The Rebel Prince (The Season Series #3)

Chapter 11 - Part 2

"A toast, to loyal subjects and obedient commoners," the king said, lifting his glass. The duques and their wives, some sons and daughters among them, followed suit. But rather than drink from his glass, the king kept it raised, gesturing with his free hand to one of the guards stationed along the wall.

Armando stepped forward, pulling a frightened young boy alongside him.

I seemed to be the only one who was looking at the boy, the rest of the dinner guests having drunk from their glasses as quiet conversations began among them. He was no older than eight, barefoot in a threadbare shirt and trousers, his eyes red-rimmed from crying. Armando pushed him toward the king, who shoved his wine glass into the child's trembling hands. The boy took a sip while the king sliced a piece of meat from the venison that had been served to him. No sooner had the boy replaced the cup on the table, than the king shoved the fork in his direction. The boy obediently ate the food, Armando stepping forward to drag him back to the wall, while a servant scurried over to replace the king's fork.

"A poison taster," Frederico said, his own food untouched as he looked to the king. "One can never be too careful in the royal court of Ardalone. Though I've said many a time that using the kitchen staff's own children is perhaps not the wisest course."

Dulciana scoffed beside me, gesturing for a servant to fill her already empty glass.

"Stop pretending that you'd do away with them for the benefit of this foreign imbecile," Dulciana muttered. "You know as well as I do that it's the best way to keep the commoners from killing us through the kitchens."

"If you think he is an imbecile, you are more of a fool than I thought you were," Frederico said, his smile twitching at the corners of his lips as his keen gaze shifted from Dulciana to me.

"This certainly looks delicious," I said, grinning my idiotic grin despite the nausea roiling in my belly.

Children. They used children to test their food and drink for poison. No wonder their commoners were so angry.

I looked around the table, wondering whether it had all been meant as a show for the nobility gathered there, as there had never been a poison taster at any of the more intimate dinners I'd shared with the royal family. But none of the duques or their families seemed to pay the child any mind, not even when Armando ushered him away through a secret passage after five minutes had elapsed. As the haughty guard resumed his place, the king finally cut into his food, conversing in low tones with the Duque Delmar and the Duque Delminas, seated to either side of him.

When he noticed me staring, Armando abruptly tore his eyes away from Dulciana, who was steadily drinking her way through yet another glass of wine. Ana-Cristina drew my gaze next, a pout springing to her lips as she caught my eye. She was being monopolized by the Duque Delminas' son, Guillermo, who had been seated beside her, peppering her with questions in an attempt to start a conversation. She smiled politely, continuing to throw longing looks my way as she responded to him with one-word answers.

Dropping my eyes to my plate, I pushed my food around, my appetite vanished. Between the child poison taster and the complicated web of politics slowly ensnaring me, I needed to get away from this place.

More accurately, I needed peace and quiet to sort through my thoughts and come up with a new plan. I'd played the part of obedient prince tonight, but I didn't doubt that Dulciana would send Ana-Cristina to intercept me again tomorrow, to test whether I intended to continue obeying the king or not. I had to decide what I would do when faced with such a situation, especially now that the crown prince was keeping an eye on me as well.

As my eyes wandered down the table, searching for some sort of distraction, they landed upon the plate next to mine, the food untouched. Beatriz hadn't so much as lifted her fork, her veil still in place.