Page 110
Story: Princes of Ash
“So you keep the censored history in here?”
“I do.” She pauses, turning to me with a reluctant tilt to her mouth. “You might already know this, but I was a Princess once.”
My head snaps back in surprise. “You were?”
I can’t tell if she’s more disappointed or relieved that I didn’t know. Eventually, Princesses fall out of generational gossip. In twenty years, no one will remember Piper, either. “I conceived, but it wasn’t meant to be,” she says, glancing at me with a sad smile. “I lost the baby in my tenth week.”
I’m struck rudely dumb as I process this. The thought of going through everything we have, only for Verity to lose our son…
Panic wedges itself into my throat.
“I—I’m sorry.” The words are weak and selfish because I’m not even thinking about Adeline or her Princes. I’m thinking aboutus. I’m thinking about how I can lock Verity up, watch her every second of the day, kill anyone who even looks at her, and even then, there’s a possibility it won’t be enough to keep the baby safe.
“Thank you. It was a long time ago,” she says, turning back to the files. As I’m lost in this loop of utter fucking dread, Adeline exclaims, “Ah! Here it is.” She pulls out a photo—a portrait—and I recognize the setting like I’d know the specific texture of Effie’s wings. It’s the palace’s ceremonial room, and just like others, the background suggests it’s the night of the masquerade. The white dress, the tuxedos, the candles, and the roses; they’re all there. But this photo is taken up close, the woman’s face clear and crisp.
She’s black, her complexion darker than mine, with a wide smile revealing a warm umber blush on the apple of each sharp cheekbone. She has full, round lips that tilt a little, her expression some mixture of elation and wryness. Her hair is relaxed but set into large, voluminous black curls. She’s wearing a pearl in each ear, staring straight into the camera with dark eyes that glitter against the flash.
Too stunned to speak, I remain frozen as Adeline holds the photo up to my face. “It’s not just the eyes,” she says, her tone giddy. “It’s the bone structure. The way your lips turn down slightly, see? Don’t you think so?”
I snatch the photo from her. “Who is this?”
“Careful,” she says, looking alarmed. “That’s the only photo I have of her.”
“Whois she?” I repeat.
“I wish I knew.” She looks down at her files. “Sometimes, it's easy to track them down. They have family still involved or powerful enough to salvage their reputation. East End is fairly incestuous enough that everyone knows, or is related, to whoever is involved.” She touches the edge of the photo in my hand. “But occasionally, we have a mystery. This woman, clearly someone you’re related to, is a mystery. We’ve got no information on her at all. I was hoping you might know.” Her expression turns careful, just like her voice. “Do you happen to have any information on your biological family?”
Shaking my head, I inspect the photo voraciously, looking for any little signal that this isher. “How the hell do you just erase a Princess?” I ask, unable to tear my gaze away.
Adeline gives a weak chuckle. “You know King Ashby better than I do. I assume it would be on his order.”
“Or maybe she just didn’t want to be found,” I offer, that same rush of dread from before taking over. “Maybe she walked away. Abandoned her duty.”
Abandonedme.
“It’s possible,” Adeline says, “but you know nothing is that easy here. Especially for the women. No one walks away from your father.”
Then she ran. Packed up her things, dropped me off at the children’s home, and never looked back. Maybe Bruce was right. She fucked a Duke, abandoned me, and bolted, both of them traitors—embarrassments—to their houses.
Reaching into my pocket, I take out my phone, lay the photo out on her desk, and snap a photo. With a few taps, I have it sent to an encrypted email that no one, not even Father or my brothers, can access.
“Do you want to keep it?” Adeline asks, watching me closely.
I shake my head. Adeline has kept this photo safe for years now. If Father really had something to do with erasing her, I’m not about to take it back to the palace. “This is an impressive collection. I wouldn’t want to remove anything. Keep it safe.” I step toward the door, pausing. “And let me know if you learn anything new.”
“I will.” She reaches out to squeeze my arm, her eyes full of sympathy. “I’m so sorry if seeing this upset you. I shouldn’t have—”
“It’s fine,” I assure.
Adeline knows this is a lie. Luckily, she just nods. “I’ll go check on your Princess.”
I’m still staring at the photo on my phone when Verity walks out. Could this be her? My mother? Or maybe Bruce was full of shit, mixing up shitty West End gossip, and this is someone else. An aunt? A cousin? Even a sister. That’s the fuck-you when you know nothing about your history. There’s no thread to pull, no dot to connect.
“Well,” Adeline prompts, “did we make up for the fiasco?”
I drag my eyes away from the screen, and my heart skitters like I’m in a goddamn movie. Everything is suddenly in slow-mo, from the way she ducks her head to the nervous smile touching her lips. There’s no denying Verity is my dream girl. I knew the minute her picture popped up on that app, hair like fire and skin like ice. Back then, she was cute. Innocent and pure. But right now, with that red hair all shiny and curled over her shoulders…
Fuck. She’s a knockout.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182
- Page 183
- Page 184
- Page 185
- Page 186
- Page 187
- Page 188
- Page 189
- Page 190
- Page 191
- Page 192