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Luck is on my side, and the door to Ileana’s office is unlocked. I slide quietly into Ileana’s office and quickly look for a place to conceal my presence. I slip into the closet on the far side of the room just as I hear the click of Ileana’s heels on the marble floor of the hallway. I silently shut the door just as Ileana and Richter enter the room. “I appreciate you arriving so quickly, Alex,” Ileana says. She sounds friendly, almost intimate.
“Your highness, you know I’m always at your service for anything,” Richter says. I can hear the leer in his voice.
“Oh I know, Alex, and believe me, I do appreciate all of your skills,” Ileana purrs.
What the fuck is going on? This definitely isn’t her first meeting with Richter. I wonder how many there have been. The queen’s list of enemies has grown short over the years, and the reason why is clear to me now. The only question is who is going to be next. Whatever their relationship may be, this isn’t a social visit.
“You know, Alex, I wasn’t sure the wedding was actually going to happen.” “I’m surprised it did. The two princes have never made a secret of how much they dislike each other, but I know how persuasive you can be. I can’t imagine what secrets you must know about their families to have brokered this arrangement. It’s a brilliant piece of diplomacy.”
Ileana laughs, “You have no idea how brilliant.”
“But, Ileana, you didn’t bring me here to celebrate your diplomatic victory did you?”
“Not al all. I have a job for you, Alex.”
“Target?”
“Prince Nathan,” Ileana says smoothly. It takes every ounce of self control to remain hidden and listen.
“This won’t be simple. The prince is a young man. You won’t be able to pass this off as a natural death.”
“I know,” Ileana replies unfazed.
“Accident or suicide?” Alex asks.
“Murder,” Ileana says.
“Murder? You want it to look like an obvious assassination.”
“Not exactly. I want it to look like a crime of passion committed by Prince Vincent.”
My hands clench into fists at my side, and I can feel my rage coursing through my veins. I will myself to remain calm. I know exactly how Ileana’s plan ends. It’s diabolical and brilliant.
“Vincent’s temper is practically a thing of legend. And everyone knows how much he hates Nathan.”
“Indeed, they’ve been rivals since they were boys,” Richter says, understanding in his voice. He too no doubt has guessed Ileana’s end game.
“A jealous rage overtook him. He just couldn’t bare to share Isadora with Nathan for another day,” Ileana says in a tone of mock regret.
“Unfortunately,” Alex says, “The penalty for such a crime is death.”
“Unfortunately,” Ileana agrees. “Sadly with the death of both princes, I’ll be left ruler of all three countries.”
“Don’t you mean your daughter?” “No I don’t.” Ileana snaps. “Isadora doesn’t have the real strength required to rule, to keep her enemies at bay. She’ll come to me. She’ll have to. I’ll be ruler over the entire region, and with the strength of three nations at my disposal who knows what I might do?”
“Who indeed?” Alex says. “So you can do it?” Ileana asks.
“I can do it, for a price of course.” Alex says. “Of course, how does one hundred million sound?” Ileana asks. “It sounds like Prince Nathan is a dead man.” Alex says. They both laugh. “Not just yet, though,” Ileana says. “I need to plant suspicion. That shouldn’t be too hard with Nathan, he’s always disliked Vincent, and with a push from me he’ll have his spies investigating soon enough. They’ll be the first to say that Vincent was dangerous and that Nathan was worried about his safety.” “How long do you need?”
“A week should suffice.”
“A week it is then.” I hear the scrape of chairs and dying footfalls. I wait for absolute silence before I risk opening the closet door. My blood is boiling; Ileana is truly evil. This the worst kind of treason, and I don’t think Ileana will stop with Nathan or me. I think Isadora could be in danger as well. I’m not going to let anyone hurt Isadora, and I’m not about to be a pawn in Ileana’s games. I have to speak to Nathan.
Chapter Seventeen
Nathan
“Where’s Isadora?” I hear Vincent’s voice behind me as I stand in front of the mirror buttoning my shirt. I’m about to make a joke about his rudeness, when I catch a glimpse of Vincent’s face in the mirror. The words on my lips. As I turn to face him, I can see anger burning in his eyes and worry creasing his brow.
“She’s in the bath,” I say
Vincent shuts the door that connects our chambers to Isadora’s and locks it. Clearly this is serious. He lowers himself into a chair. It looks like he’s carrying the weight of a thousand nations on his back.
