The Rebel Prince (The Season Series #3)

Chapter 4

"It was dreadful, your Highness," my valet said, as he helped me dress for dinner later that evening. "Those who didn't kneel were beaten or thrown into the water. I watched two men drown after a third attempted to throw them a lifeline, only to be clubbed in the face and dragged away. It's a good thing the ambassador whisked you away when he did."

"A better thing would have been for them to allow us to dock in the royal naval yard," I replied, thinking back to the expansive, organized dockyard just east of the palace. Ambassador Wells hadn't been keen to make the journey down the flights and flights of stairs carved into the cliff face behind the palace, but as with the fortress ramparts, I'd insisted.

I'd had to see for myself whether all the stories about the invincible Ardalonian navy were true.

Sadly, they were. A pair of towers flanked the only entrance to the bay, heavily armed to guard the shipyard. The palace loomed overhead, its white turrets spearing upwards from the sheer cliff face. It didn't need walls on that side, as it backed directly onto the naval base, the seat of Ardalonian military might. Pier after pier jutted into the bay, far more organized and well-maintained than the commercial docks in Lower Relizia. The entire Ardalonian armada was moored there, the full brunt of the country's naval force on display.

And a force it was, everything from sleek corvettes to massive galleons, enough to have me seriously considering what would become of Pretania if Ardalone decided to send their navy our way...

"Safer, perhaps. But having us dock among the commoners was not simply to inconvenience us," Giles, my valet, replied, fixing me with a pointed look in the mirror as I adjusted my necktie.

Obviously I'd known it was meant as a slight for Dulciana. The returning princess, forced to cross paths with the commoners she so detested rather than be feted in the royal naval yard with a procession and applause. Giles was shrewd enough to ensure that I'd noticed it as well, though knowing the valet's history, I wondered whether he'd picked up on something that I hadn't.

Older than my parents, Giles had served as Lord Hadrian Amberly's valet, travelling the world with the adventurous lord before his untimely passing. Father had hired him afterwards, taking him along on foreign trips, as Giles' experience with foreign cultures and politics was unparalleled. Mother had been the one to insist that I take Giles rather than my own valet and I couldn't help but wonder whether the older man had been tasked with reporting back to her about me. Regardless, he'd been to Ardalone more times than any other palace servant, keenly familiar with the court and its ways. He was an asset I hadn't wanted to pass up.

"The king clearly wants Dulciana to remember her place," I said. "That much was apparent when he greeted her. Perhaps he also meant to remind her about the commoners' sentiments towards royalty."

"Sentiments that haven't changed much in twenty five years, I can assure you," Giles said. "Though throughout all my travels with Lord Hadrian, I've never seen them moved to violence."

Ah, there it was. It was the riot that had sparked Giles' interest, another symptom of the discord brewing in the country.

"It certainly confirms the rumours," I said, inspecting myself in the mirror. "Speaking of which, keep your ear to the ground about the crown prince and his twin. They appear to have gone missing."

"Of course, your Highness," Giles said, tidying the room. "Would you prefer to wait for your summons, or should I show you to the dining room now?"

"The early bird catches the worm," I said, "Let's be off."

Giles led me through the palace grounds with ease, the pair of us conversing about mundane topics like the heat and the weather to dissuade any listening ears. I'd warned him earlier about the ambassador's copy of my bedroom key and he'd assured me that he'd keep a close eye on my belongings.