Seraphina stared at Prince Lucien, sure she had heard him wrong.
"Revenge?" she repeated.
"Yes." His green eyes never left her face. "My dear brother just humiliated you in front of the entire kingdom. Don't you want to make him pay?"
She glanced around the empty hall. The servants were still cleaning, but they were far enough away that they couldn't hear.
"What are you talking about?" she whispered.
Lucien moved closer, close enough that she had to tilt her head back to look at him. He was taller than Kael, broader too. Where the crown prince was polished and perfect, Lucien looked like he could kill a man with his bare hands.
"You think what happened today was random?" he asked quietly. "You think my brother just woke up this morning and decided to destroy you for fun?"
"I... I don't know what to think."
"Someone wanted you gone, Seraphina. Someone planned this whole thing. They used my brother to do their dirty work."
Her blood went cold. "That's impossible."
"Is it?" Lucien's smile was sharp as a blade. "Think about it. Why announce the end of your engagement in front of everyone? Why not do it privately? Why humiliate you so completely?"
Because someone wanted her destroyed. Not just rejected—destroyed and disgraced.
"Who?" she breathed.
"That's what we need to find out." He held out his hand to her. "Come with me."
Seraphina looked at his outstretched hand. It was scarred across the knuckles, probably from sword fighting. Not soft like Kael's hands. These were the hands of a warrior.
"Why would you help me?" she asked. "What do you get out of it?"
"Let's just say my brother and I don't always see eye to eye." His smile turned cold. "And I don't like people who play games with innocent women."
"I'm not innocent."
"No?" He raised an eyebrow. "Then you already know who your enemies are?"
She didn't. She had no idea who would want to hurt her this badly.
"Come, Seraphina." His voice was gentle now, almost kind. "Let me show you something."
Against her better judgment, she placed her hand in his. His fingers closed around hers, warm and strong.
He led her through a side door she had never noticed before, down a narrow stone corridor lit by torches on the walls. Their footsteps echoed in the silence.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Somewhere we can talk without being overheard."
They walked deeper into the castle, past tapestries and portraits of dead kings. Seraphina had lived at court for three years, but she had never been in this part of the palace.
Finally, Lucien stopped in front of a heavy wooden door. He pulled out an iron key and unlocked it.
"After you," he said.
The room beyond was small but comfortable. A fire crackled in the stone fireplace, casting dancing shadows on the walls. There were bookshelves everywhere, filled with thick volumes. A desk sat by the window, covered with papers and maps.
"This is your study?" she asked.
"My private office. No one comes here but me." He closed the door behind them and turned the lock. "Now we can speak freely."
Seraphina moved to the fireplace, holding her hands out to the warmth. The ivory dress that had made her feel like a princess now felt like a mockery.
"Tell me what you know," she said.
Lucien went to his desk and picked up a letter. The paper looked expensive, and the handwriting was elegant.
"This arrived three days ago," he said, handing it to her.
Seraphina read it quickly, then read it again. The words made her stomach turn.
"The Elowen girl must be removed before the engagement becomes official. She's too close to discovering the truth about the grain shipments. Handle this quietly, or we will handle it ourselves."
It wasn't signed.
"Someone wanted me gone," she whispered.
"More than that. They threatened my brother if he didn't get rid of you." Lucien's jaw was tight with anger. "What do you know about grain shipments?"
"Nothing. I don't know anything about grain shipments." She looked up at him. "What truth? What are they talking about?"
"That's what we need to find out." He took the letter back and set it on the desk. "But first, I need to know if you're serious about this."
"About what?"
"Revenge. Justice. Call it whatever you want." His green eyes burned with intensity. "Are you willing to fight back, or are you going to run home and cry into your pillow?"
The words stung, but they also lit a fire in her chest. She thought about Kael's cold eyes. The laughter of the nobles. Her father's ashamed face.
"What would I have to do?" she asked.
"Be brave and smart. Trust me." He stepped closer to her. "And most importantly, make them think you're broken while we figure out who's behind this."
"Pretend to be defeated?"
"Exactly. Let them think they've won while we gather information. Can you do that?"
Seraphina thought about it. She could go home to her family's estate and hide. She could marry some minor noble who would take pity on her. She could live quietly and hope people forgot about today's humiliation.
Or she could fight back.
"Yes," she said firmly. "I can do that."
Lucien's smile was slow and dangerous. "Good. Because this is going to be a long game, and we're going to need each other."
"What's the first step?"
"Tomorrow, you'll receive an invitation to stay at the Blackwood estate for a few weeks. My family's summer home. You'll accept it."
"Why would your family invite me? They must hate me after today."
"The invitation will come from my aunt, Lady Blackwood. She's... sympathetic to young women who've been wronged by men." His expression darkened. "She'll understand."
"And then?"
"Then we start hunting." He moved to the window and looked out at the darkening sky. "Someone thinks they've played the perfect game. They're about to learn how wrong they are."
Seraphina joined him at the window. In the distance, she could see lights beginning to flicker on in the city below.
"Why are you really helping me?" she asked quietly.
Lucien was silent for a long moment. When he finally spoke, his voice was rough.
"Because I know what it's like to be thrown away by people who are supposed to love you."
Something in his tone made her chest tight. She wanted to ask what he meant, but before she could, he turned away from the window.
"I should get you back before someone notices you're missing," he said. "Can you make it to your chambers without being seen?"
"Yes."
"Good. Remember, act defeated. Let them think they've won." He opened the door for her. "And Seraphina?"
"Yes?"
"This isn't over. Not even close."
As she walked back through the dark corridors toward her room, Seraphina felt something she hadn't felt in hours.
Hope.
And something else too. Something warm and dangerous that she didn't want to name.
Tomorrow, her real fight would begin.