Chapter 19
The Third Day of the month of Palefrost
The Royal Palace
"Xyla!"
Xyla stilled, her stomach dropping in excitement.
It was Augustus' voice.
The noble lady had just descended the stairs and stood in the middle of the dim lit hallway, ready to take her leave and get to her mansion since night had fallen.
She looked up to see the eldest Prince skip down the stairs.
Her heart flipped when he walked up to her with a sudden grin, "Thank you for helping out today."
Xyla stammered a response, "I-it's mothin-nothing!"
He laughed, finally reaching her, his tall frame blocking the light from the lone lamp behind him.
"Let me walk you to the carriage."
Xyla felt her cheeks tint pink, "No, that's alright! You must be tired! You should rest!"
The handsome man waved away her response and his face became stern, "This isn't even thanks. Allow me the pleasure of walking you out. I am in your debt for your aid in befriending and settling Blythe in."
Xyla swallowed before nodding.
She trained her eyes on the floor in front of her as the pair began to walk to the door.
Internally, a little sadness crept into her heart.
It was not for the best for her to harbor such a dangerous crush on the Prince. It wouldn't be long before he would choose a bride for himself and it was clear that he saw her as nothing more than Elliot's childhood friend and a good acquaintance.
"Is it true," Augustus' voice cut into her thoughts, "that you speak --- languages?"
Xyla looked up in surprise.
The prince was looking at her, shadows hiding most of his face and warm light bathing the tips of his golden hair.
She looked away quickly, unable to meet his eyes, "Yes."
"That is impressive," he muttered making her heart squirm inside.
She looked up again to see him staring into the distance.
His face was calm, without the usual grin she'd always seen. Thinking and her heart began to race imagining what he may be thinking about her.
She could not believe she was making him stop and consider something of hers.
"Father began to give me lessons himself when I was young," Xyla offered, bringing her head back down, her voice soft, "He realized I had a good grasp of languages the moment I picked them up so he encouraged it."
She took a deep breath realizing the Prince was intent in listening, "I developed an interest in lots of languages and learnt a good many of them."
There was a short pause as the two walked slowly along in the dim lit, empty hallway.
Prince Augustus met her eyes and slowly smiled, "That sounds amazing."
Xyla smiled back, a warm feeling entering her chest, "Thank you, Prince Augustus."
~
The third day of the month of Palefrost
The Mansion of the Everglowers
Aldith Everglower paced the floor of her room, her brows furrowing in annoyance.
Her new dress hung on a steel peg inside the wardrobe she had kept open.
She had received news she did not want to believe.
Ernien had sent word of something that deeply disturbed her.
She grabbed the nearest bowl of fruits and threw them at a nearby wall, the item smashing to pieces.
Aldith took a ragged breath, slowly realizing her heaving chest and the dishevelment of her hair.
The news could be false.
She steadied against a wall, frustration building up inside her.
Night had fallen and she had no way of travelling to the palace to see Cecil.
Glancing at the window, she took another breath.
Ernien had sent a messenger to her through the window with a scribbled note informing her of what he'd heard.
Elliot had brought in a beautiful damsel. She was a foreigner who had fled her kingdom. They were in love and it was imagined that she would marry in two days. Elliot doted on the lady and the queen had approved the lady that had been chosen.
Aldith reminded herself that Ernien had said in his note that the news may not be reliable. It had been the talk of the kitchen and there was a chance none of it was true.
Even if some had merit to them, there was very little chance all of it was true.
The image of Elliot, the tall, dark and mysterious Prince showing affection to another woman made Aldith's stomach twist in jealousy.
The man was extremely attractive and would marry another while she had to marry the weak Cecil?
Anger bubbled in her chest.
Cecil might take the throne.
Aldith felt herself calm down at the thought.
The boy was feeding in the palm of her hand and had almost renounced his family to stay with her. In the next four tests, securing the victory would mean that he could become king.
Her heart fluttered in excitement.
That would make her, his chosen lady, the queen of the entire kingdom.
Aldith Everglower would be able to rule over the land.
Her pulse had calmed down and she had regained composure but her chest remained constricted.
Elliot Whitecrest was strong, intelligent, and powerful. His voice was an alluring calm and his body was attractively firm. He had an air of mystery to him and was extremely captivating.
The thought of seeing him holding hands or kissing another woman made her fume inside.
Walking to the dress that hung in her wardrobe, Aldith watched the slender cut of the garment.
Being held in Elliot's strong arms would suit her, she decided.
And who could beat Aldith when it came to beauty anyway?
~
The Third Night of the month of Palefrost,
The Royal Palace.
Blythe lay awake in the middle of the night.
Her feet were sore and the rest of her body melted into the soft bed.
Getting to sleep seemed a problem for her mind was filled with the thoughts of the day.
So much had occurred and she wished Xyla had stayed the night.
She could have talked for days with her new friend and now, she lay awake in the dark anxious and excited for the day to come.
One particular incident had seeped straight into her.
The low voice of the Prince at her ear and his strong grip on her waist sent a shiver down her spine as she lay awake in bed.
The man she was to marry looked calm and collected, strong and capably and extremely attractive.
Blythe sighed.
Her heart slowly began to calm down.
Suddenly a thought crossed her mind, making her wonder.
Xyla had said Elliot's fiancée had dumped him and fallen for his younger brother Cecil. They were scheduled to marry on the day people had been informed would be Elliot's wedding.
Blythe squirmed uncomfortably in bed.
Both Xyla and Augustus hadn't given much information and had seemed rather annoyed whenever asked to mention more details.
Blythe wondered how close the brothers were if a younger brother would so easily take his own older sibling's fiancée.
Why had the family agreed to the new wedding being held on the same day?
Wouldn't it be humiliating for Prince Elliot to stay throughout the ceremony with people wondering why he was not the groom any longer?
Blythe lay alone, her thoughts not allowing her rest.
Who was the ex-fiancee?
How could she have fallen out of love with Prince Elliot?
Another thought made her heart sink.
What about Prince Elliot? Was he in love with his ex-fiancee?