Chapter 15 The Princess's Gambit
Janelle
My hands still shook as I scrubbed the blood from the stone floor outside Lord Darius's chambers. Adrian and Darius had drawn actual blood before the guards separated them, and the metallic scent made my stomach turn. But it wasn't the blood that terrified me, it was the look in Princess Sophia's eyes when she'd seen Adrian's rage over me.
She knew.
"Janelle."
The voice made me freeze, my scrub brush hovering over the stained stone. I looked up to see Princess Sophia herself standing in the corridor, her golden hair perfectly arranged, her blue silk gown spotless. She looked like a painting of perfection, but her eyes were ice cold.
"Your Highness," I whispered, scrambling to my feet and dropping into the deepest curtsy I could manage. Water from my cleaning bucket sloshed onto the floor. "I'm sorry, I was just finishing.."
"Leave that," she said, her voice crisp and commanding. "Walk with me."
It wasn't a request.
My heart hammered against my ribs as I followed her down the corridor, past tapestries and portraits of long-dead kings. She moved with the fluid grace of someone born to power, while I stumbled along behind her like the clumsy servant I was.
She led me to a small sitting room I'd never seen before, furnished with delicate chairs and a marble fireplace. Sunlight streamed through tall windows, making everything look golden and warm, but the atmosphere felt arctic.
"Sit," Princess Sophia commanded, settling herself in a chair like a queen claiming her throne.
I perched on the edge of the opposite chair, my hands clenched in my lap. "Your Highness, if this is about what happened in Lord Darius's chambers.."
"Oh, it's absolutely about what happened." Her smile was sharp as broken glass. "Though perhaps not in the way you think."
My mouth went dry. "I don't understand."
"Don't you?" She tilted her head, studying me like I was an interesting insect. "Let me be very clear, Janelle. I saw the way Prince Adrian looked at you. The way he nearly killed Lord Darius over you. The way he completely lost control the moment he thought another man might want you."
Heat flooded my cheeks. "Your Highness, I never encouraged.."
"I don't care what you encouraged or didn't encourage." Her voice cut through my stammering like a blade. "I care about what I see. And what I saw was a man desperately in love."
The words hit me like physical blows. "No, that's not... he doesn't..."
"Love you?" Princess Sophia laughed, the sound like silver bells and winter wind. "Oh, my dear little servant. He's absolutely mad for you. Any fool could see it."
I stared at her, unable to form words. Part of me wanted to deny it, but another part – the part that remembered Adrian's protective fury, his whispered confessions, the way he looked at me like I was his whole world, knew she was right.
"The question is," Princess Sophia continued, leaning forward with predatory interest, "what are you going to do about it?"
"I... I don't know what you mean."
"Let me help you understand." She reached into a small silk purse and withdrew a leather pouch that clinked with the weight of coins. "This contains enough gold to set you up for life. A modest house in the countryside, perhaps. A small business. A comfortable existence far from court politics and royal complications."
I stared at the pouch like it might bite me. "Why would you give me that?"
"Because I want you to disappear." Her mask of sweetness slipped for just a moment, revealing something cold and calculating underneath. "Tonight. Before dawn. Take the money, take whatever belongings you have, and leave this kingdom forever."
The offer hung between us like a loaded weapon. Enough gold to escape the threats, the surveillance, the constant fear. Enough to start over somewhere safe, somewhere far from mate bonds and royal complications.
"I can't," I whispered.
"Can't? Or won't?"
"Both." I met her eyes, surprising myself with my own courage. "This is my home. These people are my friends. I won't be driven away by threats."
Princess Sophia's expression didn't change, but something shifted in the air around her. The temperature seemed to drop ten degrees.
"How disappointing," she said softly. "I was hoping we could handle this like civilized people."
"What do you mean?"
She stood gracefully, smoothing her silk skirts. "Tell me about your brother, Janelle."
My blood turned to ice. "What?"
"Thomas, isn't it? Fourteen years old? Works in the village blacksmith's shop?" Her voice was conversational, but her eyes were deadly. "Sweet boy. Looks just like you, from what I hear."
"How do you know about Tommy?" My voice came out as a croak.
"Oh, I make it my business to know about anything that might affect my future husband." She walked to the window, gazing out at the courtyard below. "Such a dangerous profession, blacksmithing. All those heavy tools. All that fire. Accidents happen so easily."
The threat was clear as daylight, and it hit me like a punch to the gut. "You wouldn't."
"Wouldn't I?" She turned back to me, and her beautiful face was completely serene. "I'm going to be queen, Janelle. Do you understand what that means? It means I will protect my interests by any means necessary."
"He's just a boy." My voice broke on the words. "He's never hurt anyone."
"And he never will, as long as you're reasonable." Princess Sophia returned to her chair, settling herself like we were discussing the weather. "The choice is simple. Take the gold and leave, or watch your dear little brother suffer the consequences of your stubbornness."
I felt like I was drowning. Tommy was all the family I had left in the world. The only person who remembered our parents, who shared my memories of before. He was innocent, pure, working hard to make an honest living while I scrubbed floors in a palace.
"You're a monster," I whispered.
"I'm a princess," she corrected with a cold smile. "And soon to be a queen. Monsters are luxuries royalty can't afford. We simply do what must be done."
"Adrian would never forgive you if he knew."
"Adrian will never know. As far as he's concerned, you simply realized the impossibility of your situation and chose to leave. A servant girl making the wise choice to step aside for her better."
The casual cruelty in her voice made my stomach turn. This wasn't the sweet, gentle princess the court admired. This was someone else entirely, someone ruthless enough to threaten a child to get what she wanted.
"I need time to think," I said desperately.
"You have until tomorrow at dawn." Princess Sophia stood again, smoothing her perfect gown. "Pack light. The carriage will be waiting at the servants' gate."
"And if I refuse?"
Her smile was winter-sharp. "Then I suggest you say goodbye to your brother tonight. Because accidents in blacksmith shops can be... quite fatal."
She moved toward the door, then paused with her hand on the handle. "Oh, and Janelle? If you even think about warning Adrian or trying to get help from Lord Darius, I'll know. And Tommy will pay the price immediately."
The door closed behind her with a soft click, leaving me alone with my shattered world.
I sat in that chair for what felt like hours, staring at the leather pouch of gold on the table. Enough money to disappear forever. Enough to ensure Tommy's safety. All I had to do was abandon everything and everyone I cared about.
All I had to do was break my own heart to save my brother's life.
The mate bond ached in my chest, a constant reminder of what I'd be giving up. Adrian would think I'd abandoned him by choice. He'd never know the truth, never understand that I was doing this to protect Tommy.
But Tommy was innocent. Tommy deserved to live.
"I'll do it," I whispered to the empty room, my voice breaking on the words. "I'll leave."
The gold felt heavy as lead when I picked up the pouch, but it was nothing compared to the weight of my breaking heart.
Behind me, hidden in the shadows of the partially open door,
Lord Darius stepped back silently, his green eyes dark with fury at what he'd just witnessed.
He'd heard every word.