CHAPTER 72: 72 - I’LL BREAK HER

72

~Rowan’s POV

"We need to talk about Belinda," Kael said, pacing the room. His brows were drawn together, and he looked frustrated. "At this rate, we’re going to lose her. She’s the rightful Luna, and we all know it."

Damon, who was leaning against the window frame, nodded in agreement. "We can’t keep watching her drift further away. This is stupid. We’re letting a maid take over the palace. Just kill Lisa and end the whole thing."

My chest tightened as I looked at both of them. Kael was pacing by the window, fists clenched, his jaw tightening with every step. Damon sat at the edge of the table, his foot tapping rapidly, eyes burning with restless energy. I could feel it, their emotions clashing in the room like waves in a storm: anger, fear, frustration. And underneath all that, desperation.

But none of that would help us. Not now.

"Take it easy," I said quietly, my voice calm but firm. I folded my arms and leaned against the stone wall, letting the cold surface ground me. "You’re both letting your feelings blind you."

Kael spun around sharply. "So we just sit and watch? Rowan, Belinda is losing her grip! She’s the rightful Luna. People are starting to notice something is off."

"And Lisa’s just a maid," Damon added, his voice low and sharp. "It wouldn’t take much to get rid of her. One command. One clean swipe."

I stared at both of them, silently. Then, slowly, I said, "She’s more than that."

Kael’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. "What? Are you serious?"

Damon scoffed and sat back. "What, because she makes you laugh now?"

"No," I said, pushing off the wall and walking slowly toward them. "Because of the prophecy."

Silence dropped over the room like a curtain. Even Kael stopped pacing.

I kept my voice steady, but every word I spoke weighed heavily with truth. "Remember what the seer said? That our curse would be broken... when the one who sees beyond our beast chooses to stay."

Kael looked away, rubbing his jaw, the muscles there tight with thought. Damon stayed quiet, his mouth pressed into a thin, unreadable line. The tension in the room shifted from frustration to something softer. Something closer to confusion. Or maybe awe.

"Kael," I asked gently, tilting my head toward him. "You couldn’t recognize faces for years, right?"

He nodded, his eyes still averted. "Yeah. It was like... looking through dirty glass. Everyone was a blur. Voices helped, scents too, sometimes. But if you lined up ten people, I couldn’t tell who was who."

"And now?"

He let out a slow, measured sigh, like he hadn’t realized how much he needed to say it. "Now... I’m starting to recognize things. Little things. I noticed one of the guards yesterday, he has this thin scar just above his right ear. I’ve seen that guard every day for years, but I never noticed it until yesterday. I didn’t even have to strain to see it. It was just... there."

I nodded, my chest tightening with quiet hope. "You’re healing."

Kael didn’t speak right away. He ran a hand through his hair, frowning slightly. "Not fully," he said quickly, like he didn’t want to jinx it. "It’s not perfect. Faces still slip away if I don’t focus. But yeah. Something’s changing."

I turned to Damon, whose arms were folded tightly across his chest, as if he was trying to hold something in.

"And you?" I asked, my voice softer now. "You couldn’t taste anything before, could you?"

He looked up at me, surprised that I brought it up. He hesitated, his lips parting, then slowly nodded.

"I tasted the stew Lisa made the other day," he said finally. His voice was low, a little stunned, like he was still wrapping his mind around it. "It was spicy. Not just hot, like, actually spicy. I felt the heat on my tongue. It tingled. I haven’t felt that in years."

Kael turned to look at him, eyes wide with disbelief. "You tasted that?" he asked. "Damn, I couldn’t even finish it. It burned."

Damon smiled a little. "That’s how I knew it was real."

I took a deep breath. "And I can smell now. Not everything, but scents are coming back. I could smell the mint in her hair yesterday. I almost didn’t believe it."

Kael blinked. "So... it’s Lisa."

I nodded. "She’s the reason our senses are returning. Slowly."

Damon frowned. "But she’s just a maid."

"The prophecy didn’t say she’d come with a crown," I said. "It said she’d see beyond our beast. Lisa doesn’t look at us like monsters. She looks at us like men. That’s rare."

Kael let out a frustrated breath. "So what? We just forgot Belinda? Let her go crazy?"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "But killing Lisa won’t solve anything. It might curse us forever."

"So what do we do?" Damon asked, arms crossed.

I shrugged a little. "We watch. We wait."

Kael gave me a look. "You want to watch Lisa? Why?"

I gave a small grin. "Because she’s making things fun."

Damon raised a brow. "Fun?"

"Yeah," I said, chuckling. "This place has been dead for years. No life, no laughter, nothing. Then she shows up and suddenly the maids are gossiping, the halls feel warm, and you two are talking about stew."

Kael snorted. "That stew almost killed me."

"But you remembered it," I said, smiling.

Damon shook his head. "You’re insane."

"Maybe," I said, stretching a little. "But I want to see how far she’ll go. How long she can last here with her new attitude"

Kael still looked torn. "And Belinda?"

I grew serious again. "Belinda’s a storm. She’s strong, beautiful, and fierce. But she doesn’t see us. Not really. She sees status. Power."

Damon let out a low whistle. "You’re really falling, aren’t you?"

"Maybe I am," I said, not denying it. "But I won’t act unless I’m sure."

Kael sighed, sitting down. "So we wait."

"We wait," I echoed. "And we heal. If Lisa really is the one, she’ll stay. And if she’s not, the truth will come out on its own."

Damon nodded slowly. "Fine. But if Belinda snaps and does something crazy, I’m not holding back."

"Fair enough," I said.

Kael looked at me again. "And if Lisa turns out to be playing us all?"

I looked down at my hands. They were scarred from years of battle, cursed and worn. "Then I’ll break her myself."

Silence followed. Not uncomfortable silence, but thoughtful. Each of us was deep in our own heads.

Kael finally muttered, "I hate waiting."

Damon grunted in agreement. "Same."

I smiled. "Then consider it training. For patience."

They both groaned.