04
379 Words
Royal Castle – Late Night
In the shadow-laden royal study, candlelight flickered dimly.
Prince Aiden Aldrich, the ninth prince, leaned back in a high-backed chair, a bloodstained handkerchief pressed to his lips as a fit of coughing wracked his thin frame.
Aiden (softly, coughing): "Cough... Cough, cough... Father wishes to use my name to control the entire power game of the royal court."
His loyal attendant, Simon, edged closer, concern clouding his face.
"But Your Highness, you have neither power nor command of the troops. What is His Grace planning?"
Aiden’s lips twisted in a faint, bitter smile.
"Precisely because I have no power, I make the perfect puppet for the Aldrich family."
Simon lowered his voice, troubled.
"Does the Duke intend to..."
Aiden’s eyes darkened, his smile turning wry and self-mocking.
"I’m afraid my third brother won’t let things go his way so easily."
Simon’s voice was barely a whisper.
"And the meeting, the day after tomorrow—shall we still go?"
Aiden nodded with a calm, measured certainty.
"Of course. Why wouldn’t we? Father wants to use my name to sway the court, but I—"
He paused, another cough shaking his chest, then continued, a spark of rare sharpness in his weary gaze.
"I intend to use his influence to take back what’s rightfully mine."
The candlelight caught the fleeting edge in Aiden’s smile—a warning that not all things were as fragile as they appeared.
In the castle gardens, Vera walked slowly beneath the night sky. The wind was cool, and shifting flowers cast mottled shadows.
If she was going to take revenge on Prince Cassian, the first step was to get close to him. But how? The prince’s guards were unyielding—approaching him was easier said than done...
At that moment, Lia came hurrying down the path, her face alight with excitement.
"Miss, Miss Hawthorne is here to see you!"
Vera blinked in surprise.
"Miss Hawthorne?"
Lia slapped her own forehead, flustered.
"Oh, forgive me, miss—I misspoke. Three days ago, Miss Hawthorne was wed to Prince Cassian. She is now the Third Princess—Seraphina Hawthorne."
Vera felt her heart clench, her breath catching in her throat.
Seraphina Hawthorne—the Third Prince’s legitimate wife.
My rival in love?
- Writer
