He didn’t know where he was going, just that his feet were taking him somewhere as tears sprung to his eyes. Why does it always have to be like this? Why did his father always have to remind him that he was so very alone?

  Once upon a time, he’d had his mother’s arms to run into and his brother’s lightheartedness to cheer him up—though neither at the same time. His family had always felt divided—a distant father, a suffocating mother, and a seemingly out-of-place brother.

  Not to say that Rollon hadn’t been a good Crown Prince. In fact, he’d always worn the title with pride and honour, and though the people had sided with Janella on the matter of the king’s firstborn, they’d had a hard time disliking him since he was incredibly suave.

  Seeing the way Rollon carried himself growing up, Alaric had been happy to let him take the monarchy and the responsibility. Crown Prince was never a title he had ever wanted for himself.

  But here he was—Crown Prince of Lithera without a brother to look up to or a mother to turn to. All he had was a father willing to use him for whatever he was worth.

  Alaric stopped, suddenly wondering how he’d made his way here, to her door. He simply stood there for a few minutes, finding it a bit odd that the rest of the hallway was completely empty. There weren’t even any guards posted outside her rooms.

  That can’t be right.

  He readied himself to knock, pushing down the doubt in his mind and the thoughts of Should I really be doing this? churning low in his gut.

  He didn’t even have a chance to knock, though, before someone other than Kerensa swung open the door. Alaric assumed this was the maid he hadn’t yet met, from the lilac uniform and apron.

  The woman’s beady jade eyes dragged over him before she bowed and said, “She’s not here.”

  His heart plummeted in his chest without warning. “Oh,” he breathed, unsure how else to react. What am I even doing here? “Did she say where she would be?”

  “Don’t know where she is, just that she isn’t here, Your Highness,” Kerensa’s maid informed.

  He cringed slightly at the use of his title, managing a clipped, “I see,” in response.

  The maid’s head tipped to the side as she studied his expression. “Are you alright, Your Highness?”

  His throat bobbed while he produced a tight-lipped smile, carefully blinking back the wetness in his eyes. “Absolutely splendid, actually.”

  She continued to look at him as though she could see right through him when she asked, “Should I tell Lady Kerensa that you stopped by to see her?”

  Alaric shook his head. “Please don’t. It’s nothing of concern,” he requested.

  The maid nodded and bowed once more before shutting the door.

  He turned away almost immediately and walked, needing to find some place he could be alone because he couldn’t keep it together long enough to make it all the way to his room. Twisting down a couple more corridors, he ducked into a secluded billiards room, closing and locking the door firmly. When that was done, Alaric fell against the door, the sobs he could no longer contain bubbling up and out.

  He wanted to yell, scream, rage, but instead he was left with these empty emotions at the end of every day that took up far too much space and time and energy to deal with. His fingers gripped the roots of his hair and pulled, the need to feel some kind of physical pain overwhelming everything else in that moment.

  His hands descended to rub at his face, hating the tears he’d always been told not to cry as they now fell down well-worn paths along his cheeks.

  He clawed at his chest, trying to get the feelings out, out, out, collapsing to his knees. Alaric caught a glimpse of the blood drying beneath his nails and staining his palms from the crescent-shaped cuts he’d pierced into his flesh back in the council room with his father.

  His head thudded against the wall, its weight too much of a burden to maintain. “Just let me go,” he pleaded in an empty room, to no one but himself.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Mateo Norwood was almost convinced that his wife had simply vanished into thin air.

  Almost three weeks after Ambria had told him about her disastrous family dinner, he’d woken up to an empty bed, without explanation or even a note left in their townhouse as to where she’d gone so early in the day.

  Mateo knew that Bri was troubled by her brother’s abdication—and what troubled her troubled him. He just had to find her and check on her, to make sure she wasn’t stressing herself out beyond reason.

