Chapter 14
Praxe Roland’s name day banquet was nothing short of extravagant
The grand hall of the palace swelled with nobles, courtiers, and foreign envoys alike. Everyone who was anyone in Grownspire had come each hoping to catch a glimpse of the elusive prince cloaked
in mystery
From the upper balcony, Roland stood in silence, his gaze fixed on the palace gates
The moment he spotted his friend, Lord William Westbrook approaching, still travel-worn and dust covered, he descended the marble steps almost at a run
“You’d best brace yourself.” William said grimly, his voice low. “I questioned dozens of servants maids, guards, even the kitchen boys. On the day of the banquet, Cecily never once left the main hall She never went to the palace gardens.”
Roland froze, the words striking him like a blade
So he had been wrong. From the very beginning, he had mistaken the wrong woman.
Meanwhile, beneath the gilded arches of the palace’s great gates, Cecily made her entrance flanked by a glittering retinue of noble ladies.
“Heavens! Look at this spectacle!” one companion whispered theatrically. “Only fitting for Prince Roland, I suppose.
“Of course,” another chimed in sweetly. “Didn’t he buy out every treasure in Jewel Hall just for Cecily? And that necklace he gifted her worth a duchy, I heard.
Cecily lifted her chin, basking in their adoration, her silks rustling like applause
Lord Viremont, flushed with pride, stood nearby, surrounded by flatterers from every ministry The Viremonts had long fallen from grace in Crownspire but tonight, they were basking in glory they
hadn 1tasted in decades
He chuckled meaningfully as he spoke, “Well, the rumors aren’t wrong. His Highness has indeed show great favor to my daughter as of late. Who knows? He may make an announcement before the night is through
His Highness, Prince Roland-enters”
The steward’s voice rang through the hall like a bell rolling judgment
All beads turned at once
Roland descended the grand stair, slow and deliberate
His eyes, sharp as cut glass. His jaw night. His very presence-roumanding. It was as though the air itself bent to make way for him
Cecily’s eyes widened in disbelief
“Roland? It’s you?” she gasped.
Her voice echoed in the stunned silence
Murmurs erupted like wildfire
“Wait.. Roland? Prince Roland? Cecily, you mean to say–your personal guard was the prince this
whole time?”
Cecily’s shock melted into radiant delight
So that was why All those glances, those gifts, the way he stood by her side at every turn-it hadre’t been duty. It had been devotion. He wasn’t a lowly guard. He was her prince
She trembled, already envisioning the moment he would take her hand before the court and name
her his bride
Lord Viremont’s grin stretched ear to ear. He seized his daughter’s arm and led her forward
eagerly
“Your Highness! So it truly was you-disguised among us all this time! Why, had I known, I would never have allowed you to go unrecognized in our home. Forgive me for my neglect
Roland didn’t so much as blink at the flattery With a flick of his hand, he signaled the musicians to
halt
“I thank you all for gracing this celebration,” he said, his voice low yet curting through the room like a blade “And I have gathered you here not only to mark my name day but to make an
announcement”
Cecily’s heart thundered.
This was il
As you all know “Roland continued, a faint smile tugging at his lips, “Thave lately shown marked interest Lady Cecily Viremont
He paused. His gaze flicked to Cecily-sharp, unkind.
But the reason I did so.. was to select a fitting bride for my second uncle.”
