Not My Fairytale

Chapter 27

**Sorry this chapter is a few days late, I had to move houses unexpectedly this week.

Don't forget to follow my profile for a heads up whenever a chapter might be delayed!

Thanks for your patience!

Xx Ren

P.S. what do you think of the new cover? It was my first attempt at cover making so be brutally honest!

A Terrible Riddle

The summons to my father's study before training the following morning was not a promising sign.

My palms were sweaty as I knocked against the deep, cherry wood. What could be so important that it couldn't wait until after training? Had the council made their decision already? Summer solstice was still months away, but had they decided they didn't need the extra time after all?

"Come in," came my father's muffled voice from behind the door.

I pushed it open, hesitant, "You asked to see me?"

My eyes landed on his disheveled form, slumping back in his chair, and my steps faltered. His black hair was sticking up at odd ends, and there were dark circles under his eyes. Most concerning, he was still wearing his fine, if not slightly rumpled, clothing from the ball, as if he had been up all night dealing with something. I slowly crossed to his desk, perching uneasily on the seat opposite him, stomach sinking. He sighed, running a hand down his face, "There was an attack in Merona last night."

My brows drew together in confusion, "In Merona?"

He nodded, expression grim. "It was early in the evening, while we were all celebrating."

"But our men in Siverno–" I began, only to be cut off.

"Didn't encounter a single soul the entire night. The attack was focused entirely on Merona."

The breath went out of me like a punch to the gut. I was the one who told them to protect Siverno. It was my information that placed our men in the wrong location. My voice came out strange, even to my own ears, "How many casualties?"

For a moment, it looked like he wasn't going to answer.

"How many?" I pressed.

"Sixty-three dead."

My heart dropped to my toes. "And injured?"

The way his lips formed a grim line was all the answer I needed. There were none. Every human in Merona who had encountered the Blood Fangs had met the same fate. I sank farther into my seat.

My father gave me a moment to process the news. When I looked back up at him, his worn expression had been replaced by the one Franco and I had once dubbed 'King Face'. "It was your information from your secret source that put our men in Siverno. Either they knew of our plans to counter their attack and changed targets, or you were fed faulty information from the start. You asked me to trust you, and I do, but I need you to be one hundred percent certain that you can trust your source. Could it be possible that you are being double-crossed?"

Yes, the answer came unbidden to my mind. It was always a possibility that Angelo could be playing me for a fool. So, why did the thought hurt so bad?

I was reluctant to admit to myself that I knew the answer. Against my better judgement, I had begun to let myself fall for his charm

"I thought I could trust them," I turned my head down, "I'll reevaluate."