He took her hand, his eyes softening. “It was an oversight by the kitchen,” he said gently. “From now on, the chicken porridge will be prepared sep-
arately for Lady Trista. We will not serve poultry at the main table. Must we make a scene over such a small matter?”
He shot a venomous glare in my direction. The whispers in the city about his lack of virtue were, in his mind, my fault. He wasn’t about to show me
any kindness.
“The Princess and the Lady Trista must learn to get along,” he commanded. “Bring some peace to this household. The winter charity festival is
approaching. Do not disgrace my name.”
Both Trista and I nodded in submission.
After the meal, as usual, I was dismissed while the Prince and Trista remained behind. They were the real couple. I was just an obstacle in the
path of their love.
Less than a month after I married into the Prince’s household, my brother, Damian, was dispatched to the northern frontier by royal decree.
The journey itself was fraught with peril, and I was given no chance to see him off.
The Prince had buried me in managing the household’s ledgers and affairs, while also decreeing that no one could leave the residence without his express permission, all under the guise of “maintaining household tranquility.”
Furious, I stormed towards the Prince’s study to demand leave to bid my brother farewell.
Before I even reached the door, I heard Trista’s coquettish laughter from within.
“The army is marching out,” she cooed. “I’m so glad you aren’t going, Your Highness. I would have been worried sick.”
“I could never bear to leave my Trista to languish in an empty palace,” Alaric purred back. “When I lead my own campaigns one day, I’ll take you
with me. We can have our own romantic tales on the battlefield.”
“Oh, you mustn’t! I’d be branded a temptress, a siren leading the kingdom to ruin. I could never be that.”
“Fine, fine. You won’t be a temptress. You will be my Queen.”
The border was a frozen hell, the war a grim and bloody affair, yet they spoke of it so lightly. And he dangled the title of Queen in front of her with
no regard for my presence.
But their carelessness was my opportunity.
I stepped up to the doorway and curtsied.
“Your Highness is most benevolent. With the northern war escalating, I wish to see my brother, the General, before he departs.”
Prince Alaric frowned. “The city is swarming with refugees. It is unseemly for you to be out and about.”
I knew it wouldn’t be that easy. If politeness failed, I’d use force. “Her Majesty the Queen recently invited me for a private chat. She was most curi-
ous about how things are run in your household, and whether the staff is… sufficient.”
Trista’s face went pale. She remembered my last trip to the palace all too well and had no idea how much I’d just overheard.
She tugged discreetly at the Prince’s sleeve, shaking her head.
Annoyed, the Prince waved a dismissive hand. “Go, if you must. But behave yourself. And there is no need to visit my mother. I will speak to her
myself.”
In the end, he let me go. I saw my brother, but the words wouldn’t come.
It was Damian who did all the talking, his usual bravado tinged with concern
Remembering the script, I finally found my voice. “Lord Marshal Gideon is in love with Trista. On the frontier, you must watch your back around
him. Especially your back. Make sure you always have someone trustworthy guarding you, brother.”
[In the book, Lord Marshal Gideon stabs Damian in the back, steals his military achievements, and returns a war hero. And he does it all to prove
his worth to Trista, playing the part of the devoted, tragic suitor to advance her story.]
This was the first time I had ever spoken the future out loud.
My brother, however, just smirked with his usual arrogance. “Don’t you worry about me. When it comes to a real fight, he’s no match for me.”
[He’s an infuriating, overconfident ass, but if he died, I don’t know what I’d do.]
The tender moment of farewell was shattered when Damian flicked me on the forehead.
“You’re the one I’m worried about. You’re like a little quail in a den of wolves. Don’t let that Prince eat you alive.”
