder than fear settle into her bones.

Someone had gotten close to her.Kaelith watched as the blue flames swallowed the strand of hair, his expression unchanging. But Aliana saw the way his fingers curled slightly at his sides, the way his jaw tensed.

"What does this mean?" she asked, breaking the silence.

Kaelith exhaled, his wings shifting slightly as if resisting the urge to unfurl. "It means someone wanted to get close to you. And they used magic to do it."

Aliana's throat felt tight. "So you're saying that… she wasn't human?"

Kaelith tilted his head, studying her. "Did she feel human to you?"

Aliana thought back to the strange, unsettling feeling she'd had when the maid had been near. The way her voice had been too smooth, too calm. She had seemed real—but now, was she even sure?

"I don't know," she admitted, her fingers twisting into her skirts. "I just thought she was different."

Kaelith took a slow step toward her, his presence a weight she could feel in the room. His golden eyes burned with something sharp, something unreadable.

"You need to pay attention," he said, voice softer but no less firm. "If you do not start recognizing threats, you will not last long here."

Aliana's spine straightened at the warning. "I never asked to be here, remember?"

Kaelith scoffed, a dark, humorless sound. "No, but here you are."

She held his gaze, refusing to let him intimidate her. "Then maybe you should do a better job of protecting me, my lord," she said, her voice laced with defiance.

Kaelith's eyes darkened. "Is that what you think? That you are mine to protect?"

Aliana opened her mouth, but no words came out. She hadn't meant it like that. Or had she?

Kaelith stepped closer, close enough that she could see the flicker of something dangerous in his gaze.

"I blood-bound you to save you from execution," he reminded her, his voice dropping lower. "That does not mean I will save you from everything else."

Aliana swallowed, but she refused to back down. "Then what am I to you?"

The room felt smaller, the space between them charged. For a long moment, Kaelith said nothing.

Then, his lips curved into something that was not quite a smile.

"A pawn," he said finally, his voice smooth. "A means to an end."

Aliana's fingers curled into fists at her sides.

"You're a terrible liar," she whispered.

Kaelith's expression didn't change, but something flickered in his eyes—something that almost looked like amusement.

"And you," he murmured, stepping back, "are too bold for your own good."

The sudden distance between them left an odd hollowness in her chest.

Kaelith turned, striding toward the door. "I will find out who or what was in your chamber. Until then, you will stay where I can see you."

Aliana lifted her chin. "I'm not a prisoner."

Kaelith glanced over his shoulder, his golden eyes gleaming. "You are whatever I decide you are."

He reached for the door, but before he could step out, Aliana's voice stopped him.

"Now is not the time to leave me all to myself," she said, her voice quieter, almost hesitant. "I… I don't like to admit it, but I'm getting scared."

Kaelith stilled.

For a long moment, he didn't turn around.

Then, slowly, he turned his head just enough to look at her from the corner of his eye. His expression remained unreadable, but something in his gaze shifted, something deeper than his usual cold detachment.

"Fear is a weakness," he said finally.

"Fear is human," Aliana countered.

Kaelith was quiet for a moment before exhaling through his nose.

"You have nothing to fear—yet." His voice had softened, but there was a weight behind his words.

Aliana wasn't sure if that was meant to be reassurance or a warning.

Kaelith stepped out of the room, his cloak sweeping behind him, but this time, he didn't shut the door completely.

A silent acknowledgment.

Aliana stared at the slightly open door, feeling something uneasy settle inside her.

Whoever that maid had been—she hadn't been alone in this.

And that meant whoever had sent her… was still watching