The morning of my death was cold and gray.
The square of Highmarch was full of people. They stood close together in thick coats, and they all stared at me. Most of them had only come for the . None of them were sad.
I walked slowly up the wooden stairs. My hands were tied in front of me, and the rope cut into my wrists. I was twenty-four years old, and I had never felt so tired. Every step was a small humiliation, but I kept my head high. If I had to die, I would die with . It was the last thing they could not take from me.
"Elise Hallowell," a loud voice said.
A man in a black robe stood at the top of the scaffold. He opened a long paper and began to read the . His face was solemn, and his voice was cold.
"You are found guilty of poisoning His Royal Highness, Prince Adrian, with the poison called Nightbloom. The court has heard the of the royal inspector. By the order of the king, you will be put to death."
The crowd made a low sound, like the sea. I did not cry. I had already cried for three months in a cold stone room, and now I had nothing left. I raised my chin in defiance.
"I did not do it," I said quietly.
Nobody heard me. Nobody had listened to me for a long time.
I let my gaze travel across the square. Near the stairs stood a tall man in a dark coat. His name was Kael Rowan. He was the inspector who had collected every piece of evidence against me. He had found the cup, and the poison hidden in my room.
Every part of that accusation looked perfect, and that was what frightened me most. A perfect accusation is rarely an honest one.
I used to hate him, but today my was gone. I only wanted to understand him.
He was pale. He was not looking at me like a man who had won. He looked like a man watching something he could not stop.
Then I thought of Nora.
Nora was my maid. She was only a girl from a poor family, but she stayed with me when everyone else left. The guards called her my accomplice. They told her, "Say that your lady is guilty, and you can go home." She said no, again and again.
A week before today, she died in a prison cell — sick, cold, and alone. The anguish of that news was worse than any rope. I was not even allowed to mourn her.
She was the only person in the world who believed me. Her was the one true thing I had ever owned. And I could not save her.
"Do you have any last words?" the man in black asked.
I thought about my father, who had not come. I thought about the culprit who put the poison in my cup. Somebody had planned all of this very carefully. Whoever it was, their treachery had reached right into my own home.
My heart was full of dread, but I made my face calm. I would not give the crowd the pleasure of seeing me break. I kept my .
"I only want to know one thing," I said. My voice was small but clear. "Who was it?"
No one answered. The wind moved through the square.
Then, for one moment, my eyes met Kael Rowan's. His lips moved. I could not hear him. I think he said, "I'm sorry." Or maybe he said, "Wait."
I will never know.
The great bell of the city began to ring. One time. Two times. Three times.
I closed my eyes. I felt no remorse, only anger and a quiet . I made a silent vow: if I could live my life again, I would never trust a smiling face. I would never drink from a cup that someone else gave me. I would find the person who did this, and I would make them tell the truth in front of everyone. I would wash away this disgrace. A betrayal this deep would not break me twice.
The bell rang a fourth time.
Then the whole world turned white, and then it was quiet, and I fell and fell into the silence.
...
Then, from far away, I heard a voice. A warm, cheerful voice that I knew very well.
"My lady! Wake up! The sun is already high, and it's your birthday!"
It was the voice of a girl who had died a week before me.