“Then you know what they wanted,” I say quietly.
“An alliance. Using my name, my claim to the throne, to legitimize their opposition to the current king.” Rist’s gaze doesn’t waver. “They want a figurehead for their war.”
“Yes.”
“And yet you missed our meeting yesterday.” No judgment in his voice. Just observation.
Because of Selene. She made me forget everything else existed. For three days, I felt like maybe I could be enough exactly as I am. Not a warrior. Not accomplished. Just... me.
Rist leans against a nearby transport crate, settling in like we have all the time in the world. “Let me ask you something, Khatak. Do you believe this alliance—this war your family wants—will actually help anyone?”
The directness of it stuns me into honesty.
“No.” The word comes out firm. “I think it’ll get them all killed. I think they’re using righteous anger about the king’s policies to justify violence that will solve nothing. War breeds more war. Throwing you into the middle of it as some symbolic figurehead will just...”
I trail off, realizing what I’m saying. Who I’m saying it to.
Rist nods slowly. “Go on.”
“I think they’re wrong,” I finish quietly. “They need to let go. Move forward. Find new possibilities instead of clinging to old grievances. But they won’t listen to me.” The old familiar shame washes over me. “They never have.”
“Because you’re not a warrior.”
“Because I’m not Valkor. Not my father.” I gesture at myself. “I’m just the son they could send because no one would notice me leaving.”
“I noticed you immediately.” Rist’s voice is gentle but firm. “I knew who you were the moment you arrived.”
The words land harder than they should.
“You could have approached me on your first day,” Rist continues. “I’ve been walking the hotel grounds as part of the staff. Fully accessible. But you went through Sutek instead.” He tilts his head. “Why?”
I open my mouth. Close it.
“I wanted to do it right,” I finally admit. “Diplomatically. Like someone competent.” I laugh, bitter. “Obviously that worked perfectly.”
“Or perhaps you were delaying because part of you knew this wasn’t right.”
The observation cuts too close to the truth.
“I love my family,” I say, and my voice cracks. “Even though they drive me insane. Even though I’m never enough for them.” My claws flex, then retract. “And I think if I’d succeeded, I would have been sending them to their deaths. So I’m going home to tell them you refused. At least then they’ll have to find another path forward. One that doesn’t end in a war they can’t win.”
Rist is quiet for a long moment.
“This hotel isn’t a military base,” he finally says. “It’s not a staging ground for coups or revolutions. I built it as a place for new beginnings. A refuge.” His voice carries weight—history and pain and hard-won wisdom. “Most of the staff here are individuals who have been impacted by war. Or mistreated by others. Some were abducted, trafficked, sold. They came here because they needed somewhere safe to rebuild their lives.”
The words settle over me slowly, and then?—
Oh.
Selene.
Her appearance of always being in control—of directing everyone and everything around her. I thought she was organized, but it was more than that. The way she was always gazing around, watching everyone around us. Her hypervigilance.
She wasn’t just cautious.
She was traumatized.
“I built this hotel for people who need new beginnings,” Rist says quietly. “For those who’ve been impacted by war, by trauma, by circumstances beyond their control. We need staffwho understand that. Who value honesty. Who put others before themselves—even when it costs them everything.” He meets my eyes. “We need people like you, Khatak.”
