Chapter 4: The Garden of Truth

Deep beneath the palace, past corridors even the servants avoided, lay a garden no living fae had entered in a thousand years. The roses here bloomed in every color, and each bloom held a true memory of the one who had planted it. Aldric led her here on the ninety-ninth day of their bargain, his mask finally crumbling. The thorns in his crown were not decoration—they were a curse, slowly killing him, placed by the previous king as punishment for an act of mercy. ‘I brought you here because I need you to know the truth before you leave,’ he said. ‘I will not hold you to the final days of our bargain. You are free.’ Lydia looked at the dying king and realized she no longer wanted to be free.