Chapter 161

ISABELLA

Eventually I fell asleep, still shackled to the chair.

When I woke up, my back and neck were aching and my wrists were straining against the chains. I tried calling out to a guard for water, but my mouth was too dry to make a sound.

While I did not believe that Felix and Mila had left me here as a form of torture, I did suspect that they had forgotten me. After all, I had given them the information they needed, and now they no longer had a use for me.

I doubted anyone, in fact, had a use for the washed-up former noble lady who had betrayed her family and crown for the love of a power-hungry man. Perhaps rotting here, in the underbelly of the castle, was exactly what I deserved.

I wondered where Charles was. Had they placed him back in the dungeons? Had he earned any sort of freedom?

Did he ever think of me?

Maybe this was torture. After all, there was nothing worse for me than being left alone with my own thoughts.

I wanted desperately to speak to Charles and have an honest conversation about his feelings for me. Did he still care for me? Was it all a ploy to convince me to go undercover?

Was I even capable of being loved, after all I had done?

I drifted in and out of sleep, feeling worse and worse each time I woke up. Being in this room, alone, would drive me completely mad. I would lose my mind if I was here for much longer–if I hadn’t lost it already.

I had no idea how long it had been since my meeting with Felix and Mila when a guard opened the door to my room, sending a bright wash of light in from the hallway.

“You’re being moved,” he said. “But first, I have to put these on you.”

He held up a pair of glowing shackles in one hand. I frowned. “What are those?”

“Some great invention by the witch,” he said, clasping the new shackles onto my wrists. “They got some sort of magic in them so that if you even think about trying to overthrow the crown again, you won’t be able to. I don’t really know how they work, but she made two pairs.”

I sat up a little straighter. “Two?”

“That’s right,” the guard said, hauling me to my feet. “We’re going to go see your lover, sweetheart.”

I could barely wrap my head around what he was saying before he led me out into the hall and I saw sunlight.

The castle was just as I remembered it, but it seemed even bigger and cheerier than it was in my memories. I had no idea if that was due to the return of magic or the rosy glow coming back home, but I nearly wept at the sight of that familiar stone.

We walked up one of the large spiral staircases and I became increasingly aware of my own pounding heart. Was Charles waiting for me somewhere, or was this all some sort of twisted punishment for my misdeeds?

The guard led me to a room in one of the taller towers, surrounded by several more guards, all of whom looked serious and unflinching.

“You’ll be in here for a few hours until the King and Queen meet with you,” my guard said. With that, he unlocked the door and ungracefully deposited me into the room on the other side.

My eyes took a moment to adjust. The room was small and fairly bare, with only one window that was heavily barred. There was not much in the way of furniture, aside from a wooden chair and a mattress that was pushed against one of the far walls. There was a bit more room to walk around than my current room, but it was still cramped.

But there, gaping at me from a few feet away, was Charles.

He was thinner than the last time I’d seen him, with his cheekbones and elbows far more visible, and his beard was far more grown out. But his eyes still twinkled with that same devilish mischief, and he actually looked happy to see me.

“Isabella!” He cried out, rushing over to me. Before I could even react, he had his arms around me. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that he had glowing shackles that matched my own–clearly, we were still not to be trusted.

“I never thought I’d see you again,” Charles murmured into my hair. “You have no idea how excited I am.”

I breathed in deeply, still wrapping my mind around where I was–and who I was with.

“What are we doing here?” I asked, finally hugging him back.

“I’m not entirely sure,” Charles admitted. “Felix and Mila are apparently going to reconsider our sentences. They feel that our work over the last few weeks deserves to be rewarded.”

I finally pulled back, looking him in the eye. “You have the magical shackles, too. Are you still trying to overthrow your brother?”

Charles winced. “I still think I would be a better leader than him. I doubt that feeling will go away anytime soon. But I am willing to set aside our differences for the good of the kingdom, and right now, the kingdom needs… him.”

The words sounded slightly choked coming out of his mouth, and I wondered if it hurt him to admit that. All Charles wanted was to be taken seriously, but it was as if the time in the dungeons had broken him a little.

“I agree that you would be an incredible leader,” I said softly, “but I don’t think what we did was right.”

Charles cupped my face in his hands. “I would have done things differently, perhaps, knowing what I know now. When I saw them drag you away to be sent to America, Isabella, it was like my heart was breaking.”

I looked at him carefully. “Do you want… this? A relationship? With me?”

Charles leaned his forehead against mine. “I don’t know if we have to put a label on it, but I know that I thought about you every day when I was in those dungeons. I don’t know what my future holds, but I know that I want you in it.”

“You used me,” I said, my voice breaking. “I did terrible things because I thought it would make you happy. After the war, I realized that I ruined my life just to be with you.”

“I know.” Charles sounded miserable. “I know. But believe me, it will not happen again. You have my word. Isabella, please. What I want is a fresh start, even if it’s far away from here.”

He was being sincere. Somehow, deep within my gut, I could just tell.

“Yeah,” I offered him a half-smile. “I think I’d like that, too.”

Charles’ face lit up. “Even though you ruined your life for me?”

There was no denying it. We were two horribly messed-up, selfish people. We deserved each other.

I smirked at him. “I would ruin my life for you a thousand times over.”