Senna Aldorban

The entire country seemed to have erupted in uproar, yet it was about something completely out of my imagination.

King Lius didn't know I was the one who interrupted the "auction". An auction where they sold people. An auction that dark faeries were somehow involved in.

King Lius knew. That meant... No. Kace didn't know. He couldn't. Because staring at him across the conference hall, his jaw locked and hands bunched into a fist, it was obvious he didn't know.

"Look, Prince Kace can handle this," Mallor tried to reassure. "He's handled worse."

"I highly doubt there's much things worse than a sex trafficking ring, Mallor," I grounded, shoving my glass into his hand. "I'll take care of King Lius."

"But Prince Kace—"

"If he has a problem, he can bring it." I needed to make sure my voice was low—there was an abundant of politicians in the conference hall to discuss what happened at the port. "I never had a problem putting Kace in his place."

"This situation is entirely different." Mallor gestured to the lords and viscounts that were conversing. "These people can ruin you. Especially since you're a woman."

Heat rose inside me as I gripped my gown. All of these insufferable people could've prevented this. Now they decided to investigate? They would find some way to blame this on me.

"You won't get locked up." Mallor shifted in his spot, aware of his own lie. "They don't even know it was you."

"You're terrible at comforting."

Right as I sharply grimaced, Kace slipped out of the conference hall, his emerald cape trailing him. Suddenly the weight of the situation came crashing down. Kace was going to tell them I did it. Kace would...

No. I did not care if he told. Honestly, I'd love to see the look on King Lius's face after I ruined Entorre for this.

My fear quickly turned into raging anger as I began talking to some random lord. Even as he spoke, there was an annoyance in his voice. The worst thing that could happen to a man was to be on the same level as a woman.

And me? I was beyond his level.

I laughed at his subtle remark and walked away from him.

Guards made their way into the large hall, each taking a post. King Lius was on his way.

*~⚜️~*
Kace Holland

Sliding my cape off, I met my own gaze in the mirror and sighed. All these documents proved that the ring was an agreed upon act instated by King Lius—as in my father agreed to this.

I stretched my neck and continued rifling through the documents. Names were listed. Thousands. Thousands. Probably more.

Princess Senna was... competent enough to have guarded herself well. Had she not, she could've died. She nearly did. My concerns didn't lie with that vixen, because deep down, I knew she would've found some way to handle herself. My concern was with those people she saw being bought and enslaved.

And Mallor. If she hated him so much, why was she still interacting with him?

What the hell was wrong with me? There was worse things to worry about. King Lius had issued an order to find the criminal that interrupted the auction. Guards have taken over the streets of Entorre. The further away from Entorre City, the more guards.

It was a good thing their "criminal" was right in their walls. Unfortunately for them, they would not be finding her anytime soon.

Because instead of trying to convince the lords and viscounts to forgive her, I would do better. The best plans were the ones that went unsaid. Mine was be better than that.

Today, King Lius was going to find out exactly what kind of son he had. I ran a quick hand through my freshly cut hair and left my room.

*~⚜️~*
Senna Aldorban

Minutes ticked by. Every time I thought King Lius was about to walk in, a guard dished orders to another. Each guard that came in made my body tense.

As I walked around the conference hall, my body only grew colder and colder.

A guard whizzed past me and went right toward Mallor. God, what did I need to do around here to get answers? What the hell was going to happen? Even as my thoughts strayed to the colorful mosaic ceilings, I couldn't bear the thought of what would happen once they knew it was me.

I leant against a wall and took a swig of wine; I was so much stronger than this. Nothing they could decree as my fate could compare to what I'd do to them.

The double doors swung open. In came the epitome of trash dressed in blood red and adorned with rubies. Locking my gaze on him, I took another sip of wine. What a pretentious, little...

Kace probably picked up some traits from his father. Other than the obvious physical characteristics, the presence of King Lius was enough to infuriate everyone and simultaneously captivate them.

Yet I didn't mind Kace's presence at the opera house.

That subconscious thought was irrelevant. Because Kace wasn't here right now. When I needed him, he left. Honestly I wasn't surprised.

One of King Lius's guards whispered something into his ear. Several guards around the room swarmed out the hall. Could they not get on with my execution, or did they seriously need to drag this out?

Mallor rushed to my side. "They found a culprit."

Choking on my wine, I forced out, "What?"

"I don't know," he said, his eyes quickly searching the room. "They turned themselves in. King Lius is about to make a show out of it."

"Mallor, what are you saying?" Was I the only one who remembered that we broke into the opera house auction?

He shook his head and kept a straight face, but from the way his hand slid into his pockets, I could tell he was just as confused. Only an idiot would confess to something as severe as that—and it wasn't even them.

Unless... "Do you think Prince Kace threatened someone?"

He was silent but I knew he heard me.

"He did, didn't he?"

Mallor shook his head. "I don't know."

"So answer me—"

"It's possible," he admitted, glancing toward the dais. "He's Prince Kace, after all."

"Where the hell is he?"

"The hall is on lockdown, Princess. You can't leave."

"But he framed someone!" I whisper-shouted, clenching the wine glass harder. Prince Kace was hardly an honorable man; the word didn't exist in his vocabulary.