  He regretted to admit that their relationship had been strained recently, what with his responsibilities as the next patriarch of High House Norwood and High House Ellymae’s dilemma concerning their hierarchy. Ambria had been attempting to distract herself by diving into her tutoring sessions and propriety classes, creating a busy schedule as well. All Mateo wanted was a chance for them to slow down and have a single day to themselves. I’ll even settle for just one night.

  Mateo peered into every courtyard and garden he passed, as Ambria much preferred to teach outside then in “a stuffy, dank, pitiful room” as she put it.

  Lost in his thoughts and wandering eyes, Mateo accidentally bumped into someone, and they fell to the ground a little dramatically. His eyes widened in shock for his impoliteness, and he instinctively offered his hand. The gloved fingers that slid against his were soft and ladylike, graceful in their touch.

  A woman with shocking orange hair piled on top of her head and heavy cosmetics shrouding her face rose off the floor, dusting off her olive-green dress with her free hand.

  Mateo bowed his head, muttering, “My apologies, Lady.” He shifted his eyes up to glimpse her reaction.

  The woman giggled. “You flatter me, Lord Mateo. I am merely a humble duchess from the countryside.”

  He dropped his hand back to his side and attempted to skirt around her. The young duchess moved to block him, placing a hand on his arm. Mateo flinched at the unwanted contact.

  The duchess leaned in close to whisper near his ear while her fingers trailed up his arm, “My name is Harleigh.”

  Mateo tried to pull away from her, but her grip on his arm only tightened. “I strongly urge you to remove your hand from my arm,” he bit out.

  Harleigh did no such thing, her mouth transforming into a pout. “Come now, milord, surely you would allow me to—”

  “There you are, darling!” a familiar voice exclaimed from behind him. The young Duchess Harleigh looked over Mateo’s broad shoulder to check who was approaching and her face paled palpably, her lips pressing into the thinnest line. Immediately, her hand dropped from his arm and Mateo took several steps away from her before turning towards his savior.

  Ambria threw her arms around his neck and placed a peck on his lips, his arm looping around her waist. His wife spun to the cowering duchess, saying brightly, “Thank you for finding him for me, Duchess Harleigh.”

  “I—I best be on my way, I think,” she stammered in return.

  “Well, it was nice seeing you, Duchess. You’ll join us for our next courtly session?” Bri inquired innocently. Mateo fought the grin that threatened.

  Duchess Harleigh blushed profusely. “Ye—Yes, of course, Lady Ambria.”

  Ambria waved her off, turning back to Mateo. “Farewell now.”

  The young duchess scurried away as fast as she could. Mateo almost felt sorry for her. Almost.

  He leaned down to press a kiss to Bri’s temple. “Thank you,” he murmured against her skin.

  “You’re welcome,” she hummed. Then her mouth twisted into a frown, and she stared in the direction the duchess had hurried off in. “It seems my next lesson will revolve around the topic of keeping our hands off of married men.” Ambria tilted her head to him again and rose on her toes for a long, affectionate kiss. “Specifically my married man,” she breathed against his lips. Mateo grunted in satisfaction.

  Ambria pulled back a fraction. “You’re too chivalrous, you know. You could have just told her no, and been on your merry way,” she scolded, raising her eyebrows.

  “Somehow, I don’t think that would have worked this time,” he rumbled. “And you love my chivalrousness.” Mateo placed a kiss on the tip of her nose.

  “No argument there.” Bri bit her lip as her violet eyes bore into him. “I’m on my way to a tutoring lesson with Kerensa. Will you walk with me?”

  Mateo smirked. “But of course, my dear,” he stated grandly, offering her his arm.

  His wife rolled her eyes, the corners of her mouth tugging up. “Ever the chivalrous man.”

  ༺═──────────────═༻

  Mateo escorted Ambria to Kerensa’s rooms, where they parted with a kiss and a promise to see each other that evening. Bri suspected her husband had something in mind from the mischievous glint in his eye.

  Shaking her head and chuckling to herself as she walked up to Kerensa’s door, she raised her fist to knock, intoning a greeting to Leander and Hendry posted on either side.

