Determined to take control of their fates, Arjen and Arien escape Derolina Castle at the age of sixteen after their cruel mother dies. They adopt new names and find a home in the city of Aramore, while the Emperor of Yuriana searches for his missing...
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Alec busied himself watering the plants on the shelf by his office's window. He tipped the water can over each one, careful not to add too much. These were special plants, and quite finicky. Add one drop too much, and the plant would die. He would hate for that to happen. That was why he forbade the servants from watering them. These plants were a rare and exotic species, and it had taken him many months to find them. When they bloomed, their flowers changed color throughout the day, and their fragrance changed as well. As the sun penetrated their petals, they threw kaleidoscopic shards of light over the table. They were wonderful for decoration and very nice to look at after staring at research notes and dealing with politics all day.
He finished up watering just as a servant entered the room with an envelope in hand. "Your Highness, an urgent letter for you," the man said.
Alec put down his watering can and took the letter from the envelope. After reading it, he smiled. "That didn't take long," he muttered. As he refolded the letter, the servant announced Lloyd. The crown prince strode into the room with several ministers trailing behind him. He turned to them and scowled, sending them scurrying away like roaches to await him in the hall.
"You seem to be handling things well," Alec said, beaming at him. "I'm glad you were born first."
Lloyd blew a deep sigh and shook his head. "Father had to leave at such a critical time when we're supposed to be discussing the national budget."
"It is certainly bad timing. A crown is a heavy thing to wear, isn't it?"
"Don't remind me. Just before Father left, he handed me a list." A rare look of dread spread over Lloyd's face. "It was a list of marriage candidates."
Alec wasn't sure he should laugh or be afraid for him. "I thought you already had a list?"
"I only wrote down three names. Father put down twenty!"
"Weren't you considering a certain young lady? What was her name again? She's the daughter of...?"
Lloyd put a finger up to silence him, jerking his head toward the door where the ministers lurked. "Don't let anyone hear about it, but...yes, there is someone."
So, Alec's suspicions were correct when he had seen Lloyd speaking with her several times, and the two had slipped away together during a social function and weren't seen again for two hours. To think the serious, ever-reserved crown prince had such a sneaky side to him, and with a woman, no less. Alec expected to see her name at the top of his brother's list.
Lloyd reached into his jacket and pulled out some bundled papers. "I didn't come here to talk about marriage prospects. I came to give this to you. This is the report of Benton's interrogation. I'm sorry to say we weren't able to get much out of him."
Alec took the papers and scanned them. He clicked his tongue. "So, he wouldn't talk?"
