The Princess's Servant

59. The Saturn Ball

As the doors shut on Sybil, the throne room reverberated with the sounds of her muffled protests. They faded away as she went further down the hallway.

And soon enough, silence.

Sebastian shifted a little where he stood. "Holden's not going to be happy you did that," he said, not moving a muscle to face his prince.

Thomas looked to his servant. His servant straightened out the way one does when one sees a tiger. Sebastian suppressed a shiver and cleared his throat.

The prince moved his gaze forward. "Holden should be happy I allowed her to keep her limbs. For the time being."

Sebastain cleared his throat a little louder. "Would you like me to inform the wedding planner of your decision, your majesty?" He asked his prince.

Thomas let out a sigh. "Yes," he said. "And inform the captain of the guard that the princess is not allowed to leave the palace."

Sebastian nodded. "And the Saturn Ball?" He said. "It was supposed to heavily feature the happy couple. Would you like me to tell the party planner to revoke Sybil's invite?"

Thomas went silent for a moment. "The Ball... Of course..." He said. Thomas stood from his throne and Sebastian took a step back. "What a perfect stage for some revenge." And Thomas smiled that rare smile that always preceded something horrible. Sebastian took another instinctive step backwards. "Send the princess her invite. I have plans for her there yet."

Sebastian nodded and bowed to his prince to take his leave.

But as he started towards the door, Thomas called to him.

"And on the subject of retribution," he said.

Sebastian stopped and did not turn around. He exhaled and felt his stomach sink.

"Come find me when you're finished."

Sebastian nodded once and hurried out the door.

Sybil hated this. She hated this she hated this she hated this. She stared at the guards that blocked her way. They stared back. They gripped their weapons a little tighter.

"I know you're bluffing. You wouldn't dare to lay a hand on Holden's princess," Sybil said, sounding more sure of herself than she felt.

The guards exchanged a look. "As much as we would hate to upset Prince Holden, we'd hate to upset his majesty Emperor Thomas even more. You will not get past us."

Sybil crossed her arms and sat in a 'hmph!' on her bed. The guards had been preventing her from leaving ever since she'd gotten back from Thomas's court. "How is it that Thomas is both Prince and Emperor? Where is the real emperor? I demand to speak to him."

"He's in the tower—"

The other guard elbowed her. She grunted.

"The emperor is indisposed, and has been for quite some time. As such, our brave ruler Prince Thomas is the acting Emperor. Until the old emperor's health can improve."

"Health?" Sybil asked. But the look on the guard's face told her conclusively that that was as many answers as she was getting. Sybil flopped backwards on her bed and thought. So Thomas was the dictator here. And for some reason she couldn't fathom, he hated her. Perhaps if she seduced him, he would change his tune.

But that was impossible, Sybil thought. She knew what a man like Thomas liked and she was certainly not it. And besides, judging from the throne room interactions, it seems he already what a man like him wanted. So she needed another plan.

Holden... If only she could get to Holden.

And just then — a knock at the door. Sybil sat up in a flash to find a man in her bedroom. He was dressed in fine clothing, with golden sandals and a tunic the color of late summer poppies. His hair fell in curled ringlets about his face. The princess's eyes shined. Could this be him? Could this be her prince?

The man kneeled. "Your highness," he said, and she approached. He held out with both hands a sealed letter that shimmered like a pearl.

A messenger, she thought. Bur perhaps a messenger of the prince. She took the letter in her hands and he bowed and left her. Sybil took the paper to her desk and opened it.

"Princess Sybil of Lailoy.

You are cordially invited to tonight's Saturn Ball.

Don't be late.

Signed, The Wardian Crown."

Sybil stared at the note. She sat back in her seat. The Saturn Ball. She had heard about that in her rushed lessons. It was Ward's biggest holiday — their most important feast.

So why was she invited? Had Prince Thomas forgotten to uninvite her? She didn't know. But what she did know was that Holden would be there. And when he was, she would find him, and she would speak with him.

Sybil smiled for the first time since she'd left the throne room. Thomas didn't know what he had done, letting the invitation get into her hands. She was going to this ball, and she was going to find Prince Holden. And once she did, any control Prince Thomas thought he had over her would be destroyed.

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