Chapter 9

Lana walked as fast as she could.

There was still so much more time to go before she reached her cottage.

She sighed.

There was so much heat that day and the weather was sweltering.

Lana had seen mist early in the morning when she'd walked to the kitchen to start preparations for breakfast.

It had been so cold and so wet in the morning.

Now the day was dry and hot and unbearably so.

Trudging along, her speed slowing gradually, she wondered why she had run so quickly from the redheaded man.

The man seemed grumpy.

He had glared and yelled at his friends, and she'd heard him after she'd left the kitchen to go get Briar.

His face looked as though he's never smiled in his life.

The man was tall and handsome, eyes sharp and intelligent. He had unruly red hair that he kept swept back from his forehead and a gorgeous tan, probably from all the training he had had to do in the blistering heat.

Lana felt her pulse quicken at the thought before she berated herself.

It would not do at all to get attracted to someone in an enemy land.

Could she be that stupid?

Lana sighed.

She wouldn't put it past herself.

The lovely brunette walked slowly down the trail, hills, and trees on either side.

The man looked capable, intelligent; he had a scary aura to him. There was a scar on his face and he had a strong body.

The red-haired man had looked so serious until, of course, he had smiled.

Lana felt her heart pick up the pace again.

He was attractive and seemed sincere.

Did he smile at other girls as well or was she the only one?

Taking a long breath, Lana willed the thought to go away with all her heart.

She had work to do.

Work that would not at all benefit from thoughts like this.

In fact, these thoughts were guaranteed to give her trouble.

--

The clinking of cutlery was the only sound in the room.

A silence filled with simmering tensions and unspoken venom filled the air.

Diana kept her head low as she slowly savored the food in her mouth.

It was delicious. The potatoes had been cooked to a mush and had been served with the creamiest sauce. The bread that lay at the side of her plate added a toasty texture to each mouthful of food that she took. An array more of food that smelt amazing, decorated the table in front of her.

Diana, of course, knew how to be careful.

Although the people at the table treated her as nothing special, their eyes and ears were keen on her, watching her every action and taking in her every move.

Despite the royal blood that flowed in the veins of the family she dined with, Diana knew their hands were stained with innocent blood and they held deceit close to their hearts.

She was definitely seen as the plaything of the second prince and was therefore, not of much consequence to anyone.

But the people at the table kept their ears sharp nevertheless.

Through the veil of her shiny hair, Diana spied on the first prince.

He was seated next to his father who took the prestigious position of head of the table.

With his posture straight and graceful, the man next-in-line to the throne, cut quite the picture.

He was a handsome man dressed immaculately with a regal air about him.

There were hushed nasty secrets of his running through the castle walls but none ever came out to light.

Behind his seemingly calm face, of course, was a powerful monster.

Prince Aldin was not one to have regrets with.

He took his position as next-in-line very seriously and was merciless to any who stood in his way.

Diana had steered clear of him early on when she'd realized how hard-hearted he could be with the people who seemed to know his secrets. 

She did not know everything about him but knew he was nothing like his younger brother who was totally dense.

Prince Renh was by all accounts, one of the slowest in the royal family. He was head of the troops and Diana was not sure why. Although he did have good reflexes and a great physique, he was not much of a strategist and was quite slow on the uptake.

Maybe the king had given him some position to appease him and solidify his status of second prince.

Whatever the reason was, Diana was tired of the man.

He was quite arrogant and only talked about himself.

He gave Diana lavish gifts that she could wear whenever she asked and was quite careless with his letters and other important documents.

The naïve fool was quite good in bed but that was all Diana could find in him that was useful.

He did not have the striking aura of his older brother or the quiet temper of his father.

He was worthless and did not deserve the power given to him and that was exactly what Diana needed from him.

There were many intelligent and quick people around the table but as long as Diana kept her head down and acted as a flirty, vulgar woman that the dim prince kept in his bedroom, all would be well.

--

The royal physician sighed as he walked through the cold hallways of the castle.

He hated working here.

He absolutely hated it.

His job was to aid any of the royal family when sick and ensure they were in good health.

The distinguished and intelligent man had a small pool of physicians with him who assisted the others at the castle. He had always dreamed of this job and had wondered how it would feel to be the most sought after physician in the land and also the most efficient.

Working days and nights, he had rose slowly in prominence before aiding the princess in a rare illness.

She had recovered immediately and the king had very promptly employed him instead of the older royal physician who had been holding the position.

Sighing, the man hurried on through the corridors before stopping in front of the heavy wooden doors that led into his spacious infirmary.

He, physician Phayne, had been convinced that he was to aid in important cases and took his role of keeping the most powerful family in the kingdom healthy, very seriously.

But in recent months, he had realized what his role had been reduced.

The family was usually in good health and only needed check-ups routinely.

What they did need in abundance was speedy help in killing any babies in the women the princes took to bed or any of the babies the princesses had themselves before being wed.

He massaged his head in anguish, disgusted by the role he was forced to take in this castle full of scandals.

What more would be required of him?

He pushed the heavy door open.