  Ambria patiently waited for Kerensa or her maid, Dahlia, to answer. When no one did, she knocked again.

  No response.

  Frowning, Bri went to try the handle. The door opened with a soft click, left unlocked.

  She slipped inside, shutting the door behind her. Ambria turned around, nearly jumping out of her skin at what she saw.

  Kerensa sat unmoving in a chair by the mantle, dressed in a simple gown of lilac chiffon.

  Ambria placed a hand over her racing heart. “You startled me.” She tilted her head, confused. “Why didn’t you answer the door? You knew I was coming today.”

  Kerensa did not reply. Ambria moved toward her. “Kerensa?”

  Upon closer inspection, Bri noticed her muscles were taut, her hands clenched in her lap. A sheen of sweat gleamed on her unusually pale skin. Her brow was furrowed, lower lip sucked into her mouth, unseeing copper eyes staring ahead, as though she weren’t presently in the room.

  Ambria brought a gentle hand down on Kerensa’s shoulder, trying to pull her out of her reverie. “Kerensa, can you hear me?” She tentatively shook her once.

  And it was like a switch went off. One moment, Kerensa was frozen in time, and the next, her chest began to rise and fall too fast, hyperventilating. Her eyes came alive, shifting back and forth desperately as her entire body visibly vibrated. She squirmed in her chair, finally letting out a bloodcurdling scream.

  Ambria rushed closer with ideals of helping her, but Kerensa jerked away at any contact, tears running down her cheeks as she screamed over and over about a fire that Ambria couldn’t see, that it hurt and to “Make it stop!” She fell to the ground, crying and shrieking, tearing at her hair and skin.

  Hendry and Leander barged in, scanning the room for an invisible danger. Both sets of eyes landed on Kerensa, then flew to Ambria bewilderedly.

  What should I do? she thought frantically, but she had no idea what was happening or how to help. She turned to the anxious guards. “Just—" Bri scrambled for something, anything, then shouted the first thing that came to mind. “Go find Prince Alaric!”

  Without hesitating, Hendry and Leander dashed out the door in pursuit of Ric. “And hurry!” Ambria yelled after them. Surely, he’ll know what to do, she reassured herself. All she could do in the meantime was wait and try to soothe Kerensa as best as she could.

  Bri didn’t dare get too close to her again, for fear of what Kerensa might do to either Bri or herself. Instead, she tried to reach Kerensa with the one tool she’d been honing ever since she learned to use it. “Kerensa. Kerensa, you need to calm down! Please try some deep breaths, okay?” Ambria demonstrated breathing heavily in and out, even though Kerensa had shut her eyes, closing off the rest of the world. Bri wasn’t sure if she could even hear her.

  She wrung her hands anxiously, glancing at the door then back to Kerensa, a sobbing, shaking mess on the floor.

  Come on, Ric.

  And as if her thoughts had summoned him, an evidently dishevelled Alaric appeared in the doorframe, Hendry and Leander right behind him. He reached Kerensa in four strides, sinking to his knees before her and pulling Kerensa’s tense body against him without a care for his own wellbeing. His gentle hands stroked her hair and his lips murmured words into her ear that Ambria couldn’t hear from a distance. She watched their exchange intently while giving them space, canting her head in puzzlement. Both of them seemed so comfortable in one another’s arms as Kerensa came down from her irrational panic and twined her arms around Alaric in return. There was one word that fell from her tongue in a breath of relief that Bri did hear.

  “Ric.”

  Part Three

  † ~ †

  Dancing Around a Lie

  Chapter Nineteen

  The sound of footsteps bounding down the corridor outside his room had Gray freezing in anticipation, his arms half pushed into his uniform as he tried to get ready for the day. His door creaked open, and a head popped inside.

  He’d recognize that raven hair and those charcoal gray eyes anywhere. “Eloisa!”

  His little sister skipped over to embrace him eagerly, Gray’s arms crushing her against his chest. They pulled apart after a beat, though he held her at arm’s length to inspect her.

