Snow

The First Prince

The journey was quiet.

Too quiet.

The only sounds inside the carriage were the occasional creak of the wheels and the faint movement of Felix's clothes whenever he shifted.

I sat opposite him, my hands folded tightly in my lap.

I tried not to look at him.

I failed.

He was staring out of the window, his face unreadable.

I wondered what he was thinking.

About his father, perhaps.

About the kingdom.

About the palace we were approaching.

Or maybe about nothing at all.

With Felix, I had learned that guessing his thoughts was useless.

He could look completely calm while doing something cruel.

He could speak softly while threatening someone.

He could stare at you without saying a word and somehow make you feel like you had done something wrong.

I turned my attention to the window.

The farther we traveled, the more different everything became.

The roads widened.

The buildings became larger.

The number of guards increased.

And then I saw the palace.

I forgot to breathe.

It stood beyond enormous iron gates, surrounded by high stone walls and guarded by rows of armed vampires.

The palace itself was breathtaking.

Towers rose into the gray sky, their dark roofs disappearing into the morning mist. Huge windows reflected the pale sunlight. Black stone covered most of the outer walls, but silver designs were carved into the pillars and gates.

It looked ancient.

Powerful.

Untouchable.

The carriage slowed.

The gates opened.

We entered.

I stared through the window until the carriage finally stopped.

Felix opened the door and stepped out.

I followed.

The moment my feet touched the ground, I felt the difference.

The servants here moved differently.

They were quieter.

More careful.

There were more guards.

More vampires.

More eyes.

Everyone seemed to know exactly where they belonged.

I suddenly felt very aware of my black dress.

I was a maid.

And yet I had arrived beside a prince.

Several servants glanced at me.

Some looked curious.

Others looked away immediately.

Felix started walking.

I hurried after him.

"Stay beside me," he said without looking back.

I frowned.

"I am."

"Then don't fall behind."

We entered the palace.

The inside was even more impressive than the outside.

The floors were polished black marble.

Massive chandeliers hung from the ceilings.

Portraits of royal family members covered the walls.

I slowed when I passed one.

A man stood in the center of the painting wearing a crown.

The king.

He looked nothing like the weak man I had imagined.

He looked powerful.

His eyes seemed almost alive despite the painted surface.

Beside him stood a woman I assumed was the queen.

And beneath them were four young men.

The princes.

I studied their faces.

The first prince stood closest to the king.

Sebastian.

He looked calm.

Controlled.

His expression was serious, but not cruel.

The second prince looked younger, with a sharp smile.

The third had a more distant expression.

And then there was Felix.

Even in the painting, he looked different from the others.

His eyes held something darker.

I quickly looked away.

"Don't stare."

Felix's voice made me jump.

"Sorry."

We continued down the corridor.

Then we reached a set of enormous double doors.

Two guards stood on either side.

Felix stopped.

For the first time since we'd left his palace, I noticed something in his expression.

Tension.

Only for a second.

Then it disappeared.

One of the guards opened the doors.

A large hall waited beyond them.

Several people were already there.

And then I saw him.

Sebastian.

He stood near the center of the room, dressed entirely in black.

He was taller than I expected.

His posture was straight.

His face was calm.

But his eyes were sharp.

He looked directly at Felix.

Then at me.

His gaze stayed on me for a moment longer than I expected.

Felix walked forward.

"Sebastian."

"Felix."

The two brothers stared at each other.

There was no warmth between them.

But there wasn't hatred either.

It was something harder to understand.

Something old.

Something complicated.

Sebastian's eyes moved toward me again.

"Who's this?"

Felix didn't answer immediately.

I lowered my gaze.

"She's my maid."

Sebastian's eyebrow lifted slightly.

"Your maid?"

"Yes."

Something about the way he repeated the word made me uncomfortable.

Felix stepped closer to me.

"Snow."

I looked at him.

"Come here."

I obeyed.

Sebastian watched.

"Snow," he repeated.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"That's an unusual name."

Felix's expression didn't change.

"I gave it to her."

Sebastian looked at him for a moment.

Then back at me.

"I see."

I didn't know why, but those three words made my stomach twist.

A voice suddenly came from behind us.

"Felix!"

I turned.

A young man approached, smiling.

He looked remarkably similar to the men in the painting.

The second prince, perhaps.

He looked at me.

Then at Felix.

Then back at me.

"You brought a human?"

Felix's expression darkened.

"Is that a problem?"

The prince smiled.

"No."

His eyes lingered on me.

"I'm simply surprised."

Before he could say anything else, Sebastian spoke.

"Enough."

The prince's smile faded.

Sebastian turned toward Felix.

"Father is awake."

Everything changed.

Felix's expression became serious.

"How is he?"

"Not well."

Sebastian's voice was quieter now.

"The physicians have been with him since before sunrise."

Felix said nothing.

For the first time, I saw something in his face that looked almost like fear.

It disappeared quickly.

"Take me to him."

Sebastian nodded.

Then his eyes moved toward me.

"What about her?"

Felix looked at me.

"She comes with me."

Sebastian's expression tightened.

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

A strange silence followed.

Sebastian stared at his younger brother.

Then he looked at me again.

"Stay here."

Felix's eyes hardened.

"She stays with me."

"Felix."

Sebastian's voice remained calm.

"You are going to see our father. You don't need a servant standing beside you."

I expected Felix to argue.

Instead, he stepped closer to Sebastian.

"I decide who stays beside me."

Sebastian's jaw tightened.

"And I decide what happens inside this palace."

The room became completely silent.

I looked between them.

For the first time, I understood what Anna had meant.

Felix was powerful.

But here...

He wasn't in control of everything.

Sebastian looked at me again.

"Snow."

I straightened.

"Yes, my prince?"

"Go with the servants."

I glanced at Felix.

He was staring at Sebastian.

Then at me.

For a moment, I thought he would order me to stay.

Instead, he said quietly,

"Wait for me."

I nodded.

"Yes."

Felix and Sebastian walked away together.

I watched them disappear through another set of doors.

Only when they were gone did I breathe properly.

A maid approached me.

She looked me up and down.

"Come."

I followed her.

As we walked away, I couldn't stop thinking about what I had just witnessed.

The first prince wasn't afraid of Felix.

And Felix wasn't used to being challenged.

That could only mean one thing.

Whatever happened inside this family...

I had just stepped directly into the middle of it.