The King's Guard

Chapter 3

Adrien's suitors began arriving the day after the ball.

The prince sat fidgeting by his father's side in the throne room. Gabriel remained calm and silent, staring straight ahead. Slightly behind him, Nathalie stood with her hands folded behind her back. The pendant she'd received from Gabriel rested beneath her armor, a tangible comfort. She found her mind wandering to the previous night. Unknown to her, an almost invisible smile spread across her face.

When the doors opened, her hand instinctively went to her sword, and she took a step closer to the royal family.

There were maybe twenty girls, but that number could very well grow by day's end. The girl at the front was Chloé Bourgeois. Even without looking at his face, Nathalie could sense Adrien's discomfort.

"Adrikins!" she sang, barely restraining herself from scampering to him.

"Hey, Chloé," he replied awkwardly. Receiving a look from his father, he quickly added, "Uh, good morning, Princess Chloé."

One by one, the girls introduced themselves, and Adrien's greetings grew quieter and less interested.

The final girl had long, reddish-brown hair and a tan complexion. Her eyes were olive, and a sickeningly sweet smile widened beneath them.

There was something different about this girl, and Nathalie didn't like it. Adrien seemed to notice as well and sat up straighter, a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"It's an honor to meet you, King Gabriel, Prince Adrien," the girl gushed with a false bubbliness that only Nathalie appeared to detect. "My name is Lila Rossi."

"Lovely to meet you, Lady Lila," Adrien said flatly, trying to smile.

Gabriel, apparently not seeing how artificial Lila was, smiled a bit. "We're pleased to welcome you, Lady Lila."

Nathalie raised an eyebrow, frowning at the side of his head. Adrien looked at his father in a similar manner, then met her eyes. She took that as a sign to end the meeting.

After she informed the girls that they would shortly be shown to their rooms, they flocked together to leave, chattering aimlessly. Adrien slouched in his seat. Lila turned to observe him, the same fake smile on her face.

"What did you think of the girls, Adrien?" the king asked.

"They were nice." He tried to look cheerful.

"I'm happy you think so. You'll be spending time getting to know them while Nathalie and I are in Paris."

"Nathalie, can I talk to you?" Adrien caught up to her in the hallway. "It's important."

"Of course."

"You saw Lila, right?"

"I did."

He looked to the carpeted floor, frowning. "Something about her seemed strange."

"I noticed that as well. Adrien, make sure to keep Placide close by whenever you're with one of the girls, especially Lila. We don't know what their intentions are."

"Okay," he whispered, his tone betraying his nerves.

"I don't want you to be afraid, Adrien. But you should be cautious. Some of these girls may be interested in marrying you for love, but others will only care about status. I doubt I need to remind you that Lapia is one of the great powers of France and is sought after by many."

"Got it, Nathalie. I'll be careful."

She smiled. "If anything goes amiss, Placide will protect you."