Chapter 79

FELIX

My bachelor party was being held in the banquet hall of the castle, which had been turned into a private nightclub, thanks to the efforts of twin lords Richard and Robert from Wisteria. I gave them free reign, under the strict directions of “nothing too crazy.”

As soon as I saw the strobe lights, I wondered if maybe I had been a little too lenient in my instructions.

The banquet hall was pulsating with the base of the music, and nobility from all over the world were dancing, drinking, and playing arcade games. It was exactly the kind of atmosphere I had enjoyed for most of my life leading up to meeting Mila.

I supposed I could not fault anyone. Most of these men had only known me as a playboy partier and a womanizer, which, to be fair, had been my main personality traits before falling in love with Mila. Even my parents had noted my significant mood shift over the past few months.

Still, I was more than happy to have a few drinks and hang out with some friends I hadn’t seen in a while. It was rare for this many royals to be gathered in one place, and I was unsure of when our next meet-up would be.

Well, aside from the upcoming war council.

Albert approached me with two glasses of whiskey. He handed one to me and whistled as he surveyed the banquet hall.

“What a party,” Albert remarked. “Seems a little more raucous than what you’ve been up to.”

“A bit,” I admitted. “But I still like a party every now and then.”

Albert shot me a crooked smile before we both headed into the fray.

“Are you excited for the wedding?” he asked. “It’s only three days away.”

I nodded. “I know the planning stresses Mila out, but she’s been doing a great job. I’m excited for things to move forward between us. To start our next stage of life.”

Albert nodded thoughtfully. “She seems like a great girl. I honestly thought you’d never settle down, but if anyone could tame you, it’s Mila.”

I laughed. “Cheers to being tamed, brother.”

Albert clinked my glass in response.

I made a loop of the room, greeting each of my guests and thanking them for their presence. Some of the men were quite drunk–drunker than I intended on being tonight–probably due to the fact that they so rarely got the opportunity to let loose. I laughed at the Prince of Wisteria attempting to throw darts and somehow sending them every which way but the target.

After I got my second drink, I heard whoops and hollers coming from one end of the room. I looked up and frowned to see a girl in a tiny, sparkly outfit shimmy her way through the crowd.

“Did someone hire strippers?” I asked Albert. He shrugged. “I hadn’t heard anything, but with this crowd, it’s definitely a possibility.”

The girl wound her way through the sea of men, giggling and shaking at them. Many of them were leering at her in a way that made my stomach turn.

“I don’t want strippers,” I said softly to Albert. “Mila is my one and only now.”

Albert gave me a nod of understanding. “Gotcha. I’ll see what I can do.”

He slipped into the crowd, clearly in search of the perpetrators. I sighed and watched the commotion, happy to be out of the crowd.

The stripper, however, was making a beeline towards me. A glittering veil covered the lower half of her face, so that only her eyes and body were visible. I wondered if she didn’t want anyone she knew recognizing her and outing her profession publicly.

I settled into my chair, pretending not to notice as she inched closer. She carried a glass of champagne, which she expertly balanced even as she was knocked from side to side.

There was no way to avoid her as she approached me, her eyes glittering.

“My lord,” she said in a husky tone, her voice slightly muddled by the veil. “I was sent to deliver this to you personally.”

I rolled my eyes. “One of the lads sent over a drink?”

“Made especially for you,” she purred. She leaned over, in a clear attempt to shove her cleavage in my face. I sighed and took the glass. I knew she was just doing her job, and she would not leave me alone until I took the drink.

I lifted the champagne to my lips and was about to take a sip when a faint, odd smell permeated my nostrils.

Charles and I had both been trained in the art of poison from a young age. As royalty, we were expected to be able to protect ourselves should any complicated situation arise. I could identify nearly every poisonous substance under the sun by its mere scent. Esmeralda had trained us for years, with the hopes that we would be able to avoid any assassination attempts should anything get past the chefs.

As soon as I smelled the champagne, I knew there was hemlock in the glass.

Did the stripper know? She was certainly looking at me with a sort of anxious desperation, like she couldn’t wait to see me take a sip.

I leaned over and ripped the veil off her face as quickly as I could. To my utter shock, Lady Isabella’s face was revealed beneath.

ISABELLA

There had been a time in my life when merely seeing Felix’s face filled me with enough joy to last for weeks.

Seeing him now, I could think of nothing but the embarrassment I felt when he chose that peasant over me.

And how little he compared to Charles.

“Isabella, what are you doing here?” Felix said.

I spat at his feet. “I only take orders from Charles now.”

“I should have known you were involved in his scheme,” Felix hissed at me. There was a coldness in his eyes I had never seen before–like I meant nothing to him. “How did my brother seduce you to join his cause?”

At the word seduce, I felt a heat rush into my face. The memory of Charles’ mouth on mine… his hands… the feeling of him inside me…

Felix took one look at my face and grimaced. “Perhaps seduction was the method all along.”

“You dare accuse a lady of improper behavior?” I seethed. Felix merely stared at me.

“I don’t see any ladies present.”

My vision went spotty with anger.

“This is the reason Charles betrayed you,” I snarled. “You are no leader. Drinking your nights away, not even caring about the future of the kingdom? You were never meant to be a ruler. You just got lucky with your birth order. Charles is the true king, and the fact that he has an army only proves that.”

Felix frowned. “An army, you say?”

I smirked at him.

I threw all my force into elbowing one of the guards in the stomach, causing him to cry out and for both men to loosen their grip on me. As soon as I could slip away, I did. I took off running through the banquet hall, sprinting for the far end of the room. I dodged a glass being thrown at my head and made it out onto the front circle, where my getaway car, driven by a lesser lord from the South Smyth Islands, was waiting for me.

“Drive!” I screamed at him. He took one look at my pursuers, now starting to flood out of the castle, and floored it.

We screeched away from the castle, barely escaping the lowering gates. We careened through the streets of Fresia, managing to evade the guards at each turn. As soon as we turned onto one of the mountain roads, I heaved a sigh of relief.

“I must warn Charles,” I said. “They’re coming for him. For all of us.”