Snow

The Prince's Palace

I learned quickly that a palace could be a prison without having bars.

The first morning, I woke up because I didn't know where I was.

For a few seconds, I forgot everything.

The mattress beneath me was softer than anything I had ever slept on.

The blankets were thick.

The curtains were heavy and dark, blocking out almost every trace of sunlight.

There was even a fireplace.

I stared at it.

A fireplace.

In my room.

Back home, Daniel and I had been grateful when we could afford enough charcoal to keep ourselves warm.

Here, warmth seemed to be everywhere.

I should have felt lucky.

Instead, I felt afraid.

Because everything in this palace belonged to someone.

And I knew exactly who owned me.

Felix.

I sat up slowly.

My eyes moved around the room.

A wardrobe stood against one wall.

A large mirror stood beside it.

There was a table covered with things I had never owned—combs, brushes, bottles of perfume, ribbons, jewelry.

I didn't touch any of them.

I didn't trust beautiful things anymore.

A knock came at the door.

I froze.

"Come in."

The door opened.

A maid stepped inside.

She looked around my age.

She carried a tray of food.

She lowered her head immediately.

"Good morning."

I stared at her.

"Good morning."

She placed the tray on the table.

"His Highness ordered that you be fed."

I looked at the food.

There was more food on that tray than Daniel and I had eaten in several days.

"Where is my brother?"

Her hands stopped.

"I don't know."

"But he was brought here."

"I know."

"Then where is he?"

She lowered her voice.

"Please don't ask me questions about things I don't know."

"Why?"

Her eyes darted toward the door.

"Because people who ask too many questions here tend to disappear."

My stomach tightened.

Before I could respond, the door opened again.

A man walked in.

He was dressed in black.

He looked slightly older than Felix, perhaps in his early twenties.

Unlike the servants, he didn't lower his head.

He simply walked into the room as though he belonged there.

His eyes settled on me.

"So you're Snow."

I didn't answer.

He smiled slightly.

"Interesting."

"Who are you?"

"Adrian."

He held out a hand.

I stared at it.

He lowered it.

"I'm Prince Felix's personal assistant."

I frowned.

"Assistant?"

"Among other things."

He glanced at the maid.

"You can go."

She immediately left.

I watched her disappear.

Adrian noticed.

"You don't trust anyone yet."

"Should I?"

He smiled.

"Probably not."

I didn't know what to make of him.

He wasn't like the other vampires.

He wasn't cruel to me.

But he was still one of them.

And that was enough.

"Where is Felix?"

"Working."

"Doing what?"

"Being a prince."

I frowned.

"That doesn't tell me anything."

"It wasn't supposed to."

I stared at him.

He smiled again.

Then he walked toward the door.

"Eat."

"I don't want it."

"You should."

"Why?"

"Because when Felix finds out you've refused his food, he'll assume you're being difficult."

I looked at him.

"And what happens then?"

Adrian's smile disappeared.

"Trust me."

He opened the door.

"You don't want to find out."

---

I spent the next several days learning the palace.

Or at least trying to.

There were rules everywhere.

Don't enter certain corridors.

Don't speak to certain members of the royal family unless spoken to first.

Don't touch anything belonging to the princes.

Don't enter the king's wing.

Don't wander after midnight.

Don't disturb the guards.

Don't interrupt meetings.

Don't look directly at certain vampires.

And above all—

Never anger Prince Felix.

That last rule didn't need to be written anywhere.

Everyone already knew it.

I saw it in the servants' faces.

I saw it in the guards.

I saw it whenever Felix walked through a hallway.

People moved.

Quickly.

Heads lowered.

Conversations stopped.

One morning, I was walking behind a maid when we heard footsteps.

Felix.

The maid immediately stepped aside.

I followed her.

Felix walked past without acknowledging either of us.

But one of the servants carrying a stack of books accidentally stepped into his path.

The books fell.

The servant dropped to his knees.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness."

Felix stopped.

I expected him to simply walk away.

Instead, he looked down at the scattered books.

"Pick them up."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The servant hurried.

His hands were shaking so badly that he dropped one again.

Felix's expression hardened.

"Are you incompetent?"

"No, Your Highness."

"Then stop behaving like it."

The servant's face went pale.

"I'm sorry."

Felix walked away.

The servant stayed on his knees until he was gone.

I watched him.

Nobody helped.

Nobody said anything.

Not even me.

I was beginning to understand why.

This palace wasn't held together by loyalty.

It was held together by fear.

---

I eventually learned about Felix's family.

The first thing I discovered was that Felix wasn't the eldest prince.

He was the fourth.

There were four princes.

The eldest was Sebastian.

Then came the second prince.

The third.

And finally Felix.

But the order of their births didn't seem to matter as much as I expected.

