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knelt outside the King’s audience hall, begging for an audience.
At this point in the story, the King was still wary of my family’s power
At this point in the story, the King was still wary of my family’s power.
Before I even saw him, I started to weep–a gut–wrenching, soul–shattering cry that echoed through the marble halls.
I had also ordered my entire dowry to be brought with me, a glittering caravan of treasure that paraded through the city for all the nobles and
commoners to see.
It was a display of wealth that would make even the King jealous. When he heard I had arrived with my dowry in tow, he received me at once, not
even waiting to properly arrange his robes.
The moment he asked what was wrong, I looked up at him, the picture of misery. “I would rather give this entire dowry away to the poor of this city
than suffer such humiliation in the Prince’s household.”
Between my ragged sobs, I painted a picture of utter despair. The King’s head began to throb. “Summon the Prince at once!” he boomed. “To have
the Princess come to me alone on her first day as a wife… This is disgraceful!”
When Prince Alaric arrived, there were fresh red marks on his pale neck–a little trophy from Trista, no doubt meant to provoke me.
In his haste, he hadn’t bothered to cover them. The King saw them and his face turned purple with rage. “You are the Crown Prince! Look at the
state of you! You humiliate your wife on your very first day? What do you think the court will say? What will the people say?”
The King laid into him, and Alaric could only stammer, “It’s not… I didn’t…”
But I just kept crying. No matter what the King said, I cried, letting my sobs fill every pause.
Finally, when I had exhausted myself, the King’s tirade ceased.
“Princess,” he said, his voice softer. “Take your dowry and go home. Be a good wife to the Prince. You cannot speak of giving it all away. What wou-
Id people think?” He eyed the chests of gold. “Besides… such wealth is better used to enrich the Prince’s own household.”
He punished the Prince and shot a warning glance at Trista, who had followed him in, reminding her to remember her place.
The matter was temporarily settled, and my dowry was ceremoniously escorted back to the Prince’s residence.
The moment we were out of the King’s sight, Alaric violently ripped his hand from mine, his earlier meekness vanishing.
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing, Cassia,” he hissed, his voice dripping with venom.
“You did this deliberately to make Trista miserable. You embarrassed me in front of my father. Do you think that will make
your
He ranted for another minute before taking Trista’s hand and storming off, leaving me standing alone in the palace courtyard.
My eyes were still red. Well, a villain’s got to do what a villain’s got to do, right?
life
any
easier?”
If I just swallowed every insult and never caused any trouble, what kind of villain would I be?
Of all the things the Prince had threatened me with, one phrase stuck in my mind: embarrassed me.
As I left, the King was heading to his morning council. I saw the kingdom’s nobles milling about, my father among them. I couldn’t shout, but I focused all my energy on a single, silent scream in my mind.
[Father! The Prince wants a scandal! Give him one!]
I hoped my father, having already received a report from the servant I’d sent last night, would be on the same wavelength.
By midday, it was the talk of the town.
First, it was that the Prince hadn’t even visited his new bride’s chambers.
Then, the story evolved: on his wedding night, the Prince had been cavorting not just with his new mistress, but with a whole host of courtesans,
nearly sleeping through his morning summons to the King.
The Prince was publicly humiliated, and Trista’s reputation took a hit right along with his.
