Chapter 235 The Lie That Cost Him Everything

She turned to look at Maelis.

“I asked him over and over who you were, and every single time he told me you were just a widow looking for work.” She gave a bitter laugh. “All this time, he knew.”

“If I’ve ever wished for anything, it was to meet his real family… his mother and father. At least to have them give us their blessing.” Elara swallowed, her voice growing quieter. “Now that it’s finally happening, he’s doing everything he can to stop it.”

Maelis hurried after her and dropped to her knees. Her fingers caught the hem of Elara’s nightgown.

“Honey… please.”

Elara looked down, then gently lifted Maelis’s hand from her gown.

“He lied to me,” she said quietly. “He looked me in the eye and lied.”

Maelis’s shoulders slumped.

“Your royal mating is in five days,” she pleaded. “Please don’t do this.”

Elara didn’t answer.

Maelis crawled a little closer, tears running freely down her face.

“This is exactly what he was trying to avoid. He didn’t want me to come between the two of you. If you leave because of me, he’ll blame me for the rest of his life. He’ll hate me even more.”

She held Maelis’s gaze and gave a slow shake of her head.

“No.”

Her voice remained calm, yet firm enough to leave no room for argument.

“This isn’t because of you.”

She took another step closer.

“I’m leaving because of him. Because he looked me in the eyes and lied to me over and over again.”

She drew a slow breath.

“You didn’t break us, Maelis. He did that the moment he decided I didn’t deserve the truth.”

She reached for Maelis’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“So don’t carry a burden that isn’t yours. Whatever happens after today… that’s on him, not you.”

Elara’s hand tightened around the doorknob.

“There isn’t going to be a royal mating anymore.”

She opened the door.

“I’ll ask Kalira to announce it on my social media page.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, an old comment drifted back into her mind.

Moon Princess Elara, are you really going to mate with a man who’s this secretive? … You know what, I’ll keep the rest to myself.

Back then, she’d scrolled past it without a second glance. She’d dismissed it as another hater trying to stir up trouble beneath the pre-mating photos she’d posted.

Now her fingers curled against her palm.

Maybe the stranger had seen something she hadn’t. Maybe this was only the beginning. Bernard had already kept one secret from her. Who knew how many more he was hiding?

She looked back one last time.

“Pack your bags. I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”

Maelis reached for her again.

“Honey, please…”

Elara took a step back.

“Don’t.”

The single word stopped Maelis where she was.

Her hand slowly fell to the floor, and she broke down, sobbing into her palms.

Elara walked out without looking back.

Bernard was standing outside the door.

He didn’t move.

Their eyes met.

She saw it in his face.

He had heard every word.

Good.

She walked past him without slowing down. There was nothing left for her to explain.

He caught her wrist.

She jerked free and rushed up the stairs.

“Elara!”

He chased after her.

She burst into their chamber and reached for the door, but Bernard shoved his hand against it before she could slam it shut. She pushed with all her strength. The door barely moved.

Giving up on the door, she spun toward the closet.

Bernard caught up and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“Let go of me,” she said, her voice steady.

He held on tighter.

“Silverheart, please. Hear me out.”

“Bernard, let me go!” she shouted, twisting and fighting against his grip.

After a long second, his arms fell away.

Elara yanked a suitcase from the closet and threw it onto the bed. She pulled out clothes, folded some, stuffed others inside, and zipped it halfway.

“Elara, listen to me,” Bernard said, trailing after her as she moved around the chamber.

“Don’t.” Elara kept moving around the chamber, folding clothes with stiff, jerky movements. “I don’t want to hear another lie. If you had wanted me to know the truth, you would’ve told me a long time ago.” She zipped the bag shut without sparing him a glance. “You’re too late.”

She changed into fresh clothes, set the suitcase on the floor, pressed the button to extend the handle, and was ready to leave.

Bernard stepped in front of the door.

“She said I’m her pup because I look like her late mate. She hasn’t even done a DNA test to prove any of it. She can’t just show up out of nowhere and start claiming me.”

Elara met his eyes.

“If you didn’t believe her, why did you give her a job? Why did you keep her so close?”

“She kept following me around, making a scene everywhere I went.”

“Then why didn’t you report her for stalking you?”

“Because the moment I did, her ridiculous story would’ve spread everywhere. I didn’t want people talking about it.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I had two reasons.”

“Name them,” Elara said.

“First… I didn’t want anyone else hearing her pathetic story. E-even if she’s telling the truth, I don’t care. I like my quiet life. I don’t want to become the center of gossip.”

