The Stolen Prince

Chapter 2

Jade

I saw him.

He's my target. The target who would help me survive. I knew it was him. I felt it down in the deep depths of my soul. It resonated with me and filled the hollow space inside my chest with a ray of small light.

It had to be him.

No one knew truly what the royal family looked like, besides the distinctive color of their eyes. Every royal family had a different color of eyes. Avreil's family color was blue, Summersul's was the distinct yellow, and Mordic's was purple. My parents had made me memorize everything documented about all the royal families when I had been a child. It all seemed useless now.

The jaw-dropping colors of the royal's eyes were supposed to warn the commoners that the person had magic. Or at least I assumed that was what the Goddess intended. Commoners were not allowed in Everhiem castle, except for servants. But I knew, it was him. He was the prince. I knew it from the air flowing from him as he walked down the fine blue carpets. His spine was straight and expression soft. He did not seem arrogant, not like him. The man I had passed had golden hair with striking ocean-blue eyes that had made my heart stumble as soon as I glanced at them. Eyes that seemed to have little flecks of gold and silver in them.

I scanned through all the exits and guard rotations laid out inside my head. I could take him now if I wanted, and no one would ever be the wiser. But something inside me told me to wait.

You will never succeed if you do not plan first.

My old mentor's voice entered into my head. I self-consciously sought his old wisdom. Even if I had not seen the old man in years.

I would wait until tonight to kidnap the prince.

No one would know.

❁

"You insolent novice. If you are to work in the palace everything must be carried out with perfection. All the tablecloths must be matching!" The head maid, it appeared cared very much about tableclothes.

We were standing in some room beneath the castle. It was in the passageways connecting to the kitchens meant for servants. I had learned in my little time in the palace that the entire building had tunnels throughout like veins beneath the skin. All for the purpose of servants going unnoticed. And very useful for assassinations, a tiny part of my brain noted.

The room was covered in white plaster with wooden floors beneath my slippered feet. The entire passageways were unadorned. The royal family no doubt did not care about anything that was not seen. Including servants.

I tried and failed to not roll my eyes in a way I knew made her see red. I had no desire to learn more about how to place tablecloths. But she was getting more vexed by the second.

You should change professions if you like tablecloths so much. Maybe a seamstress will do.

I prayed to the goddess that no one but my consciousness heard me speak.

"I am extremely sorry ma'am. I will take more care to make sure that all the decorations meet your expectations," I transitioned my face into the meek servant girl that she expected, hunched my shoulders, and made my eyes look ashamed. "I will do anything to make it right."  I darted my eyes around the room.

"You will be punished you mindless girl! You could have gotten us all sacked from your little mistake."

This woman had a will of stone. She was not swayed by my compliant act. I instantly warmed to her. The world needed more women with hearts of stone.