Chapter 23
Chapter twenty-three
“Still alive, are we?” Lochlan asked in the most unchivalrous manner a prince possibly could. “I’m surprised they didn’t tear you to pieces when they had you behind closed doors.”
He looked about as displeased to see me as a wolf being offered a carrot for breakfast. His usually fitted tunic was covered up by a large white sash with the words Three Points painted across the front, though the moment was clearly far from celebratory for him.
“Why do that when they can simply break into my room at night and try to do it in private?” I said. “Everyone knows that the best part of any performance happens behind the scenes.”
“What?” His brows knit together, the expression reminding me more of Atlas than I expected. “Someone broke into your room?”
“Don’t worry, I know it wasn’t you,” I said, giving him a teasing smile. “They were actually capable of catching me off guard in a fight.”
He frowned but didn’t chide back, seemingly still unsatisfied by my answer. I supposed he hadn’t expected his father to play dirty outside of the public events.
“They all have it out for me.” I brushed my thumb against my mother’s ring, the band feeling cold without the seal of her magic bond active. “Sybil seems to be the most likely culprit, but then again, she did me a bit of a favor just now.”
“Ah yes, the mail-order assassin,” Lochlan grumbled. “I’m not sure even Father knew what he was getting into with her when he let that snake inside our walls. She performs well even without him swaying the events in her favor, though that doesn’t mean he won’t still do so later.”
Sway the events? “What do you mean?” I asked, releasing my ring. “Does he want Sybil to win?”
“He wants anyone but you to win,” he said matter-of-factly. “Isn’t it obvious? I thought a smart little ex-prince like you would have put it together already. Each contest has been tailored to one of the other lady’s strengths to give them an advantage over you and the servant girl.”
All of them?
I thought back to the first event, the pieces falling together one by one. The king had never known about my skills with mathematics, but he knew Brisa would have no trouble with it. The hunt was tailored toward Avalyn’s tracking skills and strength, but where did that leave today’s events?
“Which door was your father behind?” I asked, still completely stumped by the clue we’d been given.
“The one Ciara was meant to pick, the blue one,” Lochlan said, his accurate answer baffling me even more.
“What?” I gasped. “How did he know she’d pick that one?”
“Because of the clue, of course,” he said impatiently. “I guess you didn’t know. Ciara’s father is a captain known for his midnight ambushes. He carries out that particular trick due to his excellent night vision—a trait that’s fairly common for people who are colorblind.”
“Colorblind?” My jaw dropped when I thought back to the first encounter I’d had with Ciara, when she complained about light-colored rabbits being easy to spot in dark foliage… The clue said she couldn’t take the green door. “Does that mean she can’t see green?”
“Like father, like daughter,” Lochlan continued. “Her mother was known to be colorblind as well, so the king must have gambled that she inherited the same trait. From what I understand, they can’t see shades of green or red, hence their blue ship flags. That should explain the door options.”
Red, brown, grey, pink, and blue.
Other than the blue, they all had hints of red in them or were a neutral color.
The clue, don’t take the green door, would have told Ciara that any door other than green was safe, and since the only real color she could make out was blue, that was the one she felt confident taking.
The rest of us, however, were left completely confused.
“Which door was empty then?” I asked.
“Red,” Lochlan replied.
The one Avalyn took. Good, that meant Mara had at least scored some points by choosing the pink door.
“Don’t look so pleased with yourself,” Lochlan said, determined to disrupt what little joy I’d developed. “You may have earned some points, but you’re far from leading.”
“There’s still time to claim a victory,” I said, feeling far more confident after gaining a little ground. Not even Lochlan could spoil this win for me.
“And if you don’t?” he asked, stepping aside to show me the exit but still standing enough in the way that I’d have to brush past him. “What’s your plan, Princess?”
“I plan to win,” I said, squeezing past him to leave but stopped by his arm when he propped it up across the narrow hall. He’d baited me into cozying up against him, pinning me with a mischievous smile that stirred up something inside me.
“As do I,” he said in a low growl that oozed with mischief. “I thought you should know, I’ve finally decided what I plan to do with your dirty little secret.”
