The grand hall of the palace glittered with golden light as nobles from every corner of the realm poured in for the much-anticipated royal banquet. The chandeliers sparkled like a thousand stars overhead, and the scent of roasted meats and spiced wine filled the air. Yet despite the finery, tension clung to the atmosphere like smoke after a fire.
Prince Damien made his entrance last. Clad in a dark, embroidered tunic with a black and gold cape, he walked with silent command. Conversations dropped to murmurs as he moved through the crowd like a shadow with a crown. On either side of him, Prince Caspian and Alec followed closely. The kingdom had witnessed the birth of a new kind of prince one who did not smile to gain favor but stared down the world until it bowed.
King Lucian sat at the head of the high table but offered Damien the central seat for the night. A silent, powerful gesture.
Then she arrived....
Lady Seraphina of House Velmora made her entrance like a storm wrapped in silk. Her crimson gown shimmered with precious stones, and her jet-black hair was twisted into an elegant crown braid. She moved with the confidence of someone who had never been denied anything in her life.
Heads turned. Eyes followed. Even seasoned generals paused mid-sentence.
"My apologies for the late arrival," she said as she stepped up to the royal dais. Her voice was sugar-laced poison.
She offered a graceful bow to King Lucian, who gave her a stiff nod. She turned to Caspian next, bowing respectfully. But when her eyes met Damien's, they lit with playful arrogance.
"And to you, Your Highness. I trust I haven't kept you waiting long?" Her voice dripped with flirtation and entitlement.
Damien didn't blink.
"Watch your tone," he said coldly, eyes locking with hers. "This is not a stage. And I am not here for your performance."
The hall went still.
Seraphina's smile twitched. "Of course, Your Highness. Forgive me."
She lowered her head quickly, but her fingers clenched the fabric of her gown. From that moment on, she wore a different mask in his presence sweet, docile, and calculated.
But outside his sight, the monster emerged.
In a quiet corridor near the servants' quarters, Seraphina lashed out at a young maid.
"You filthy little mouse! When I am Queen, you won't even be allowed to serve dogs. You didn't bow low enough. Shall I report you?"
The maid, barely fifteen, trembled with wide eyes. "I
I'm sorry, milady. I didn't mean.."
Seraphina slapped the silver tray from her hands. Dishes shattered across the floor.
"Clean it. On your knees."
A palace guard rushed in, having heard the noise. "Is everything all right, milady?"
Seraphina turned to him, eyes blazing. "Do you dare question me? When I marry Prince Damien, I will have authority over you all. Remember that."
The guard said nothing, but his clenched jaw spoke volumes.
Later that evening, Alec stumbled upon Seraphina cornering a frightened scullery maid.
"Milady," Alec said calmly, "is there a problem?"
Seraphina turned to him slowly, then looked him up and down with a mocking smirk. "You're the prince's little pet, aren't you?"
Alec said nothing.
"He trusts you too much. And you… you think you're important. But you're just a shadow following his boots."
Then she raised her voice. "Guards! This man just tried to touch me!"
The nearby guards rushed in, confused. Alec didn't flinch.
"That's a lie," Alec said flatly. "She grew angry when I stepped in to protect a maid she was threatening."
Damien appeared not long after, having heard the disturbance. His gaze cut through everyone until it landed on Seraphina.
"Explain."
Seraphina quickly folded into a mock-sobbing act. "I only… I thought he tried to touch me… but perhaps I was mistaken, Your Highness. I was frightened…"
Damien stepped forward slowly. "Lie to me again, and your tongue will be the first thing I remove."
She paled instantly, lips trembling. "Yes, Your Highness. It won't happen again."
"Good. Because I do not take kindly to falsehoods."
Seraphina bowed and retreated without another word. Alec gave Damien a silent nod of thanks.
Later, in her chambers, Seraphina glared at her reflection. The mask she wore cracked slightly.
"He humiliated me," she muttered. "But he will want me. They always do."
She picked up a jeweled hairpin and twirled it between her fingers.
"I'm not here to be chosen," she whispered with a bitter smirk. "I'm here to take what I deserve."
Behind her, the maid she had insulted earlier stood quietly, waiting to help her undress.
"Get out," Seraphina snapped. "You're not worthy to breathe the same air as me."
As the door shut behind the maid, Seraphina looked back at herself with narrowed eyes.
"Soon," she whispered. "Soon, I'll wear that crown. Whether he likes it or not."
