“I said bring her here,” I repeat, my voice leaving no room for argument. “Discreetly. No one sees her. No one touches her. She is to be housed in the guest wing. Secure her. But she is not a prisoner. She is a guest. A very important guest.”
“Understood,” Alrik says, his voice tight. “It will be done.”
I cut the connection. My gaze returns to the screen. Wynter is still sitting on the bench, her head resting against the cool stone. She looks so soft, so real, so perfectly formed.
Evilin wants her back. She wants her "mirror" to tell her she's still the fairest. But the mirror has shown her a truth she cannot bear. Wynter is the fairest. And she is mine.
I will protect my Snowflake. From Evilin. From the world. From anyone who dares to threaten what is mine. Even if it means bringing her friend into my gilded cage. It’s a risk, but a calculated one. Emily will be safer here, under my direct protection, than out there, a pawn in Evilin’s increasingly desperate game.
And Wynter… Wynter will know that I protect those she cares about. It’s another seed planted. Another layer of the cage. A cage built not just of steel and glass, but of protection and perceived kindness. A cage she might eventually, willingly, choose to stay in.
Twenty
Wynter
Theglassdoorofthe conservatory remains shut, a transparent barrier between me and the world. Hours crawl by, marked only by the gentle rush of the waterfall and thedistant, unseen movements of Kaden’s men. I try to read my father’s journal, but the words blur on the page. My mind is a chaotic battlefield, Kaden’s words and actions warring for dominance.
The fairytale words, once a childhood comfort, now feel like a prophecy of my doom. He sees me as Snow White, but he is no Prince Charming. He is the Huntsman who brought me to his dark castle, and the Seven Dwarfs are his hardened, silent guards. This conservatory, for all its beauty, is my glass coffin.
I trace the outline of a fern leaf, its intricate veins a delicate pattern of life. I am alive. That much is true.But what kind of life is this?A life of gilded captivity, where every comfort is a chain, every kindness a calculated manipulation.
But the price… the price is my freedom. My soul.
A flicker of movement at the edge of my vision. A door, previously unnoticed, slides open. Kaden stands there, his presence filling the space, drawing all the air from the room. He doesn’t speak, simply watches me, his blue eyes intense, unreadable.
He gestures with his head. “Come.”
My heart pounds.What now? Another test? Another command?I rise, my legs feeling unsteady, and walk toward him.
He leads me through another series of hidden passages, not the grand hallways of the morning, but narrower, less ornate. These feel like the secret veins of the compound, unseen and unknown. We stop before a heavy, wooden door.
He pushes it open.
And there she is.
Emily.
She’s sitting on a plush armchair, her usually neat hair slightly disheveled, her eyes wide and tear-streaked. She looks terrified,but unharmed. She looks up, her gaze falling on me, and her face crumples.
“Wynter!” she cries, leaping to her feet and rushing toward me.
I run to her, throwing my arms around her, holding her tight. Her familiar scent, the warmth of her body, is a lifeline in this surreal nightmare. “Emily! What are you doing here? Are you hurt?”
She shakes her head, sobbing into my shoulder. “They just… they just took me. Two men. They were so quiet. So fast. I didn’t even see them coming.” She pulls back, her eyes frantic. “Where are we, Wynter? What’s happening?”
I look over her shoulder at Kaden. He stands in the doorway, watching us, his expression unreadable. He brought her here. He brought my only friend into his cage.
“We’re safe, Emily,” I say, my voice flat, devoid of emotion. “We’re safe. For now.”
Emily pulls back, looking from me to Kaden, a dawning horror in her eyes. “He… he did this? He brought me here?”
Kaden steps into the room, his presence filling the space. “Evilin Blanc put a bounty on your head, Emily Carter,” he states, his voice calm, matter-of-fact. “She believes you know where Wynter is. She was coming for you.”
Emily gasps, her hand flying to her mouth. “A bounty? But… why?”
“Because Wynter is mine now,” Kaden says, his gaze sweeping over me, possessive and absolute. “And Evilin wants her back. She believes you are her ‘magic mirror,’ the one who can lead her to Wynter. She wants to reclaim her lost prize.”
He walks to a small table, pouring three glasses of water. He offers one to Emily, then to me. His eyes meet mine over the rim of the glass.
