CROWN PRINCESS
That afternoon, sun dimmed behind the palace spires, staining the sky in shades of pale gold. The Crown Princess sat in her private drawing room, a chamber built for quiet counsel, not ceremony.
Lucian's words from before had not left her. The way he had spoken of Evelina. The restraint in his tone. The quiet certainty behind his eyes. It unsettled her, not because she doubted him, but because she knew what the court would make of it.
The door opened. The Crown Prince entered, his uniform still creased from the day's meetings. He stopped before her chair, studying her for a moment. "My love, its been long since we had tea. May I invite you now?"
She nodded. "My love, sit. We need to speak of the ball, of what came after, and of what it will bring."
He took the seat across from her. His expression was calm, though his eyes searched hers. "I heard what happened. Marlowe's ball has left the court buzzing like a nest struck with a stick."
The Crown Princess folded her hands neatly in her lap. "Buzzing is too kind. The whispers have teeth now. Lucian and Evelina are the names on every tongue. And Selina has made herself the weapon of that talk."
He frowned. "You spoke with Lucian, I assume."
"Yes. He came to me after returning Evelina to the ballroom." Her voice stayed level. "He told me what he saw. What he heard from Leopold. What Selina tried to do."
The Crown Prince's brows drew together. "And you said nothing? You did not intervene?"
Her gaze lifted to meet his. "I will not. Not yet. Selina is too close to me and to the Queen's circle. To humiliate her now would shatter the balance I have built. Every alliance in my court hangs by a thread. If I pull one, the rest will follow."
He leaned back slightly, assessing her. "So you will let Selina's behavior go unanswered?"
"For now." She paused, voice soft but certain. "I must keep the peace. The Queen's friends will defend Selina, no matter what truth we bring forward. If I move against her, I will lose more than her favor. I will lose the stability that holds this palace together."
The Crown Prince said nothing at first. The silence between them grew taut. Then he asked, "And Lucian? What of him?"
The Crown Princess looked away, toward the window. "He has placed himself in the middle of a storm he does not yet see. He thinks his intentions are private. They are not. Half the court watches his every step. If he is not careful, his affection for Evelina will be used against both of them."
Her brother's voice was quiet, deliberate. "You are afraid for him."
"I am afraid for all of us," she answered. "Evelina is not like the others. She will not bend. She will not use flattery or submission to survive. That makes her both powerful and dangerous. Montclair will not let her go. Lucian will not withdraw. And Selina… she will do anything to protect her standing."
The Crown Prince's jaw tightened. "You think it will come to a clash."
"It already has."
She rose from her seat, crossing the room with unhurried grace. Her fingers brushed against the edge of the writing desk. Letters and sealed notes lay in neat piles, each one marked with different insignias of the noble houses. "These came this morning," she said. "Half are about the ball. Half are about Montclair's next move. None of them speak of peace."
The Crown Prince followed her with his eyes. "You fear Montclair's ambition will reach beyond the court."
"He is already reaching," she replied. "He wants the North. He wants control of the trade councils. And if he cannot have Evelina, he will use her ruin to weaken Lucian. That is how men like him play. He will not draw a blade. He will destroy reputations instead."
Her voice lost its composure for the first time. "I cannot fight this and rule the court at the same time."
He straightened. "What do you need from me?"
She turned to face him, her expression composed again, though her eyes carried the weight of her decision. "I need you to secure the Crown. Strengthen the military factions that are wavering between the Grand Duke. Keep the councilmen from shifting their loyalties. If war comes, it must not reach the throne."
The Crown Prince's face hardened. "You are asking me to prepare for conflict against Montclair."
"I am asking you to be ready for what will come." She spoke quietly, her words steady. "I will hold the court together as long as I can, but the divisions are already showing. You must protect what I cannot."
He exhaled slowly. "And Lucian?"
"He is my brother," she said simply. "But he is also a Duke with his own loyalties. If he stands with Evelina, he will become a target. Montclair will not forgive him. Nor will the Queen's allies. You must not let their quarrel touch the Crown. Whatever happens between them, we cannot appear divided."
The Crown Prince's gaze softened slightly. "You sound like someone preparing for a war within her own family."
The Princess smiled faintly, though it did not reach her eyes. "There are many kinds of war. The one I fight begins in whispers and ends in silence. The one you will fight begins in silence and ends in blood."
He nodded, understanding. "Then we will both do what we must."
For a moment, the tension eased. The Crown Princess sat again, her hands clasped lightly. "Lucian will not stop seeing her," she said after a pause. "Even if I warned him, he would not listen. There is something in Evelina that draws loyalty. It is not love alone. It is conviction. Men follow her because she stands for something no one else dares to."
The Crown Prince tilted his head. "And you? Do you stand with her?"
Her expression softened, conflicted. "Once, I thought I would. But the Crown demands more than sympathy. If I take her side, I lose the court. If I take the court's side, I lose myself."
He looked at her carefully. "You have already chosen."
"Yes," she said quietly. "I chose stability. I chose the Crown."
He rose, his movements slow and deliberate. "Then I will begin speaking to the council. I will remind them where their loyalty lies."
She gave a short nod. "Do it quietly. The fewer know your hand in this, the better. Montclair will not strike openly, but he will know we are preparing."
He paused at the door. "And if he does not stop?"
Her voice was calm. "Then I will let him fall. The court eats its own when it grows restless. He will give them cause soon enough."
The Crown Prince bowed his head slightly and left the room.
When the door closed, silence filled the chamber again. The Crown Princess stood, walking toward the window. The gardens below shimmered in the soft light. Somewhere out there, Lucian was walking the same paths as Evelina had once taken. Somewhere, Montclair was already plotting his next move.
She pressed a hand against the cold glass. Her reflection stared back, poised, composed, every inch the sovereign sister and strategist. Yet beneath that calm, she felt the first true tremor of fear.
The court was beginning to divide. She could see it in every glance, every word half-spoken.
Lucian, Evelina, Alistair, and Selina. All of them were pulling at the same delicate fabric she had spent years weaving.
She closed her eyes, whispering to herself, "Hold, while you still can."
Outside, the light faded from gold to gray. The palace bell struck the hour. The war within the court had begun, and no one yet knew how deep the fracture would run.