My breath caught, my throat tightening like he was choking me with nothing more than his gleeful eyes. My confidence withered as he lowered his hand from the wall, hooking his fingers under my chin so he could raise it to his liking.
“I want Ivalon,” he whispered, the words making my blood run cold.
“That’s a shame,” I clipped. “Because it’s not yours to take.”
“You’re right, it’s not.” He slid his fingers from my chin across my cheek, tucking a hair behind my ear as tenderly as a bear tracing its prey with a wicked claw.
“It belongs to the long-lost crown princess, and once she fails the competition, she’ll need a husband to protect her and her fallen kingdom. ”
He traced his fingers down my neck, but I was done putting up with his antics. I smacked his hand away, rising up on my toes to make myself taller in the face of the beast.
“You tried that before,” I said coldly. “I thought I made it clear that I would never marry you.”
“Lady Diaspro may have.” He recoiled his hand, his smile still shining haughtily. “But the Ivalonian princess has yet to be spoken for. I’d bet the king will be thrilled to see his son rise to such power. It will only be a matter of time before Aemastia falls into my hands next.”
“Atlas, let me out.” I tried tapping at my ring, ready for someone to bust open these fake halls so I could get some distance from Lochlan, but I still had the fogwrath in my pocket, and no one could hear me.
“It’s just politics, Princess,” Lochlan said, finally pulling away enough that I could force my way past him. “No need to get so worked up about it. I thought you’d be happy to hear that I wanted to take pity on your homeland.”
I put my hand on the doorknob, pausing to look back at him before escaping to freedom. “Not even a month ago, the very thought of me and my people disgusted you. What changed?”
Or had he always planned to take it?
I thought back to the meeting I’d sat in on weeks ago. Lochlan had pushed to spare the Ivalonian prisoners’ lives back then; was this all part of some grand plan to conquer my kingdom?
“Come now, it won’t be all that disgusting after a little polish.” Lochlan chuckled. “Just take yourself, for example. Even that little servant girl cleaned up well; I’m sure the rest of Ivalon’s ashes will too.”
I couldn’t take it anymore. He had no right to speak of my kingdom like it was some sort of investment project that he could use as he pleased.
I burst through the door, stunned to find that it led directly into a brightly lit banquet hall that nearly blinded me with all its crystal chandeliers and wall sconces.
I covered my eyes but could hardly shy away from the crowd of applauding spectators who were peering behind me to see the prince I had scored. The other girls were already scattered around the room, and even Brisa was standing in the back, glaring daggers at me.
“Three points for Lady Diaspro!” the steward announced, earning another round of cheers.
I scanned the crowd until I spotted Mara, relieved to see that she was standing with Atlas, who was also wearing a Three Points sash. Cedric stood a little awkwardly next to Sybil, and just as Lochlan had said, Ciara was standing with the king.
The Ivalonian servants lining the room were filled with an equal amount of joy, their smiles unable to be contained by my and Mara’s shared victory. A weight seemed to lift from my shoulders the more I earned their approval. Lochlan could try to take my kingdom, but the people would always be mine.
“Look at all those smiles,” Lochlan whispered in my ear, stepping up behind me with a friendly wave toward the crowd. “They all look so happy…oh, except for Atlas. You didn’t hurt his little feelings, did you?”
What?
I looked back at Atlas, his hands twisting at his ring with a tense expression. He probably wasn’t too pleased with me for not answering my ring.
“I hope he’ll forgive you.” Lochlan continued to hover over me.
“It’s a shame that your alliance is only temporary.
What do you think he’ll do with your precious kingdom if you actually win?
I can’t speak for him, but he’s never seemed to care much about protecting your beloved Mara, or Beckham, or Oren… ”
“Shut up,” I hissed at him, my curls whipping me in the face as I came inches from his nose. “Don’t speak those names.”
“Then don’t blame me for warning you,” he snapped back. “If you want your precious kingdom, then I hope you’ll be wise enough to seek a husband who wants the same thing.”