Page 31 of Fit for a Prince (Fit For A Crown #1)
I was sweating now, thick droplets running down my neck as my dress suddenly felt far too tight.
I just needed one of them, but when they were all together like this it was too easy for them to pick me apart.
The ticking clock echoed in my head, moving faster and faster as Lochlan slurped up my time with his goblet of wine.
“Except it wasn’t one lucky match.” Atlas’s voice interrupted the internal clock. “Lady Diaspro is exceptionally skilled in battle. In our match, she nearly bested me.”
“I don’t care about your play-fighting, Atlas,” Lochlan said as he cut into the eggs the servants had just placed before him. He lifted the fork to his lips, but the bite never made it to his mouth.
“I wasn’t playing.” I’d never heard Atlas take on such a dark tone before. It was both serious and powerful, accompanied by a curl of his fist. Lochlan dropped his fork, his eyes dilating. “She can fight.”
I had never felt so small and so powerful at the same time.
With that single declaration, every eye in the room turned to me with the exact same level of shock and disbelief.
In this kingdom, Atlas was their champion, and I shouldn’t even have been capable of fighting a feisty kitten.
The Aemastian servants looked paler than normal in their blue uniforms. I didn’t shrink back, but it felt wrong to sit tall.
I hadn’t expected him to be taking his own notes on me when we fought; he’d been paying closer attention than I’d realized.
Letting those skills be discovered could prove to be a lethal mistake, but there was also the hope that it added just enough to my worth to keep me alive.
“Are you jesting?” Cedric asked, his eyes flicking to me with a great deal of worry that made the blood drain from my face.
“Not at all.” Atlas raised his right hand. “I swear on our mother’s grave.”
Soft gasps flooded the room, and the first round of whispers chirped around us.
“Are you implying that the lady hustled me during our duel?” Lochlan tossed his napkin over his place, eyeing me like I was his new meal. “Where does a future princess learn how to fight trained royals?”
My hands were shaking now. I twisted them together to keep them still. If they realized what I was capable of, it was only a matter of time until they figured out more…
Would they figure out what had happened to Damon ?
“At the fallen palace, of course,” I said in a perfectly calm voice. “As a future queen, it was important that I learned how to defend myself.”
“Queens don’t fight.” Atlas crossed his arms with a dull expression. He’d been thinking about this long before today. “It’s unbefitting for a lady to wield a weapon, especially a monarch. Why would Leopold select such a crass lady for his son?”
“What your culture sees as crass, mine sees as exceptional,” I said, my voice breathy as my shaking hands became impossible to settle. “But you wouldn’t know much about my culture since you took little interest in learning about it before turning it to ash.”
“Actually, I know a great deal about your culture.” Atlas shifted closer, his posture easy and comfortable like he was softening me for an interrogation.
“You saw our library, didn’t you? I’ve spent quite a bit of time researching your traditions and values.
From what I read, women were praised for being reserved and demure.
In the upper classes, women weren’t even permitted to join the workforce. ”
I should have burned those books when I saw them.
He had me cornered. Even Lochlan was immersed in the conversation as they all waited for my explanation. I had only one .
“You’re correct.” I tucked my hands behind my back, compressing them against the chair. “That’s what was expected of normal ladies. But Leopold never wanted normal for Damon. He wanted me.”
“And who are you ?” Atlas asked. The way he looked at me wasn’t comprehendible.
He was curious, frustrated, and above all, longing.
That look could pull almost any information out of me, and the pounding in my heart nearly let my darkest secrets loose, but the ticking of the clock and my uncontrollable trembling provided enough fear to keep my tongue tied.
“I am Diaspro,” I said. “The only woman King Leopold found to be worth more than the dirt he walked on.”
“What about Damon?” Atlas picked deeper at my scars. “According to your ring, he chose you. Why?”
I curled my fingers around the ring, keeping it tucked behind my back like I didn’t want it to see what was happening.
“I can’t speak for him,” I whispered. “He’s gone.”
“He’s dead,” Lochlan said candidly. “For someone who is so insistent on marrying a prince, you seem to have an easy time forgetting about the first one you charmed.”
I twisted my ring, the never-ending circle always coming back around to the gaudy gem that I couldn’t pull away from .
“I’ve never forgotten Damon.” My voice burned in the back of my throat. “He took a piece of me with him when he died. A piece without which I will never be the same.”
“Must have been your heart,” Lochlan taunted. “You let yourself love him, and now you’re empty and cold. The perfect princess for a heartless Aemastian prince.”
That’s not true.
“Lochlan, that’s enough.” Cedric exhaled. “Don’t put words in her mouth.”
“Why not? She hasn’t denied it.” Lochlan rose from his seat, circling around the table. “Perhaps it’s because I’m wrong. Maybe she never loved him at all.”
I pushed back from the table, clenching my fingers tight to hide the shaking. He snaked closer, my blood pressure rising as my will to survive was eclipsed by my hatred for the twin heir.
“Damon was Leopold’s son, after all,” Lochlan continued. “I’d bet he was just as cruel as his father. Is that why you’re so resilient, Lady Diaspro?”
You know nothing.
“Is that why you’re so determined to survive?
” He stopped behind my seat, my back straight as his voice slithered down my spine.
“You’ve been in this position before. I’d gamble that you even like this position better than your last. Three princes all to yourself?
Admit it, you’re happy that Damon died. His end was your freedom and you love that, but unlike Damon, you’ll never be able to give us what we want. ”
He was right, yet still so wrong.
“It’s too bad the three of us won’t die so easily.
” He brushed my hair to the side, his hand slinking around my neck like an imagined rope.
His fingers were ice cold as they slithered across my flesh.
“There’s no happily ever after for you here, princess.
Except for the one where you are reunited with your old prince, though I’m sure that will be just as miserable—”
Slap.
I’d snapped out of my seat faster than he could draw a breath. The smack of my palm against his cheek sent ripples of pleasure through my core. The sting of his jaw’s impact felt like fire against my skin, but I craved the heat.
“Diaspro!” Atlas leapt out of his chair, followed by Cedric and a whole flood of servants and soldiers.
Atlas was the closest, but before he could pull me away from his brother, Lochlan snatched me by the throat, pulling me close and causing everyone to stop their pursuit.
His firm grip held me right under the chin, lifting my face so I couldn’t look away from the blazing red handprint I’d left on his cheek.
I couldn’t help but smile at my art .
“You’re dead now, princess.” His fierce growl was stained with a wicked smile that had a trickle of blood spilling out the corner. His eyes gleamed as he applied only enough pressure on my throat to torment me.
“Just like you wanted.” I barely choked out the words, and his smile dipped as the guards sprang into action and wrapped their hands around us both. “Hate me, Lochlan, but know that I can always get you what you want—”
“Quiet!” The guard slapped me, and my ears rang as I received a taste of my own medicine.
Everything was fuzzy after that. I didn’t bother to struggle against the guards when I knew good and well that I was past saving.
The princes wouldn’t choose me, the king wouldn’t spare me, but the Ivalonian servants present would remember my last moment as one where I never stopped fighting.
All sounds faded around me. I could hear Atlas shouting and Cedric arguing, but the only thing I truly remember hearing was the ticking of that awful clock.