Because Sebastian carried most of the responsibility.

Their father—the king—was seriously ill.

Very seriously.

I had never seen him.

But everyone spoke about him quietly.

The king had once been powerful enough to command the entire kingdom without question.

Now he spent most of his time inside his chambers.

Sebastian had taken over much of the work.

Meetings.

Political decisions.

Royal appearances.

Diplomatic matters.

Military reports.

Everything that needed the king's attention eventually found its way to Sebastian.

And because the king's condition was kept as private as possible, Sebastian had another responsibility.

He had to protect the royal family's reputation.

He had to appear calm.

Strong.

Untouchable.

Even when things inside the palace were falling apart.

I understood why everyone watched him so carefully.

If Sebastian looked weak, people would talk.

If people talked, the kingdom would begin to question the royal family.

And the royal name could not be allowed to appear weak.

One afternoon, I saw Sebastian for the first time.

He walked through the main hall surrounded by guards and advisers.

He looked nothing like Felix.

Felix carried himself like someone who didn't care what anyone thought.

Sebastian looked like someone who couldn't afford to care.

He stopped to speak with a servant who had dropped a document.

Unlike Felix, Sebastian helped him pick it up.

"Be careful," he said.

The servant bowed repeatedly.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Sebastian continued walking.

I watched him disappear.

"He seems different."

Adrian was standing beside me.

I jumped.

"You walk too quietly."

"I've been told that."

I looked at him.

"Sebastian."

"What about him?"

"He's different from Felix."

Adrian's expression became unreadable.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because they're different people."

"Felix doesn't seem to care about anyone."

Adrian glanced toward the hallway where Sebastian had disappeared.

"Felix cares."

I laughed bitterly.

"I've seen how he treats people."

Adrian said nothing.

I looked at him.

"You know him well."

"I'm his assistant."

"You said that."

"I'm also his closest friend."

That surprised me.

"Friends?"

Adrian nodded.

"You don't seem afraid of him."

"I've known him for years."

"That doesn't answer my question."

Adrian smiled.

"It does."

I didn't understand.

But I would.

Eventually.

---

The palace taught me something else.

Not all cruelty came from Felix.

Sometimes it came from the people beneath him.

The older servants treated the younger ones badly.

The guards shouted at maids.

Some vampires deliberately left their belongings on the floor and ordered humans to crawl around collecting them.

Others treated servants like furniture.

One evening, I saw a young maid spill wine.

The glass shattered.

She immediately dropped to her knees.

"I'm sorry."

The vampire sitting at the table slapped her.

I froze.

The maid didn't cry.

She simply lowered her head.

"I'm sorry."

Again.

And again.

And again.

Nobody stopped him.

I wanted to.

My body even moved forward.

Then Adrian caught my arm.

"Don't."

I looked at him.

"She's hurt."

"I know."

"Then why aren't you helping her?"

"Because you don't understand this place yet."

"Then explain it."

His grip loosened.

"Power protects power."

I looked at the maid.

The vampire had already forgotten about her.

She was cleaning the broken glass with shaking hands.

I whispered,

"That's horrible."

Adrian looked at me.

"Yes."

"Then why does everyone accept it?"

"Because surviving is easier than fighting."

I hated that answer.

Because it was true.

I'd spent my whole life learning how to survive.

And now I was learning how to survive here.

---

Felix barely spoke to me during those first days.

Sometimes I wouldn't see him for an entire day.

Other times, he would appear suddenly.

He never announced himself.

He never needed to.

The entire atmosphere of the room changed whenever he entered.

One night, I was sitting near the window when the door opened.

Felix walked in.

I stood immediately.

He looked at me.

"Sit."

I sat.

His eyes moved toward the untouched food on the table.

"You didn't eat."

"I'm not hungry."

He walked toward me.

I stayed still.

He stopped in front of me.

"That's not your decision."

I looked up at him.

"I'm human."

"So?"

"So I need food."

"And I gave you food."

"You gave me more than I can eat."

His jaw tightened.

"Then eat what you can."

I looked away.

He reached down and caught my chin.

My heart jumped.

"Look at me when I'm speaking to you."

I forced myself to meet his eyes.

His expression was cold.

"You're going to learn how things work here."

"I already am."

"Are you?"

His thumb pressed against my jaw.

"Because you still haven't learned one very important thing."

"What?"

He leaned closer.

"You are not free."

He released me.

Then he walked toward the door.

I stared after him.

Before he left, he stopped.

"Snow."

I hated hearing that name from him.

"Yes?"

"Tomorrow, you'll meet my family."

The door closed.

I remained sitting there.

Tomorrow.

I didn't know what frightened me more.

Meeting the royal family...

Or discovering what kind of people had raised Prince Felix.