Chapter 69: The Vipers

Chapter 69: The Vipers

Lyra rushed down the steps after the Crown Prince, her white skirts rustled loudly as she tried to match his long, angry strides.

"Sebastian, please listen to me!" Lyra pleaded, reaching out for his arm again. "You cannot do this. The high priests are watching. The entire nobility is watching. If you humiliate me on the night of my announcement, the church will withdraw its support for your next campaign!"

"Then let them withdraw it," Sebastian said, not even turning his head to look at her as he cut through the crowd of wealthy lords and ladies.

“Sebastian, please, listen to me!”

"I have no use for a church that relies on a girl who can’t even follow a simple order to leave my presence."

"I am the Saintess!" Lyra hissed like a snake as they drew closer to the grand balcony where Neria was. "I am the chosen light of this kingdom! You need me, Sebastian!"

"Right now, Lyra, you are nothing but an annoying noise in my ear," Sebastian replied coldly, stepping past a group of elderly dukes who immediately bowed to him.

Neria was still laughing at whatever the blond lord was saying when Sebastian finally reached the balcony.

The blond lord stopped speaking instantly, his face turned completely pale as he realised the Crown Prince was standing right behind him.

"Your Highness," the blond lord stammered, bowing so low his nose almost touched the marble railing. "Lord Julian of the Western Marches, at your service. We were just... enjoying the lovely evening."

"Is that what you call it, Lord Julian?" Sebastian asked, sounding smooth like silk but sharp like a razor.

"I was unaware that the Western Marches had so much free time to spend whispering into the ears of women who do not belong to them. Tell me, are the borders so peaceful that you can neglect your duties for a glass of cheap wine?"

Neria took a slow sip from her glass. "Oh, do not be so harsh, Sebastian. Lord Julian was just telling me about the beautiful horses in the west. He was being a very attentive host."

"He was being a nuisance," Sebastian countered, stepping directly between Neria and the young lord, his hand resting casually on his scepter.

"Lord Julian, I believe your father was looking for you near the northern entrance. Go find him before I decide to audit your family's tax records for the last ten years."

"Of course, Your Highness! Right away!" Lord Julian gasped, bowing quickly before turning on his heel and disappearing into the dense crowd as fast as his legs could carry him.

Neria leaned against the balcony railing, looking up at Sebastian with a wicked smile.

"You really know how to ruin a conversation, dear prince. He was just about to offer me a tour of his family's private gardens."

"The only place you are touring is the palace grounds under my watchful eye," Sebastian murmured, leaning closer to her until his shoulder brushed against her midnight velvet dress.

"Did you forget our little agreement in the dressing room so quickly, Neria?"

"I didn't forget anything," Neria purred, her eyes dropped to his lips for a second. "But a girl needs options, Sebastian. Especially when her sister is standing right behind us looking like she wants to cast a holy curse on my entire lineage."

Lyra was indeed standing a few feet away, her hands trembled with rage as she stared at them.

"Neria, you are acting completely inappropriately. This is the night of my blessing. You are supposed to be supporting me, not dragging the Crown Prince into your scandalous games."

"My games are very educational, Lyra," Neria replied with a small smirk, not looking bothered at all. "You should try playing one sometime. It might help with that stiff posture."

Before Lyra could unleash another furious argument, the curtain near the balcony was pushed aside.

Alistair strode into the small clearing, his face pale and covered in a thin sheet of cold sweat.

"Your Highness, Lady Neria," Alistair said, his voice urgent and low as he checked the shadows around the balcony.

"We have a critical situation. The palace guards on the eastern wall have just been compromised. There is immediate danger approaching the ballroom."

Lyra let out a small, terrified gasp, immediately stepping closer to Sebastian for safety. "Danger? Assassins? Here?"

Sebastian’s blue eyes narrowed instantly, his royal composure snapped back into place as he looked at the Captain of the Gate.

"How many? Who authorised their entry through the eastern sectors?"

"I do not know, Your Highness," Alistair lied, his jaw looked tight as he kept his eyes on the crowd.

"But my scouts report that a heavily armed group has already breached the lower corridors. We need to move you and the Saintess to the secure bunker immediately."

Neria stared at Alistair and in her head there was this runaway carriage.

She looked at his tense shoulders, his golden armor, and the specific way he was positioning his shield to block the entrance to the ballroom.

A massive wave of familiarity hit her. She knew this exact scenario. She had seen these movements before in her very first try at this timeline.

‘The rebels,’ Neria thought, her blood turned to pure ice beneath her velvet dress. ‘The secret revolutionary forces that Alistair protects. His secret allies.’

Alistair wasn't trying to save the Prince from a random threat. He was setting the stage for the ambush.

He was helping his own people infiltrate the palace tonight to stage the coup against the royal family, and he was currently using his position as the Captain of the Gate to herd Sebastian right into their trap.

"Alistair," Neria spoke up in a flat and dangerously calm tone as she took a step toward the golden knight.

"Lady Neria, we must move now," Alistair insisted, reaching out to grab her arm to pull her away from Sebastian. "There is no time to waste."

"No," Neria said, slapping his hand away with a slap.

She looked straight into his guilty eyes, her green gaze cut right through his heroic mask.

"We are not going to the lower corridors, Alistair. Because you and I both know exactly who is waiting down there in the dark."

Sebastian’s body turned chilly…he started darting his eyes from Neria’s pale face to the subtle shift in Alistair’s stance.