Page 17 of Burning Crowns

What on earth … ?

She strode out into the sunlight, shielding her eyes as she tried to see where the commotion was coming from. She took one look over the balustrade and gasped.

She whirled to face Chapman. ‘Pray tell why the crown prince of Caro is standing in my garden,surrounded by a dozen horses, six minstrels, two very large trunks and what looks to bean entire forestof olive trees?’

Chapman gulped. ‘He must have heard what happened to the olive tree his mother sent,’ he said. Queen Eliziana’s coronation gift had gone up in flames during one of the Arrows’ early attacks.

‘And how do you explain everything else?’ Rose hissed, before risking another glance over the balustrade. ‘The horses are dancing!’

All at once, the trumpeting stopped.

‘At least now I can hear myself think,’ said Rose, but then she heard the strumming of a lute. Her eyes went wide.

Somewhere down below, the prince of Caro began to sing.

Rose could not resist returning to the balustrade to watch the spectacle unfold. The prince had thick dark hair cut into the typical Caro style – a heavy fringe and long sides that ended bluntly at his jawline. He was wearing a magnificent red cape that billowed out behind him. His trousers were red, too, his pristine white shirt sporting a rather enormous collar.

Rose noted a ring on every finger, each with a gemstone that glittered in the sunlight. She felt as if they were winking at her.

The prince’s song drifted up to the balustrade, his dark unblinking gaze never once leaving her face.

‘Queen Rose, your beauty is known by all,

Queen Rose, I cannot resist your call,

With magic in your fingertips, and goodness in your heart,

I hope that today will be the start …’

He broke off into a lengthy finger solo, before finishing with gusto:

‘Of something new! Between me and youuuuu!’

‘Is he … serenading me?’ whispered Rose in astonishment. ‘I don’t even remember his name. We met once as children, a long time ago.’

‘His name is Prince Felix,’ Chapman whispered back. ‘I did mention you enjoyed romantic gestures, but I wasn’t expecting something quite so … grand.’

‘And why exactly have you been in contact with the crown prince of Caro, Chapman?’ said Rose, through a clenched smile. Underneath his regalia, the warbling prince was quite handsome, she had to admit, even while strumming a tiny lute and singing aridiculoussong. ‘Surely those are conversations I should have been involved in.’

‘I never spoke to Prince Felix directly!’ said Chapman, hurriedly mounting his defence. ‘I only mentioned the possibility of a love match to his advisor, Andrea, in my letters. See. She’s that one there, over by the horses.’

‘Ah yes,’ said Rose, spotting the petite dark-haired woman. ‘I didn’t notice her standing behind the TWELVE DANCING HORSES in my garden!’

Prince Felix was still happily crooning away, and showing no sign of stopping.

‘He does have a nice voice,’ Chapman said, meekly.

‘Thank the stars for that small mercy,’ said Rose. ‘I suppose we should invite him in. I can only hope you told Cam about our surprise guest so the cooks are at least prepared to make a lunch suitable for visiting royalty.’

She could tell by the look of abject horror on Chapman’s face that he had done no such thing.

Rose sighed. ‘Oh, Chapman.’

Several hours later, Rose sat across from Prince Felix in the royal dining room. Thea sat beside him, while Wren occupied the chair next to Rose, looking more out of sorts than usual. Rose didn’t miss the way she wrung her hands on her lap, or how her gaze kept flitting to the door as though she wanted to bolt through it.

‘I need to talk to you,’ Wren hissed, once they had sat down to eat, but Rose had gently hushed her.

‘After dinner. We have a guest.’

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