Chapter 12
Roland’s wounds had yet to close, and the royal physician had urged him again and again to remain at rest ut he would not hear of it
He had transformed all of Blossomvale into a sea of peonies Cecily’s favorite flower A thousand blocans, each handpicked, each selected by Roland himself
The feast had been overseen entirely by him, with every dish matching her taste flaky honey cakes, cherry cordials, candied almonds, all carefully sampled by his own lips before they were plated.
Even the fireworks had been specially commissioned. When ignited, they would burst into a constellation of stars spelling her name against the heavens.
Watching him with both amusement and disbelief, Lord William Westbrook gave a low chuckle “By the Saints, Roland-this place looks more like a royal betrothal banquet than a simple courtship.”
Roland ignored him, eyes fixed on the timepiece. There was still half an hour before the appointed time
But half an hour passed.
Then a full hour
And still, she didn’t come
He remained in the pavilion at the heart of the garden, his fingers wandered unconsciously over the emerald locket nestled in the velvet box, still warm from his grasp
He had sent over a dozen messages, each met with silence.
Worry darkened his features “Could something have happened?” he muttered. He summoned his shadow guard. “Find out where Lady Cecily went today
An incense stick’s time later, the report arrived.
Cecily is at Mistvell Parlor She stopped by the Jewel Hall earlier to buy new hairpins, lunched at the Silver Chalice in, and is now testing new rouges
Roland froze
She
was trying on rosthetics? Had she forgotten the time? But he had reminded her just last night
Jaw nghtening, Roland leapt onto his steed and rode for Mistveil Parlor
The Parlor catered exclusively to noblewomen, and as he approached the entryway, a flustered sepean rushed to block hum. “My lord I beg your pardon, but men aren’t
“Out of my way harked the steward, who had recognized him. He slapped the servant aside. “You fool! This is His Grace, Prince Roland!”
Roland strode toward the private chamber she occupied. Just before he pushed the door open, he paused voices drifted from within.
“Truly? You’re not going to meet that guard of yours” a young woman’s voice teased.
Cecily laughed lazily “Why would I? One look at his eyes and I know he’s going to make some sentimental declaration. As if I’d marry a servant.”
“But he’s done so much for you,” the friend prodded. “Got himself wounded, picked you flowers,
even carved your name onto his chest…”
“And so what?” Cecily snorted. “He’s handsome, sure, and fiercely loyal-but in the end, he’s a glorified watchdog. Meanwhile, I have Prince Roland’s favor. Why wouldn’t I aim for the royal house?”
Roland’s hand, still on the door handle, went rigid.
The other girl hesitated. “Then why not just refuse him outright? Why string him along?”
Cecily’s tone grew smug “You don’t get it. A man like that strong, devoted, desperate to please why waste it? Let him worship me. And besides…”
Her voice dropped, thick with venomous glee.
“Eleanor’s in love with him. And he chose me The look on her face when she realizes I’ve taken something she wanted – it’s delicious, just like how she used to love white gowns, and I told my father liked them. He took all her dresses and gave them to me I wore them every day, just to make her hate them And eventually-she did.”
Roland felt as though he’d been struck by lightning
“Gods her friend murmured, “you’ve tormented her all these years, haven’t you? I even heard rumors about her mother-when she died giving birth.
“That woman deserved it,” Cecily snapped “She clung to her title as Lady Virement like a leech 1 merely helped her along A pinch of abortion draught in her water, that’s all. Who knew she’d be So trapile? Two corpses in one night
“And the Academy scholarship?” the other asked slowly “Was it really you who denounced per fer
talog caption and disobedience 35
“Forged Rosters,” “Chcity said airify “She threw a fit, of course But what did it muster Father
always takes my side
Each word landed like a blade, shattering the image Roland had unce cherished
The keeper beside him trembled. “Your Grace shall announce you?”
Silence tell in the chamber, and then Cecily’s voice rang out sharply. “Who’s there?”
Roland closed his eyes,
-No
he said quietly “She needn’t know I was here
He turned and walked away
In his carriage, he drank. Cup after cup of cherry cordial and fine wine, until the seams of his robe
were soaked
Her voice echoed in his head
She called him a watchdog
She wanted only the prestige of marrying into the royal household
She had murdered Eleanor’s mother Poisoned a woman heavy with child
She had sabotaged Eleanor’s future with lies, slander, and forged scrolls
In his mind’s eye, he saw Eleanor’s sharp, mocking eyes. The trembling of her hands when she
dressed his wounds. The way she had snarled. “Roland, I’m done with you.
And all the while, the fireworks he had arranged exploded above Blossomvale, blooming into
golden letters that spelled Cecily across the night sky
But the man who was supposed to be watching. was only drowning in silence and wine
How had that gentle girl -the one who had once saved a bird’s nest – become this?
Bang-his fist slammed into the carriage wall
The girl he cherished had been nothing but a mirage woven from sunlight and deceit. That gui m
The white dress never existed. Or rather she had never been Cecily
A fragment of mentory jolted him
that day, three years ago, at the Spring Hurd
The sun shining through the canopy Agirlswhite, climbing a tree to rescue a trembling nest
He had asked the attendant, “Who is that?”
And the answet came. “A Viremont daughter
Later, when he returned from the Southern, he sought her out
He had heard there were two daughters one, bold and brash, famed for her crimson gowns. The
other, quiet as a garden lily, always in white
He had simply assumed the latter was the younger sister.
But now.
His blood ran cold
“Look into it,” he said hoarsely. “Three years ago, at the Spring Hunt–did Lady Cecily ever slip
away to the palace gardens?”
