Seraphina woke before dawn, too excited and nervous to sleep any longer.
She dressed carefully in a simple yellow dress that would be good for walking in the gardens. Then she sat by her window, watching the sun rise over the manor grounds and trying to calm her racing heart.
Today, she and Lucien would finally be able to talk freely about their plans for revenge. Today, their real work would begin.
A soft knock on her door made her jump.
"Come in," she called.
Rose entered with a breakfast tray—fresh bread, butter, jam, and hot tea.
"Lady Blackwood thought you might prefer to eat in your room this morning," the young maid said. "She's already gone into the village on business, and Prince Lucien is... well, he's not much of a breakfast person."
"Thank you, Rose. That's very thoughtful."
After Rose left, Seraphina ate quickly, too eager to get started to have much appetite. When she finished, she made her way downstairs and out through the French doors that led to the gardens.
The morning air was cool and sweet, filled with the scent of roses and honeysuckle. Dew still clung to the grass, making everything sparkle in the early sunlight. Birds sang in the trees, and somewhere in the distance she could hear the sound of running water.
She found Lucien near a fountain in the center of the rose garden. He was sitting on a stone bench, already dressed for the day in riding clothes. A leather satchel sat beside him on the bench.
"You're an early riser," he said as she approached.
"I couldn't sleep." She sat down beside him, careful to leave space between them. Even here, in private, she needed to be cautious. "Your aunt has gone to the village?"
"Yes, she'll be gone most of the day. The servants are all busy with their morning duties." He gestured toward a path that led deeper into the gardens. "Shall we walk? There's a place I want to show you where we can talk without any chance of being overheard."
They walked in comfortable silence through the beautifully maintained gardens. Past beds of colorful flowers, through an arch covered in climbing vines, around a small pond where fish swam lazily in the clear water.
Finally, the path led them into a grove of old oak trees. In the center of the grove was a small stone cottage, half-covered in ivy.
"What is this place?" Seraphina asked.
"My childhood hideout," Lucien said, pulling a key from his pocket. "When I was young, I used to come here to get away from tutors and royal duties. No one ever thinks to look for me here."
He unlocked the cottage door and gestured for her to enter first.
The inside was simple but comfortable. There was a stone fireplace, a few pieces of old furniture, and shelves lined with books. Sunlight streamed through small windows, and the air smelled like old wood and leather.
"It's perfect," Seraphina said.
"And completely private." Lucien closed the door behind them and set his satchel on a small table. "Now we can finally talk freely."
He opened the satchel and pulled out several papers—maps, letters, and what looked like official documents.
"I've been busy since yesterday," he said. "Gathering information about those grain shipments you supposedly know too much about."
"What did you find?"
"Something very interesting." He spread one of the documents on the table. "This is a record of grain purchases made by the crown over the past six months. According to this, we've bought enough grain to feed the entire kingdom for a year."
Seraphina studied the document. The numbers were staggering.
"But if we bought all this grain, why would the northern provinces be starving?" she asked.
"That's the question, isn't it?" Lucien pulled out another paper. "This is a shipping manifest. It shows grain being loaded onto ships in the capital's harbor. But look at the destinations."
Seraphina scanned the list. Most of the grain was being shipped to ports in neighboring kingdoms, not to the northern provinces of their own country.
"Someone is selling our grain to other countries," she said, the truth hitting her like a physical blow.
"Exactly. While our own people go hungry, someone is making a fortune selling their food to foreigners." Lucien's jaw was tight with anger. "It's not just theft. It's treason."
"But who would have the power to do something like this? The amounts are huge. This isn't something a minor official could pull off alone."
"No, it would take someone very high up. Someone with access to the treasury, shipping records, and the ability to forge documents." He met her eyes. "Someone close to the royal family."
The implications made Seraphina's stomach turn. "You think someone in the royal court is behind this?"
"I'm certain of it. And whoever it is, they saw you as a threat." He pulled out the anonymous letter from yesterday. "Think, Seraphina. What exactly did you overhear that night three weeks ago?"
She closed her eyes, trying to remember every detail of that late-night encounter.