“And the second?”

He lowered his eyes.

“You’re a princess. I knew you’d take her side… just like you’re doing now. I thought you’d try to make me accept her.”

Elara tightened her grip on the suitcase.

“That’s not a good enough excuse. Move.”

“Silverheart, please.” Bernard dropped to his knees and clutched her leg.

She looked down at him.

“This is a red flag, Bernard.” Elara held his gaze, her voice steady. “I can’t pretend I didn’t see it. A relationship built on lies doesn’t last.” She took a slow step back and tightened her grip on her bag. “It’s over between us.”

Bernard’s face was drained of color.

“No…” He shook his head and reached for her, but his hand stopped halfway. “Elara, please don’t do this.”

His voice cracked.

“I know I lied to you, and I know I don’t deserve your trust right now. But don’t end us because of my mistakes.”

He swallowed hard, fighting to keep his composure.

“Yell at me. Hate me if you have to. Make me earn your forgiveness. I’ll tell you everything—every secret I’ve been hiding. Just… don’t walk away.”

His eyes stayed on hers.

“I love you, Elara. That’s the only thing I’ve never lied about.”

His hand slipped from her leg.

He slowly rose, stepped behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist. Resting his forehead against her back, he closed his eyes.

“Silverheart… please forgive me.”

“I want to leave.”

“I will never hide anything from you again. Living with alpha Brandon for so many winters… I picked up his habit of keeping secrets.”

“Bernard, it’s over.”

Silence stretched between them.

Finally, he whispered, “Then… at least stay until moonfall. I’ll take you to the palace tomorrow at moonrise. It’s already past midnight.”

Elara pried his hands off her waist, picked up her suitcase, and hurried out of the chamber.

At the stairwell, Maelis stood waiting with her own small luggage beside her feet.

“Princess, please,” Maelis begged, clutching Elara’s sleeve.

“Call me the moment you get home,” Elara said.

“I can’t.” Maelis lowered her eyes. “He took my device.”

Elara turned to Bernard and held out her hand.

“The device, Bernard.”

He didn’t move right away. After a few seconds, he slipped a hand into his pocket, pulled out the device, and laid it gently in her palm.

“Let’s get out of here.”

“You got what you wanted,” Bernard said, his voice breaking. “You tore us apart.”

Elara drew a slow breath and looked at Bernard without flinching.

“You don’t get to blame her for this, Bernard. Maelis didn’t tear us apart. You did the moment you decided I wasn’t worthy of the truth.”

She shook her head, her voice trembling with hurt instead of anger.

“She never asked me to leave you. She begged me to stay because she knew this would destroy us. She was trying to protect us even while you were hiding her from me.”

Her eyes filled with tears.

All I ever wanted was to know your family and have them bless us. Instead, you kept your own mother a secret and expected me to live with your lies.”

She looked over at Maelis before turning back to him.

“So don’t stand there and accuse her of tearing us apart. She didn’t force you to lie to me. She didn’t make those choices. You did. If we’re standing on opposite sides today, it’s because of the secrets you chose to keep, not because of the truth she finally had the courage to tell me.”

Maelis burst into tears.

“Let’s go!” Elara snapped.

She grabbed her bag and strode outside. The guards stationed around the building hurried into action, calling the drivers. Elara pointed at one of the cars for Maelis, then walked to her own without looking back.

The moment the car pulled out of the estate, her device started ringing.

It rang again.

And again.

She didn’t even glance at the screen.

She leaned her head against the window and watched the estate disappear behind them.

At the first junction, Maelis’s car turned south while Elara’s convoy continued north.

A few minutes after midnight, they arrived at the palace.

The halls were quiet. Only the guards on moonfall duty remained awake.

Elara walked into her bedchamber, switched off her device, and stopped by the window.

“Her fingers curled around the curtain as she peered into the moonfall.

Bernard’s face flashed through her mind, followed by Maelis’s. The memories came one after another, refusing to let her go.

She remembered every promise they had made, every smile they had shared, every gentle touch that had once made her feel safe. She clung to those moments, desperate to find something that still felt real, something she could believe in.

But no matter how tightly she held on, the memories slipped through her fingers until there was nothing left to hold.

What she had once believed were signs of love now felt like carefully rehearsed lies. The more she replayed every moment, every word, every smile, the harder it became to believe any of it had been real.

For the first time since they had met, Elara looked back on every memory with Bernard… and wondered if she had ever truly known the man she loved.