Chapter 115: All She Will Ever Know
The king’s question made Naveen frown, her cold blue eyes narrowing like piercing icicles.
"Only the witch who casts a spell or curse has the power to lift it," she said firmly. "You could drain yourself completely, giving the princess your blood, but it wouldn’t matter. The spells will keep returning, perpetuating themselves endlessly. If the queen dies, her spells will remain, etched into existence forever."
Though the room was already cloaked in darkness, it seemed to grow heavier still, the air thick with mounting tension. The beast inside Rhaegar clawed at the edges of his control, desperate to break free. It took every ounce of his willpower to keep his wild nature at bay.
Naveen clicked her tongue in disapproval and gave him a sharp, assessing look.
"The blood is everywhere in this place," she said suddenly, her tone shifting, almost as if she were speaking to herself. "I’ve never encountered anything like it. She’s been doing this for more than a decade. Whatever it is... it’s bigger than any of us realize."
"I don’t care," Rhaegar snapped, his voice hard and resolute, his amber eyes gleaming with fury. "I want her out of here first. I’ll deal with everything else later, whatever it takes."
"Whatever you do," Naveen warned, "do not kill the queen. Not only would that seal her spells within the princess forever, but I’m also certain Althea has prepared for her own death. If you push her to that point... something could go terribly, irreparably wrong."
Rhaegar clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned bone-white, the tendons in his hands straining as though they might tear through his skin. He hated how much sense Naveen’s words made. He hated that, despite everything, he had to listen to her.
No matter how absurd her warnings sounded, there was one truth he couldn’t ignore: he had to ensure Lorelai’s safety—at all costs.