"I was walking through the castle because I couldn't sleep. I took a wrong turn and ended up in a corridor I didn't recognize. There was a door, and I could hear voices arguing inside."
"Whose voices?"
"I don't know. I couldn't make out who was speaking, just that they were angry." She concentrated harder. "One voice was deeper, older maybe. The other was younger, more nervous."
"What exactly did they say?"
"Something about shipments being late. And someone was worried about people finding out. They mentioned the northern provinces starving, and... oh." Her eyes flew open. "One of them said they needed to cover it up before the new queen started asking questions."
Lucien went very still. "The new queen. Meaning you."
"They were worried that once I married Kael, I might discover what they were doing." The pieces were falling into place now. "Future queens often get involved in charity work, helping the poor and hungry. If I had started investigating conditions in the northern provinces..."
"You would have discovered that grain meant for our people was being sold to foreigners instead." Lucien began pacing the small cottage. "So they decided to make sure you never became queen."
"But how did they convince Kael to humiliate me so publicly? Why didn't they just find a quieter way to end the engagement?"
"Because they needed to destroy your credibility completely. If you had been quietly dismissed, you might have still had influence at court. People might have listened if you tried to raise concerns about hunger in the provinces." He stopped pacing and looked at her. "But now? After yesterday's humiliation? Who would believe anything you said?"
The cruelty of it took her breath away. They hadn't just stolen her future—they had made sure she would never be able to expose their crimes.
"There's more," Lucien said quietly. "I did some checking on Princess Amaris."
"Kael's new fiancée?"
"Her father, the King of Aetheria, has been buying large amounts of grain recently. Grain that should have been feeding our people."
Seraphina sank into a chair, overwhelmed by the scope of the conspiracy. "So the marriage isn't just about getting rid of me. It's about securing a buyer for the stolen grain."
"And making sure the new queen will never ask uncomfortable questions about where our food is going."
They sat in silence for a moment, both absorbing the full horror of what they had uncovered.
"We need proof," Seraphina said finally. "Real evidence, not just shipping manifests that could be explained away."
"Agreed. But that's going to be dangerous. Whoever is behind this has already shown they're willing to destroy anyone who threatens them."
"Then we'll have to be very careful." She looked at him across the small table. "What's our next step?"
Lucien smiled, and it was the same dangerous smile she remembered from their first meeting.
"We're going to set a trap."
"What kind of trap?"
"The kind that makes our enemies think they're winning, right up until the moment we destroy them." He leaned forward, his green eyes intense. "How good are you at playing a part, Seraphina?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, how convincingly can you pretend to be a broken, defeated woman who's given up on everything?"
She thought about it. After yesterday's humiliation, it wouldn't be hard to convince people she was crushed.
"I think I can manage that," she said.
"Good. Because we're going back to court."
"What?" Her heart jumped. "I thought the plan was to stay here and investigate."
"The plan has changed. If we want to catch the people behind this, we need to be where they are." He gathered up the papers and put them back in his satchel. "Don't worry. You won't be going back as the rejected former fiancée trying to reclaim her position."
"Then what will I be going back as?"
His smile turned wicked. "My new interest."
Heat flooded Seraphina's cheeks. "Your... what?"
"Think about it. What would be more humiliating for my dear brother than having his cast-off fiancée taken up by his younger brother? And what would be more natural than me consoling a beautiful, heartbroken woman?"
"That's... that's scandalous."
"Exactly. Which means everyone will be talking about it instead of watching what we're really doing." He stood and held out his hand to help her up. "Are you brave enough for this, Seraphina? Because once we start, there's no going back."
She looked at his outstretched hand. Taking it would mean agreeing to a plan that could ruin her reputation forever. It would mean pretending to be involved with a man who made her heart race and her thoughts scatter.
It would mean playing with fire and hoping she didn't get burned.
But it would also mean justice for the people who were starving while corrupt officials grew rich. It would mean revenge against those who had tried to destroy her.
She took his hand.
"I'm brave enough," she said.
"Then let's go make some people very, very nervous."