Chapter Two — In the Prince’s Service

The morning bells rang through the palace, deep and resonant, carrying across the courtyards and echoing down stone corridors. Elias rose from the narrow bed in his assigned chamber, the events of the previous day still fresh in his mind. The memory of the prince’s gaze lingered like an ember pressed into his chest, though he tried to smother it beneath a layer of discipline.

He dressed in the livery of his station—dark blue trimmed with silver, the colors of his family as much as his new role. The fabric was crisp, the boots polished until they reflected the lantern light. He checked himself twice in the mirror, reminding himself that he was no longer simply Lord Varrow’s second son. He was now part of the Crown Prince’s household. Every eye would be upon him, weighing his worth.

The solar was already alive with activity when he arrived. Scribes hunched over parchment, guards stood posted with the rigidity of statues, and servants moved swiftly with trays of bread, fruit, and steaming tea. Yet all of it fell into stillness when Adrian entered.

The prince did not stride so much as glide into the chamber, each movement measured, graceful. His presence shifted the air; voices dropped, quills stilled. Adrian acknowledged no one at first, only moved toward the table stacked with correspondence.

“Lord Varrow,” Adrian said at last, without looking up.

Elias bowed deeply. “Your Highness.”

“You will read these letters.” The prince gestured to a stack of parchment sealed with various noble crests. “Summarize the contents, mark those that require reply, and bring them to me by the hour after noon.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Elias took the letters, careful not to let the weight of them show in his hands. They bore the symbols of powerful families—alliances, requests, and schemes pressed into wax. As he broke the first seal, he could not help but glance at the man across from him.

Adrian stood by the window, hands clasped behind his back, gazing over the palace gardens. The light played against his profile—strong, thoughtful, touched with a solemnity that made him seem older than his years. He looked every inch the prince, yet there was something restless beneath the stillness, as though he longed to escape the very walls that enclosed him.

Elias forced his eyes back to the parchment. The first letter was a thinly veiled demand for favor; the second, a marriage proposal from a distant duchess. His stomach tightened as he read it, though he told himself it was only the politics that troubled him.

By the time he laid the summarized notes before Adrian, the prince had returned to the table. Their fingers brushed as Elias set the papers down, a fleeting touch that sent an unbidden shiver through him. He withdrew his hand quickly, hoping the prince had not noticed.

But Adrian’s eyes lingered on him a heartbeat too long.

“You write with clarity,” the prince remarked, his tone neutral but his gaze sharp. “It is… refreshing.”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Elias said, bowing again to hide the warmth rising to his face.

The prince leaned back in his chair, studying him. “Tell me, Lord Varrow—do you serve because duty demands it, or because you desire to?”

Elias blinked. “I—” The question caught him off guard. “It is both, I think. Duty brought me here. But desire… may yet keep me.”

The words slipped out before he could stop them. He cursed himself silently, but Adrian’s lips curved, almost imperceptibly.

“Interesting,” the prince murmured, returning his gaze to the letters.

Elias lowered his eyes, heart pounding. He had spoken too boldly, too recklessly. And yet, for reasons he could not explain, he did not regret it.

Outside, the bells marked another hour. Inside, the quiet game between them had begun.

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