  “You cut your hair,” he remarked, her once long tresses now chopped to lay atop her shoulders.

  “You like it?” Eloisa inquired, lifting a strand like she was still getting use to the change. He nodded.

  Now Eloisa scrutinized him, searching for differences from the last time she’d seen him. “You look exactly the same, Gray.”

  He grinned, and it felt like his first genuine smile in a while.

  “Have you made any plans for us, brother?” his sister asked, poking his dimpled cheek with a finger.

  “Today?” Gray spluttered, “Well, I didn’t know to expect you yet. I’m about to go on duty, but maybe this evening we could—”

  “Oh, no you don’t,” Eloisa chastised, shaking her head side to side. “I’ve already talked to Captain Larcyn, and he agreed to let you have the day off.”

  Of course she did. Of course he did. His captain often went on about how Gray worked himself far too hard to be considered reasonable. Gray sighed. “Is there something you would like to do today, Eloisa?”

  “Before we go anywhere, you’re going to take off that ghastly uniform.” She bit her lip, considering her options. “Then I want you to show me all the places you have to guard.”

  “Really?” he responded disbelievingly while slipping out of his purple and silver jacket. “That’s hardly riveting information.”

  Eloisa bounced on the balls of her feet, undeterred. “I want to know what you do all day while I’m stuck in Anulia learning how to be a good wife.”

  Gray shrugged, tossing his uniform onto his bed. “My days mostly consist of receiving orders, giving orders, standing around, or following Alaric around. Good enough?”

  “Nope. I want the whole tour,” she amended.

  Chuckling, he gestured to the door. “Then after you, milady.”

  ༺═──────────────═༻

  Brother and sister meandered along the castle grounds, filling each other in on all the things that had occurred since they last saw the other.

  It didn’t take Gray long to tell that there was something on Eloisa’s mind she was trying to avoid admitting aloud to him by the way she continuously swayed her body and averted her gaze away from him. Sick of her dodging, he went out on a whim and asked her straight up, “What is it, Ellie?”

  His little sister plastered on a fake smile. “What do you mean?”

  “You always complain when I call you that,” he disclosed with narrowed eyes. “I know there’s something bothering you. Out with it.”

  Eloisa sighed dramatically. “Mother and Father have named our cousin Florian heir to the House.”

  Gray bemoaned. Florian Zarin had always been envious of Gray’s reserved place as heir until he came of age to claim it. But when Gray revoked his right to the title, Florian had readily suggested himself as a responsible replacement. According to Eloisa, it seemed Gray’s parents had finally broken on the subject. However, the fact remained that Florian was clearly more attracted to the wealth and power that came with the position as opposed to the politics. The wretched cretin.

  Apparently, his parents were either unaware of that particular factor or they simply didn’t care—as long as there was someone to fill the place he’d vacated.

  “He’s coming to court with them,” Eloisa continued. “That’s why I requested to leave before them. I could not spend a week traveling with that groveling swine.”

  “And here I thought you came early to spend quality time with your brother,” Gray said in mock hurt.

  Eloisa shoved him hard, sending him staggering to the side as he laughed and tried to regain his balance. Gray glanced momentarily in front of them to find Kerensa Na’labesc stopped in their path only a few feet ahead, a perplexed look twisting her face.

  Gray immediately swept into a bow. “Lady Kerensa.”

  “Lieutenant Zarin.” Kerensa nodded her head to him respectively. Eloisa snorted, causing Kerensa’s gaze to shift to his sister next to him.

  Gray jabbed his elbow into her side, and she elbowed him right back. He forced a smile and indicated Eloisa with a hand. “This is my sister, Lady El—”

  “Eloisa Zarin at your service, milady,” she cut him off, curtsying low. Rising, Eloisa queried, “You are the Lady engaged to the Crown Prince, no?”

  Kerensa nodded, wincing slightly.

  “Ellie.” Gray warned his younger sister under his breath.

  She ignored him. “You came all the way from Cebrev?”

  Kerensa hesitated but nodded.