It did in mine, though. I would not have someone else take the blame for this. Before I could march to the dais, Mallor held my arm and dragged me back. "Don't be dense!"

"Dense?" I yanked my arm back. "He's about to get an innocent person killed! Are your morals that much beneath you?"

"Morals don't matter right now." I scoffed and tried to walk again, but this time I was pulled back harder. Firmer. "We don't need two Aldorbans in prison, Princess Senna."

"Do you—"

"Men!" a voice boomed over the crowd. Everyone spun to face the man who spoke, and to no ones surprise, it was the King. "Our criminal has confessed and will be joining us. Our discussions with the criminal must remain civil. Agreed?"

The hall collectively agreed. Before I could shout over them, the doors opened again, and a woman walked in flanked by guards.

"Saints," Mallor muttered, his grip on my arm loosening. The woman... Odaya. What was she doing here? "All right, Princess Senna, let's try to leave—"

"Get your hand off me." She was lucky he was still somewhat holding me back. What I was planning for her was incomparable to the pain she had caused.

Another swarm of guards flooded the room, this time more frantic. The lords went silent. The room was silent.

King Lius made a lazy movement with his hands, and the doors were opened once again.

The faint light from the torch illuminated the guards that flanked the hooded prisoner. Little evening light washed into the room, only extenuating the shadows.

"Here's our brave man of the people," King Lius announced, standing on the highest step of the dais. "Interrupting business. But good men are either bought or broken, so which are you?"

Cold, heart-twisting silence. The kind that insinuated a threat.

Then there was an unfamiliar, ruthless laugh from underneath the hood. When I heard the voice, the blood in my body froze completely.

The guards exchanged a glance and, finally, the hood came off. Every eye in the room bulged. Mine were glued. "Surprise, Father."

"What?"

"Come a little closer," Kace spoke into the dark, a radiant, piercing smile on his face. "We need to talk."

No laugh or smile could kill, but his... his could massacre. My heart was pounding out of my chest as I stared helplessly at the scene in front of me—father and son. An utterly shocking conversation. Kace in chains and shackled, yet happy at the same time.

Happy.

That wasn't the right word.

"What have you done." King Lius broke the silence in the room that combated only Kace's subtle laughs.

He gave a small shrug and glanced my direction. Right as our gazes met, I inched my mouth shut and my heart only wanted to beat its way out. "Lord Trion, did you know King Lius was planning to split your land in half to use for this slave trade? You may not care"—Kace lifted his chained wrists—"but in my bag, you can see the documents. King Lius was planning to demote you."

Lord Trion, the man next to me, slowly looked up at the dais.

"And Lord Triton isn't the only one," Kace added. "I've had assistance finding these documents. Believe it or not"—his focus returned to his father—"by a woman."

"What are you trying to do?" King Lius took a step down.

"Did you know," Kace started again, taking a step closer to his father, the guards not stopping him, "that I have come to a sudden revelation, King Lius?"

Words were lost.

"That my brother was killed by you when he was merely six years old? That you stole another random boy who looked and talked and acted like Nicholyn so no one would judge you?"

Odaya's hand shot to her mouth. A million different gasps shot across the room, and yet only mine didn't exist.

"This is war, Prince Kace. This country is mine, these people are mine, this war is mine. And in war, people die." King Lius stopped at the base of the dais and had his hand on his sword.

"Not my people," Kace said.

"No, not your people," King Lius countered. Then he turned, nodded to the guards. "Kill him."

No one moved.

Kace laughed.

The choke I let out was louder than I thought. I hadn't realized it yet, but I was sweating, and I couldn't hold back even if I tried. Kace's aura was enough to weigh my chest and break it in half.

"It would do you good to know your people." Kace brought his wrists up to a guard. Within seconds the shackles were unlocked. "Because, unfortunately, these aren't your guards."

Immediately King Lius spun toward me. "Order your men to arrest him," he shouted at me. "Now, Princess Senna."

"No." The word came out uncontrollably.

The color on his face washed out. "You think you're so smart, Kace?"

"I am," he said, taking a step so close to his father. "Because those aren't her guards, either." Emerald eyes peered toward me. Everyone in the room watched me and yet I could only focus on those eyes. His eyes.

"You cannot do this," a woman spoke out. For the first time since I've been here, Queen Nillaj spoke out. "You're ruining your father."

"He made his choices. I made mine."

"Who are those guards?" King Lius yelled as he stared at his son with a darkness blanketing his features.

"The former captain of the Thaeleckean guard. Sir Alexander Blackus's men were honored to help me and their leader's son, Mallor, in this."

Mallor Blackus.

I spun around and caught his darkening eyes.

"People don't just die in war, King Lius," Kace spoke, gesturing around the room, "they're bought and broken and betrayed. How do you all feel? Are your emotions making you weaker or stronger now?"

"Enough," Queen Nillaj ordered.

Kace pressed forward. "But it doesn't matter. If anyone in this room deserves recognition, it's the people who were directly harmed by your foolishness."

Next to Kace, a guard took their helmet off, and out came the familiar woman that was Adonia Wu in the flesh.