Chapter 49: Chapter 49: The Girl Who Pretended Not to Know

Chapter 49: The Girl Who Pretended Not to Know

Liora’s POV

By the time the sun had properly settled into the sky, I had already made up my mind.

I wasn’t going to confront Ivy. Not yet.

There was no point in rushing into it, not when I already knew how she would react. She would deny everything, look at me like I was being unreasonable, and somehow twist it until I was the one questioning myself again. She had always been good at that. Too good.

I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at nothing in particular, letting my thoughts run through everything I had been avoiding since last night. Ivy had always been capable of hurting me when it suited her. That was not new. What I had never imagined was that she would go this far, that she would offer my life so easily just to get what she wanted.

And yet, here we were.

Even now, a part of me still wanted to believe there was something left of the sister I used to trust. That maybe there was a reason I didn’t understand yet. That maybe, if I looked closely enough, I would find something that made all of this make sense.

I knew that was foolish. But I needed to be sure.

So instead of confronting her, I decided to test her.

If Ivy was truly involved, then she wasn’t just acting on impulse. She was working with someone, and that meant information mattered. If I gave her something to pass along, I would know soon enough.

The door opened softly sometime later, and I didn’t need to turn to know it was her.

"You’re awake," Ivy said, her voice carrying that same soft concern she had been using since morning. She walked in with a tray in her hands and placed it carefully beside me. "You didn’t eat earlier. You should try something now."

I glanced at the tray but didn’t reach for it.

"I’m not really hungry."

She sat beside me anyway, her movements calm. "You need to eat, Liora. You’re still recovering."

Recovering.

The word felt strange considering everything that had happened.

"I’ve been thinking," I said quietly, keeping my eyes lowered.

"About what?"

I let a small pause stretch between us, just enough to make it seem like I was hesitating.

"About leaving."

I felt it immediately. It was not obvious. Ivy was careful, always had been, but I saw the way her fingers stilled for a fraction of a second before she forced them to relax again.

"Leaving?" she repeated, her tone carefully neutral.

"I don’t think I can stay here," I continued, letting my voice soften like I was struggling to say it out loud. "After what happened that night, I just... I don’t feel safe anymore."

That part didn’t even need to be an act.

She reached for my hand, her grip warm, almost reassuring. "It makes sense that you feel that way. Anyone would."

"I keep thinking about it," I said, glancing at her briefly before looking away again. "If Kael hadn’t been there..."

I didn’t finish the sentence. I didn’t need to.

Her fingers tightened slightly around mine. "Then maybe leaving is the right decision," she said gently. "You shouldn’t stay somewhere that puts you in danger expecially now that you’re expecting a baby."

There it was again. That same quiet relief she couldn’t fully hide. I swallowed and nodded slowly, like I was agreeing with her.

"I was thinking of leaving tomorrow," I added. "Before anyone notices."

She didn’t respond immediately, and for a moment I wondered if I had pushed too far.

Then she nodded. "That might be safer," she said.

Safer for who?

I leaned back slightly, as though I was tired, letting my shoulders drop. "There’s something else I wanted to tell you."

"What is it?"

I lowered my voice, leaning closer like I was sharing something I wasn’t supposed to.

"I saw something in Kael’s chamber this morning."

Her attention sharpened instantly, even though she tried to hide it.

"What do you mean?"

"I wasn’t trying to read anything," I said carefully. "But there was a document on his table, and I couldn’t help noticing part of it."

I paused just long enough to make it believable.

"It mentioned that most of the warriors are leaving tomorrow night," I continued. "He’s sending them beyond the eastern border to search for Isolade."

This time, Ivy couldn’t hide it completely.

Her reaction was small, but it was there. Her eyes shifted, her posture tightening slightly before she forced herself to relax again.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"I think so," I said, shrugging faintly. "I didn’t read everything."

She nodded slowly, but I could tell she was already thinking about it, already deciding what to do with the information.

We spoke a little longer after that, but nothing important was said. She stayed just long enough to make it seem natural before finally standing to leave.

"You should rest," she said softly. "You still look exhausted."

"I will."

She hesitated for a moment, studying my face like she was trying to read something there, then turned and walked out.

I didn’t move after she left. I just sat there, waiting. If I was wrong, nothing would happen.

If I was right...

The door burst open less than an hour later.

I flinched before I could stop myself. Kael stepped inside, his expression darker than I had ever seen it, his presence filling the room in a way that made it hard to breathe.

"You’re not leaving this fortress."

The words came out sharp, controlled, but there was no room for argument in them.

I stared at him, letting a moment pass before I responded.

"What?"

"You heard me," he said, his voice lower now but no less firm. "You’re not leaving. Not tomorrow. Not at all."

I slowly pushed myself to my feet, ignoring the weakness still lingering in my body.

"Who told you that?" I asked.

His expression shifted slightly, not enough for anyone else to notice, but enough for me.

"That doesn’t matter."

"It does to me," I said, holding his gaze. "Because I only told one person."

Silence settled between us. It wasn’t loud or dramatic, but it was heavy enough that I could feel it pressing against my chest.

Kael didn’t answer immediately, and he didn’t need to. The truth was already there.

I looked away first, not because I wanted to, but because I needed a second to steady myself.

The lie had spread exactly the way I expected it to and it had reached him faster than I thought it would which meant I had been right.

The spy wasn’t just someone inside the fortress. It was someone close enough to hear things no one else should.

Kael stepped closer, his voice softening slightly when he spoke again. "You don’t need to think about leaving. You’re safe here."

I nodded, even though the words didn’t feel real anymore. "I know."

" And please be careful of your sister "

"Ivy? What about her?"

" I will tell you everything later, just be careful around her "

" Okay "

He stayed with me for a while after that, talking about things that didn’t matter, trying to reassure me in ways that would have worked before all of this started.

But my mind was elsewhere.

By the time he finally left, I already knew what I needed to do next.

I had to be sure, completely sure.

The knock on the door came not long after.

"Come in," I said.

Ivy stepped inside, her expression calm, almost too calm.

"You’re still awake," she said, closing the door behind her.

"I’ve been thinking," I replied, keeping my tone soft.

"About what?"

I looked at her, letting my hesitation show just enough to make it convincing.

"About what we talked about earlier."

Her eyes sharpened slightly. "Leaving?"

I nodded.

"I don’t think I can stay here anymore," I said quietly. "I’m scared, Ivy. I don’t want to wait for something worse to happen."

For a brief moment, she said nothing, then she smiled and nd this time, there was no mistaking it.

It wasn’t kind. It wasn’t comforting.

It was relief.