♦YOU MUST HAVE READ THE PREQUEL, THE GOLDEN PRINCESS, TO READ THIS BOOK!♦
BEWARE--spoilers in this blurb, for those who have not read previous books! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
Kings. Queens. Princes & Princesses. Duchesses and Dukes. And... regents?
Eve...
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By late evening on February eleventh—two days after culprits and criminal guards were found in the castle—the Totresian court was nearly rid of its scum. To cleanse the country from schemers who linked with Sir Geitz, Eugene Thatcher, or the commanders of Beauves and Preinia, Clémentine threaded out scammers, evil doers, and slapped iron around their wrists without remorse. More malevolent forces lingered, hidden under masks of loyalty, but Clémentine promised her spies would weed them out.
Céleste sat back and watched the plots unfold, finally feeling somewhat safe.
In Charlotte's chambers, they found little to incriminate her, but her protests and threats made it easy to accuse her of aiding her father.
Julia's father, the Viscount of Malaros, arrived in Torrinni in the night, pulled away from his trip to Mara. Axel had written to him and warned him of the awful news, so he rode overnight to grieve with his son. Though devastated at the loss of his precious daughter, he agreed to wait for the rightful King to come home before burying her.
But no one knew where this rightful King was.
The royals were troubled, and mostly kept to themselves. Clémentine cooperated with authorities and soldiers, but rarely spoke to anyone. Cordelia fought her trauma alone, preferring to sulk in her quarters. Jules secluded himself even more, barely eating, and declining to fulfill the role of regent—that he left to his mother. He declined to converse with nobles, and tolerated only select visitors, but Céleste wasn't one of them.
So while the Prince cloistered himself in his room, high-placed aristocrats stepped up to help organize the new Totresian court. Axel, though reluctant to be seen in public most days, surveyed prisoners and interrogations. Emeric oversaw operations to scout the Totresian borders—in search of more bandits or Antoine—and recruited men to join the Academy, thus regaining his standing at court. He'd written to Sir Richel, who'd replied stating he was pleased Céleste hadn't died, but furious she'd snuck off to Giroma.
The ladies had their parts to play, too. Cristina and Esther organized luncheons and dinners and excursions to entertain curious courtiers. Céleste tagged along, though she would have preferred to relax in the Library, surrounded by books. Even Harriet stayed in the castle, taking responsibility for Cordelia and Jules, desperate to keep their spirits up.
On February twelfth, the mood worsened. With still no news of Antoine, but also nothing from Sébastien or Marguerite, panic perused into Céleste's heart. No rumors trickled over the French borders or the small channel separating Totresia from Giroma, and patrols came back empty-handed, having located neither wrong-doers nor intelligence on important whereabouts.
February thirteenth revealed that Jules would be announced as the official King if Antoine didn't turn up soon. Nobles were restless, needing guidance, needing a leader, and no one wished for Clémentine to remain in power longer than necessary. Jules delayed, refusing to leave his apartments, and Clémentine fussed over him at length, soon denying anyone access to him—including Harriet.
