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13 | Spiraling

The silence in Lia's chambers was suffocating, broken only by the faint crackle of the dying fire. My hands trembled as I wiped the blood from my dagger, my father's lifeless form sprawled across the floor. Lia stood frozen in the doorway, her wide eyes fixed on me, her face pale with shock.

"Calliope..." she whispered, her voice trembling. "What... what just happened?"

I turned to face her slowly, my chest tightening under the weight of her gaze. There was no hiding now-no way to shield her from the truth. My father had forced my hand, and now everything I had worked so hard to protect was unraveling.

"I..." My voice faltered as I struggled to find the words. "I need to explain."

Lia stepped closer cautiously, her gaze flickering between me and the body on the floor. "Explain what?" she demanded, her voice rising in panic. "Who was he? Why did you-why did you kill him?"

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to meet her eyes despite the guilt clawing at my chest. "He was my father," I said quietly.

Her gasp was sharp and filled with disbelief. "Your father?" she repeated, shaking her head as if trying to make sense of it all. "Why would he-why would he try to kill me?"

I hesitated for a moment before replying, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside me. "Because he sent me here to do it."

The words hung in the air like a blade poised to strike. Lia's expression shifted from shock to confusion, then to something deeper-something that looked dangerously close to betrayal.

"What are you saying?" she asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I was sent here as an assassin," I admitted, my heart pounding in my chest. "My mission was to gain your trust... and kill you when the time came."

Lia staggered back as if I had physically struck her, one hand clutching at her chest. "No," she said weakly, shaking her head. "That's not true. You're lying."

"I'm not," I said firmly, stepping closer despite her retreat. "But listen to me-please listen-I didn't do it because I couldn't. Because somewhere along the way... you became more than just a target."

Her eyes filled with tears as she stared at me, searching for answers in my face. "You were supposed to kill me?" she whispered brokenly.

"Yes," I admitted, my voice cracking under the weight of my confession. "But I didn't-because I couldn't."

Lia's gaze flickered back to my father's body on the floor before returning to me. "And him? Why did he come here?"

"He thought I'd failed," I explained bitterly. "He came to finish what he thought I couldn't do."

Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but no words came out. Instead, she turned away abruptly and pressed a trembling hand against her forehead.

---

### THE PLAN

Minutes passed in silence before Lia finally spoke again, her voice steadier now but no less strained.

"We need to alert the guards," she said firmly.

I nodded slowly but hesitated before replying. "We can't tell them everything."

She turned back to me sharply, her expression filled with disbelief. "What do you mean? He tried to kill me! They need to know!"

"They'll ask questions," I said carefully, choosing my words with precision. "Questions about who he was-and why he came here."

"And?" she demanded.

"And if they find out who he really was... they'll know who I am," I explained quietly.

Lia's eyes widened slightly as realization dawned on her. "You think they'll punish you?"

"They won't just punish me," I said grimly. "They'll kill me."

Her expression softened slightly as she studied me, but there was still an edge of uncertainty in her gaze. "So what do we do?"

"We tell them he was an intruder," I suggested quickly. "Someone who broke into your chambers and tried to attack you-and that I stopped him."

Lia frowned deeply but didn't argue immediately. Instead, she paced across the room, her hands clasped tightly together as she considered my words.

Finally, she stopped and turned back to me with a determined look in her eyes. "Fine," she said reluctantly. "But this doesn't change anything between us-you owe me answers."

"I know," I replied softly.

---

### NATHANIEL'S ARRIVAL

As we prepared ourselves for what came next-alerting the guards and spinning our story-a knock at the door startled both of us.

"Lia?" Nathaniel's voice called from the hallway. "Are you alright?"

Lia froze briefly before glancing at me for reassurance. I nodded subtly before stepping aside so she could answer him.

"Nathaniel," she said as she opened the door slightly, trying-and failing-to keep her voice steady.

He stepped inside immediately, his sharp gaze scanning the room before landing on me-and then on the body lying motionless near the fire.

"What happened?" he demanded urgently, his tone laced with concern and suspicion.

"There was an intruder," Lia explained quickly before I could speak. "He tried to attack me-but Calliope stopped him."

Nathaniel's eyes narrowed slightly as he studied both of us closely. "An intruder?" he repeated skeptically.

"Yes," Lia insisted firmly.

Nathaniel glanced at me briefly before turning back to Lia with a softer expression. "Are you hurt?"

"No," she replied quickly, shaking her head.

His shoulders relaxed slightly at her response, but his gaze remained sharp as he looked back at me again. "And you? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I replied evenly despite the tension coiling in my chest.

Nathaniel nodded slowly but didn't press further-for now.

---

### THE COVER-UP

Within minutes, guards arrived at Lia's chambers and took control of the situation as we recounted our carefully crafted story: an unknown intruder had broken into Lia's chambers and attempted to kill her before being stopped by me in self-defense.

The guards accepted our explanation without question-for now-but their suspicious glances lingered longer than necessary as they carried my father's body away for further investigation.

As they left us alone once more, Lia turned back to me with a look that sent chills down my spine-a mix of anger, confusion... and something dangerously close to pity.

"You saved my life tonight," she said quietly after a long pause.

"Yes," I replied softly.

"But you also lied to me for years," she continued bitterly.

"I know," I admitted weakly.

Her gaze hardened slightly as tears filled her eyes once again-but this time... she didn't let them fall.

"From now on," she said firmly, "there will be no more lies between us."

And for once... all I could do was nod in agreement-because despite everything that had happened tonight... Lia deserved nothing less than the truth moving forward-even if it destroyed both of us in the process.

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