Separate Crowns of One Heart

Thırty-Sıx

It's been a week since Kenyon and I have made things official and I could not be happier. Seriously, it has been a magical week and I do not think I will ever get over the affection the Prince showers me with at every given chance. I already knew he was kind and generous but seeing this new side of him is something else.

As promised, I write a letter to my mother telling her about the advancement in my relationship with Kenyon before the Queen gets a chance to tell her. She writes back sooner than I expected, gushing at how she knew there was something between us all along and I was just too stubborn to see it. Of course, she does not pass up the chance to ask about a future heir. Shaking my head, I put it away and leave the suite.

A maid coming up the stairs as I'm heading down eyes me but quickly averts her gaze when I look at her. Not sure if I'm reading too much into it, I look back to try to understand what that was and practically bump into James as he comes around the corner.

"Oh!"

"Your Highness!" He straightens me so that I don't fall before stepping back to bow. "My apologies. I should be more careful." He smiles at me but I do not miss the way he tucks his hands behind him, obscuring the tabloid papers he holds.

"Do not worry about it," I tell him. One of the servants who regularly serves me and Kenyon in our suite passes behind him just then, casting a pitiful eye on me.

"Well, I, uh... I must be on my way." He moves around me and quickly scurries away.

Trying to push aside the strange feeling in the air, I continue on my way to find Mila. I get to Mila's floor and am almost at her door when I hear whispers. I turn to find a small group of workers in the shadows. They hold an article between them, whispering and looking in my direction

Alright, something is going on. Feeling uncomfortable with their stares, I knock on Mila's door, hoping she will not take too long to answer. Thankfully, she does not.

"Hello. How are you?" She does not greet me with her usual grin and hug, further confirming my suspicions. "Not you too." The group is still down the hall watching me. "Mila, what is going on?"

"Come in." She takes my hand and pulls me into her chambers, shutting the door behind us.

"What is it?"

"Sit." I sit anxiously at the edge of the chaise lounge, dreading what she is about to tell me. Mila goes to the small desk by her bed and comes back to stand before me with a copy of the tabloids. "I just... I'm sorry you have to find out this way. I never would have thought that... I'm sorry."

"What is it?" Unable to wait any longer, I snatch the papers from her and unfold them. Before I can even read the headlines, the enlarged photo on the cover catches my attention.

The photo has been split in half; the first half shows an image of me and Kenyon dancing at the Cotillion, our matching clothes sparkling beneath the lights. We look beautiful and so happy. The second half... Well, the second half simply drags a serrated blade between the cracks in my heart that I have just barely started putting back together.

In the second frame, Kenyon walks down an overgrown path, holding hands with a Fem with twists piled on her head. A Fem that is not me. Even though the image is fuzzy and a bit distorted, I can pick Camille's angular face out in any crowd.

My mind is much too muddled to register Mila speaking as I read the bolded headline around the photo. "Prince Kenyon At a Crossroads." The article dives right into speculations.

"After the Prophecy revealed his mate earlier this spring, Prince Kenyon quickly wed Lady Cyrah Odusanya with an extravagant ceremony. Citizens have spotted the young couple around the Kingdom and while they are a surprising pair, no one can argue that they do not look picture-perfect together... But it seems as though their relationship is not as perfect as it looks.