Chapter 1The Crown’s Folly

It all began at the Royal Spring Hunt. That was where Crown Prince Adrian, with a single arrow, struck an orphan girl.

She was Lina, the niece of his biological mother—a woman whose name was a dark whisper in the palace, a stain on his royal lineage. Adrian was instantly smitten. He declared on the spot that he would make her his princess.

There was just one problem: I was his fiancée. Elara of the great House Stanley.

He came to Stanley Manor to break the engagement himself, his voice ringing with self-righteous conviction. “I was the one who tended her wound. We were alone. Her honor is compromised—by my hand. She has no other path now but to marry me.” He looked at me then, a flicker of pity in his eyes. “You are the Queen’s niece. You’ll have your pick of any nobleman in the kingdom. Why would you fight a poor, helpless girl over one man?”

A daughter of House Stanley, fighting over a man? He must have been dreaming.

The moment word of his intent got out, a royal decree arrived from the palace. I was to remain the undisputed Crown Princess. It was just that the Prince now had someone else in mind for the role.

…

Prince Adrian stood in our grand hall, his posture regal, but his eyes were fixed on the fragile beauty beside him. “Lina is delicate, and new to the capital,” he announced to my family. “I injured her, and in binding her wounds, I compromised her. If I don't marry her, how can she possibly face the world? I appeal to your good sense, Lady Elara. A young woman’s reputation is everything. Lina has no future now, except as my wife. If you have any compassion at all, you will agree to end our betrothal.”

He had been infatuated with Lina for two whole months, ever since that hunt. He’d said nothing, waiting, deliberately choosing my birthday to unleash this humiliation upon me and my house.

With a hall full of guests, we had no choice but to face this storm.

My father’s hand trembled as he gripped his wine glass. He abandoned all pretense of courtesy. “Your Highness, have you considered what a cancellation on these grounds will do to Elara? How will her honor be preserved? You were the one who begged the King for this match, a fact known throughout the capital. To come here now and cast it aside… what does that make of House Stanley?”

Lina clutched Adrian’s sleeve, her voice a tremulous whisper. “My prince, please, don’t argue with Lord Stanley on my account. I can bear the rumors. Death is a small price to pay. I would never want to be a burden to you.”

Adrian wrapped an arm around her. “I won’t let you face the whispers alone,” he murmured, before turning his gaze to me. It was a look of arrogant disdain. “Lady Elara, you come from a noble line. Surely you won’t stoop to fighting Lina for a husband. You have a legion of suitors to choose from. To cling to this engagement now would seem… grasping.”

He smirked. “Or perhaps you’re just like all the other women in this city, desperate only for the title of Crown Princess? Since our betrothal, you’ve been so cold. You refused all my invitations—for walks, for tea, for poetry readings. You were clearly unhappy with the match. This is for the best.”

House Stanley, one of the founding families of the kingdom, had never suffered such an insult. I was speechless with rage. I simply retrieved the betrothal contract. “Your Highness, here is the writ. From this day forward, we are free of each other. May you find your happiness, and I shall find mine.”

I turned to his new love. “And you, Miss Lina, need not weep here in my home. You’ve captured a prince’s heart and are on the verge of securing the most coveted position in the land. Shouldn’t you be celebrating?”

Lina swayed, her face turning ashen. “Lady Elara, I know my station is beneath yours. I never meant to steal your fiancé. You don’t have to be so cruel.”

Adrian laughed, a short, sharp, mocking sound. “You’re so quick to end it, Lady Elara. Could it be you already have someone else in mind? Perhaps my breaking this off is exactly what you wanted.” He scanned the stunned faces of our guests. “Since it’s your birthday, why not choose a new husband today? I will personally provide a magnificent wedding gift.”

With that, he smiled, draped his arm around Lina, and departed, leaving a maelstrom of gossip in his wake.

“Is the Prince mad? Breaking his engagement for some cousin who appeared out of thin air?”

“But Lady Elara is the Queen’s niece! She is his cousin!”

“Haven’t you heard? He shot this other cousin, Lina, at the spring hunt. It was love at first sight, and now he’ll move heaven and earth to marry her.”

“Where did she even come from? No one’s ever heard of her. And the royal hunting grounds are heavily guarded. How did she get in?”

“They say she’s from his birth mother’s family…”

“Hush! The Prince’s origins are forbidden talk. Have you forgotten? His mother was a lowly palace servant.”

My birthday celebration was ruined, ending in hushed tones and hasty departures. By morning, the story of how Crown Prince Adrian had jilted a daughter of House Stanley for an orphan girl was the talk of the entire capital.