EMILIA’S POV

“You’re evil,” I spat, the words ripping out of me like claws. My voice cracked, raw and shaking, but I didn’t care. “Pure, twisted evil.”

The woman threw her head back and laughed—bright, delighted, like I’d just paid her the highest compliment.

“Evil?” She wiped an imaginary tear from her eye. “No, darling. Smart. I was controlling them all, and not one of them ever suspected. The king. The queen. Maximus. Every single one of them. Puppets.”

Her smile stretched too wide, too sharp. “Isn’t that genius?”

I couldn’t breathe right. My lungs felt crushed.

She stepped closer, slow, savoring every second of my horror.

“That poor girl—”...