Page 17 of Fit for a Prince (Fit For A Crown #1)

Chapter seventeen

T he more time I spent in King Septimus’s throne room, the more I hated it.

The dim lighting and elevated throne made it feel like I was looking up at a god while he stared down at his peasants in the depths of the underworld.

It was as ornate as it was unsettling, and King Septimus’s set frown certainly didn’t help the atmosphere.

The guards stopped me a few feet in front of his throne as usual, forcing me to kneel into the hard floors that always threatened to crack my knee caps.

I didn’t need to look up at the king to feel his hot glare.

He was truly a devil that burned above everyone, unsure whether to keep me around as a sparkling treasure or turn me into ash with the rest of my kingdom.

“I hope you realize that it is no honor to be brought before me this often,” the king snarled, his knit brow creasing his forehead more than old leather. “When I brought you into this castle, I didn’t expect you to make yourself at home. ”

“Why wouldn’t I?” I raised my chin, fighting the pressure of the guards’ hard grips on my shoulders as they forced me to stay down. “Am I not to be a princess? Do princesses not live in castles?”

“Princesses have crowns.” The king rose from his throne, stepping down to my level.

Each heavy step seemed to rattle the room, making even the guards tense as he stopped only a foot shy of us.

“Until you wear a circlet of gold upon that pretty head of yours, you are nothing more than a prisoner masquerading as a lady.”

The air felt dry and my throat scratchy as I forced myself to swallow. I had been using the king’s interest in my life to persuade his sons into favoring me, but if King Septimus wasn’t going to support my rise to the throne, then I was going to be left fighting empty-handed.

“It’s only a masquerade if I fail.” I straightened my back, fighting the pain in my ribs. “And I rarely fail.”

“But not never.” The king cracked a wicked smile, his eyes dancing with our shared memories of blood and fire. “Don’t forget that I’ve watched you fail more than succeed.”

My knuckles curled, and the pressure of the guards’ hands felt weightless as I shifted one leg out from under me to prop it up so I was only on one knee.

The guards jumped at the sudden movement, scrambling to push me back into place before the king raised his palm to stop them.

I felt their pressure lessen, and slowly they released me and moved back to the walls, leaving me and the king.

“Then you haven’t watched me long enough.” I rose to my full height, still a good six inches shorter than the king, but at least further from the ground.

“I’ve seen plenty,” he said in a grim voice. “You were brought into the kingdom as a trophy. A prize for my sons to flaunt and my enemies to learn a harsh lesson from.”

“I’m sorry that your trophy hasn’t been quite as polished as you hoped, my king .” A slight hiss crept into my voice at the end. “But the prize it stands for is still the same. My worth to this kingdom stretches far beyond my place on a shelf.”

“Unless you’re more trouble than you’re worth,” his voice boomed, echoing around the room and repeating itself in my head.

“There is nothing that goes on within this castle that I don’t know about.

The so-called Guardian of your people seems to be infecting all of my slaves with disobedience, making it difficult to hunt down Leopold’s precious vault.

I had planned to use your obedience as a symbol to those rebels so they would finally fall in line.

Yet all I ever hear about is how you insist on breaking the rules. ”

He circled me like the hands of a clock that were ticking down my final hours. The word Guardian rang through my head. That was the second time the king had brought up this mysterious defender. I hadn’t realized he was using me to oppose their power.

Who could they be? And how could I help them protect the Ivalonians while still staying alive?

“With all due respect, Your Majesty.” I cleared my throat. “The rules being enforced are preventing me from achieving the goal you set for me. How am I meant to marry a prince if I can’t even spend two minutes of the day with them?”

He stopped behind me, right where midnight would have struck on the faceless clock.

“I fail to see how that’s my problem,” he said coldly, chilling my back with a harsh shiver.

“My sons have duties to uphold; it’s your job to make yourself one of those duties without distracting from their others.

I won’t have them falling behind in their tasks, so if they can’t value your time enough to get ahead on their assigned work, that’s their decision.

If you think you’re so useful, then prove how you can be substantial instead of simply satisfying. ”

“I’m meant to charm them through locked doors and faceless exchanges?” I asked, my heart hammering as frustration tightened my throat.

“If that’s what it takes.” The king shrugged, stepping around me and moving back toward his throne.

“Shouldn’t be a problem for you. Like you said, you rarely fail.

” He laced a twisted chuckle through his voice and seated himself back in his throne, his sadistic smile searing into me like a hot iron rod.

“Correct,” I clipped, my anger getting the best of me. “I won’t fail. Whether that be from my cage or out on a leash.”

“Good.” King Septimus leaned back into his chair, a dark aura surrounding him as his smile grew even more unsettling.

“I expect you to be more cooperative going forward. You seem clever enough to understand that there are consequences for even the smallest of missteps. Take that old servant of yours...Oren, was it? It’s a shame he had to be dismissed this morning. ”

My blood turned to ice as my air felt like it had been ripped straight from my chest.

Oren? He’s lying.

“What do you mean dismissed? ” I couldn’t stop the shake in my voice, and the sound of my distress only made the king beam brighter. “Oren was seen just this morning. ”

“I’m afraid he was on his way out,” the king said smugly, each note in his voice like a nail driven through my heart. “He’s been removed from service permanently.”

What?

“Why?” My voice cracked, and I stepped forward just enough that the guards came rushing back to restrain me. I couldn’t even feel their hands, my body completely numb as tears burned at the corners of my eyes. “What did he even do?”

“He helped you .” The king’s voice chilled me to the bone, nauseating me and giving me the urge to tear him to pieces all at the same time. “You should have been slain for challenging Prince Lochlan to a duel. Challengers aren’t permitted to surrender, yet you still came across a white flag.”

No...

My heart stopped, and I might have fallen back to my knees if I wasn’t being held by the guards. Would they really get rid of him for something so minor?

Permanently dismissed…

“Is...is he—” I couldn’t finish, not without crying. I refused to let a single tear fall in front of this monster.

He didn’t answer. He smiled.

Oren was gone .

“The servant forgot his place. I hope this will be an effective reminder for you to remember yours.” The king leaned back on his throne once more, and I couldn’t help but imagine a rope around his thick neck. “Step out of line again, and another one of your servants will meet the same fate.”

My breath caught. He wasn’t punishing me anymore; he knew I could take it. What he was planning was so much worse. Why had I expected anything less from the man who’d killed Damon?

“That handmaiden of yours has been a bit of nuisance,” the king said, his dark eyes absorbing every delicious bit of my hatred. “Make another mistake, and she’ll be disposed of next.”