The day unfolded with thick tension crawling through the halls of the palace. Alec moved discreetly, avoiding unnecessary contact with Lady Seraphina. Something about her eyes told him she was hunting for something other than a husband.
He was headed to Damien's chambers when she intercepted him in the long corridor near the garden terrace. Dressed in a flowing lavender gown, Seraphina wore a saccharine smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Lord Alec," she purred, stepping into his path. "May I have a word?"
He gave a small bow. "Of course, my lady."
"You're very close to Prince Damien, aren't you?" Her voice was sweet, almost innocent. "Some say you share everything."
Alec kept his expression neutral. "My loyalty is to the crown."
"And your heart?" she tilted her head, leaning closer.
Just then, a maid rounded the corner, startled to find them standing so close. Seraphina glanced at the maid, then abruptly pulled away from Alec, clutching her dress and gasping.
"How dare you!" she screamed.
Within seconds, guards rushed in. The maid looked confused. Alec stood still, eyes narrowed as Seraphina began to tremble, tears glistening.
"He tried to force himself on me," she sobbed. "I was only walking, and he... he grabbed me!"
The guards surrounded Alec, unsure whether to draw their blades or wait.
Before any decision was made, Damien arrived.
His presence was like a blade slicing through fog. Everyone turned, silent.
Damien's gaze locked on Alec, then on Seraphina, who whimpered under his stare.
"Release him," Damien said flatly.
"But, Your Highness, she says..."
"I heard her," Damien snapped. "But if Alec had touched her, she would not be standing. I would have ended him myself."
Seraphina's mouth opened and closed. Her act began to crumble. Damien stepped closer.
"Tell me again what happened," he said, voice low but sharp as iron.
She looked at the maid, at the guards, and then at Damien's cold eyes. Her confidence shriveled.
"I... I must have misunderstood..." she whispered. "It was dark. Maybe he just bumped into me..."
"Then apologize," Damien ordered.
She faltered, then dipped her head toward Alec. "Forgive me, Lord Alec. I... overreacted."
"Leave us," Damien commanded. The guards obeyed, quickly scattering. Seraphina lingered, hoping for a gentler word, but Damien had already turned his back.
She scurried away, visibly shaken.
Damien waited until she was gone before facing Alec again. "Are you all right?"
Alec nodded. "She's dangerous."
"She's desperate," Damien replied. "And stupid. But she's being used. We can't let it distract us."
They walked together toward the inner chambers, silence stretching between them like a tight wire.
"She tried to humiliate me," Alec finally said. "To drive a wedge between us."
Damien stopped and looked at him, his face unreadable. "You're not the first target. You won't be the last. They want me isolated."
"You trust me still?"
"I trust no one fully," Damien replied, "but I know who I would bleed for. You're among them."
Alec nodded, the weight of loyalty heavier than ever.
Later that evening, the council chamber lit with candlelight and whispered judgment. Damien entered without warning, cloak trailing behind him like a shadow.
The councilors stood, startled by his sudden appearance. Damien's eyes swept the room.
"There will be no more secrets," he said sharply. "No more silent betrayals. If I discover the next traitor, there will be no trial. Only execution."
The oldest councilor, Lord Oryn, looked up slowly. "Your Highness, surely you don't mean..."
Damien slammed a hand on the table. "I do. And I won't repeat myself."
His voice echoed through the chamber. Even the torchlight seemed to shrink from him.
Lady Viona lowered her eyes. Lord Henrick shifted uncomfortably.
Damien turned and walked out without awaiting a reply. Behind him, silence reigned.
As he reached the hall, Prince Caspian joined him.
"They're rattled," Caspian said.
"Good. Let them be."
"But don't become what they fear," Caspian added.
Damien stopped. "I'm already feared. Now I must be respected."
Caspian watched his brother for a moment. "Just don't forget who you are."
"Neither should you," Damien replied, though the words weren't harsh. They were a reminder.
The tension cooled as they walked side by side down the corridor.
That night, outside the palace, a figure in dark robes met a cloaked rider beyond the city walls.
"The girl failed," the cloaked figure said. "She couldn't divide them."
"It doesn't matter," the shadow replied. "She bought us time."
The rider handed over a scroll. "Everything is in motion. The banquet will break him."
"Or crown him," the shadow whispered.
The wind howled through the trees, carrying whispers of war and betrayal through the night air, as another page turned in the quiet war for the crown.