CHAPTER 2 — THE WOMAN THEY TRIED TO ERASE
The palace was colder than I expected.
Not temperature.
Atmosphere.
Every hallway felt like it had learned how to hide secrets.
Two guards escorted me through corridors lined with portraits of royals who looked like they had never made mistakes.
Or maybe they were just better at hiding them.
“You are not under arrest,” one guard finally said.
“That’s reassuring,” I replied.
He didn’t smile.
That told me everything I needed to know.
We stopped outside a large oak door.
A voice from inside spoke before we entered.
Calm.
Measured.
Authoritative.
“Let her in.”
The guards opened the door.
And I stepped into the presence of the King.
He wasn’t what I expected.
No theatrics.
No intimidation.
Just a man in his late fifties sitting behind a desk covered in documents.
And my file.
Opened.
Highlighted.
Cross-referenced.
My entire life laid out like a tactical report.
He looked up at me.
“Commander Carter.”
I stood straight.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
A pause.
Then he said something that changed the air completely.
“Do you know what your sister did?”
My throat tightened.
“I was not invited to the wedding,” I said carefully.
His expression sharpened slightly.
“That is not what I asked.”
Silence.
Then he slid a document toward me.
Royal guest registry.
My name.
Struck through.
Erased.
Not removed.
Struck through with authorization code from inside the palace.
My pulse slowed.
“She removed me?” I asked.
The King leaned back.
“She didn’t just remove you,” he said quietly. “She attempted to overwrite your existence within royal protocol systems.”
I stared at him.
“That’s not possible.”
“It is,” he replied. “If you have enough access.”
A pause.
Then the truth landed.
“She didn’t just want you absent from the wedding,” he continued. “She wanted you unrecognized by the monarchy entirely.”
My hands went cold.
“That’s insane.”
“Yes,” he agreed. “It is.”
He stood slowly.
Walked toward the window.
Outside, the palace gardens were filled with guests celebrating a union built on diplomacy, wealth, and appearances.
Rachel’s world.
Not mine.
The King spoke again.
“This morning, our internal systems flagged something unusual.”
He turned back.
“Your military record was altered.”
My breath stopped.
“No,” I whispered.
“Yes,” he said.
“And that,” he added quietly, “is why I asked for you personally.”
A pause.
“Someone in this palace has been erasing you for years, Commander Carter.”
He stepped closer.
“And your sister’s wedding just triggered the alarm.”
My chest tightened.
“Triggered what?”
May you like
The King’s answer was simple.
“Exposure.”
