Chapter 1 The Hidden Heir #3
Within seconds, the assassin lay face-down against the stone path with a sword pressed firmly against his neck.
"Alive," Caelan commanded as more guards arrived.
"We need answers."
The prisoner laughed softly.
"You'll get none."
Before anyone could stop him, the assassin bit down hard on something hidden inside his mouth.
Foam appeared at his lips.
His body convulsed violently.
Then became still.
Caelan cursed under his breath.
"A poison capsule."
One of the guards knelt beside the body.
"Dead."
Too clean.
Too prepared.
This had never been the work of a lone attacker.
Caelan sheathed his sword before turning back toward the prince.
For the first time since the attack began, he truly looked at Rowan.
The Crown Prince stood remarkably composed despite the assassination attempt.
His elegant robes were damp where water from the fountain had splashed across them, yet his posture remained steady.
Most nobles would have been shaking.
Rowan simply brushed a loose strand of dark hair away from his forehead before offering a calm nod.
"You have my thanks, Captain."
His voice carried quiet dignity rather than panic.
Caelan bowed.
"I regret that the threat reached you at all, Your Highness."
"That wasn't your failure."
"It became my responsibility the moment it entered these grounds."
Something about the prince surprised him.
There was no arrogance.
No anger.
Only sincere concern.
"Were any of your men injured?" Rowan asked.
Caelan blinked.
"My men?"
"The guards chasing the assassin."
"They're unharmed."
"I'm glad."
Such a simple response should not have felt unusual.
Yet it did.
Many nobles viewed guards as little more than uniforms carrying swords.
The Crown Prince had asked about them first.
Footsteps hurried across the garden.
King Aldric approached surrounded by additional guards, followed closely by Queen Elara and Lord Chancellor Varric.
The King's face darkened the moment he saw the dead assassin.
"What happened?"
Caelan immediately knelt.
"An attacker disguised as a palace servant attempted to assassinate His Highness using a poisoned throwing blade."
"The prince?"
"Unharmed."
The King visibly relaxed before helping Rowan to his feet.
"Are you injured?"
"I'm fine, Father."
Varric studied the assassin's body with narrowed eyes.
"A professional."
"So it appears," Caelan answered.
The Chancellor folded his hands behind his back.
"This raises troubling questions about palace security."
Caelan met the older man's gaze.
"It raises troubling questions about how someone entered the palace disguised as staff."
For a brief moment, silence settled between them.
Varric smiled politely.
"A fair observation."
King Aldric looked toward Caelan.
"You recognized the threat before anyone else."
"I noticed inconsistencies in his behavior."
The King glanced toward the body.
"And acted without hesitation."
Caelan lowered his head.
"I simply fulfilled my duty."
"No."
The King's voice carried unmistakable authority.
"You saved my son's life."
Everyone present understood the significance of those words.
The King turned toward his senior advisors.
"Effective immediately, Captain Caelan Draven will serve as Prince Rowan's permanent personal bodyguard."
Several nobles exchanged surprised looks.
Until now, Rowan had rotated between different security teams depending on official duties.
The King continued.
"From this moment until the engagement ceremony concludes, Captain Draven answers directly to me."
Caelan bowed deeply.
"It will be my honor, Your Majesty."
The King's expression softened.
"I have no doubt."
Servants soon arrived to escort the royal family back inside while investigators secured the gardens.
As Rowan prepared to leave, he paused beside Caelan.
"I suspect we'll be seeing a great deal of each other."
"There is nowhere you will go without protection, Your Highness."
A faint smile touched Rowan's lips.
"I'll try not to make your work too difficult."
"I've learned never to underestimate difficult work."
The prince laughed quietly.
It was brief.
Warm.
Unexpected.
Then he inclined his head and followed the King toward the palace.
Caelan remained where he stood, watching until Rowan disappeared beyond the marble archway.
Only then did he realize something continued to linger in the still afternoon air.
A scent.
Almost impossible to detect.
Soft rain drifting across moonlit cedar forests.
Wild jasmine blooming after a summer storm.
Clean.
Comforting.
Unlike any Beta scent he had ever encountered.
It disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared, carried away by the breeze before he could identify it.
Caelan frowned slightly.
The palace gardens held countless flowers.
Perhaps that was all it had been.
Yet as he turned back toward the dead assassin and the investigation already unfolding around him, he found himself remembering that unfamiliar fragrance far more clearly than he remembered the face of the man who had tried to kill the Crown Prince.
For reasons he could not explain, the scent stayed with him long after the garden had fallen silent.
· ? ·