Page 56 of A War of Crowns

Sir Arkwright reached her a few seconds later, panting from his sprint. “Is all well, Your Majesty?” he asked in between gasps. “We heard voices.”

Seraphina pursed her lips and directed to her Queensguard, “I want to know who those men were and I want to knownow. Where is our Master of Ceremonies?”

As if the very voicing of his title had summoned him there, the Master of Ceremonies in question—the Viscount of Arlund—suddenly appeared from the direction of the jungle. Red-faced, he bustled toward her, a flock of assistants trailing in his wake.

“Your Majesty,” the viscount greeted her the moment he drew close enough to do so. “Forgive me for notbeing here when your ship first landed. I fearHisMajesty arrived with more courtiers in his party than originally anticipated, and we were trying to find room for them all.”

A growing sense of unease gnawed at the pit of her stomach when Seraphina asked, “My lord, who was that just now? The short man with the Kunishi companion.”

“Ah, yes, that is what I was needing to talk to you about, Your Majesty,” Arlund answered. Procuring a handkerchief from inside his sleeve, he dabbed his glistening brow with the square of linen and explained, “It would seem His Majesty brought—”

But whatever else her Master of Ceremonies was about to say disintegrated into abrupt silence as he stared, wide-eyed, at something over her shoulder.

Seraphina pressed, “What? A man claiming to be hisdeadbrother?”

But the viscount had no answers for her. She had clearly lost his attention.

The man whispered, “By all the stars in the sky…I received word we would be hosting an Oracle. But never in all my years did I think I would ever actually see one for myself.”

Seraphina stole a glance over her shoulder, looking past Sir Arkwright and toward theSilver Lady, where Oracle Tsukiko descended the gangplank with her Shield before her and her six other Redguard marching behind. In the afternoon light, the gold-clad Kunishi woman rivaled the very sun with her brilliance.

“Yes, we are honored by the presence of Oracle Tsukiko,” Seraphina softly agreed with her Master of Ceremonies. Andthough her curiosity over the strange man lingered, she entertained a respectful silence while awaiting the Oracle’s approach.

Tsukiko arrived in a shimmer of melodious bells, as ethereal and effortless as ever. The viscount and his assistants scrambled to bow.

“My lord, may I present Oracle Tsukiko, the Star of the East, and her Redguard,” Seraphina introduced the little group, gesturing between the separate parties. “Sister, this is the Viscount of Arlund, my Master of Ceremonies. He has worked tirelessly to prepare Nerina Reef for this summit.”

“It is a pleasure, my lord,” Tsukiko murmured. Even those scant few words saw the viscount offering another bow.

“Oh no, Sister, the pleasure is truly all mine,” Arlund gushed. “Goodness. An Oracle.Here.” He dabbed his brow and stared, wide-eyed, at the veiled woman until Seraphina finally cleared her throat.

After a rapid double-blink, the man finally came back to himself. He waved his handkerchief about and fretted, “Oh! Your Majesty. Forgive me. Shall I show you two to the royal pavilion now? It is a bit of a walk, but—”

Expelling a quiet sigh, Seraphina declared in a tone she hoped left no room for argument, “No, my lord, I do not wish to be shown to the royal pavilion now. I wish for you to answer my question. Who was that man just now?”

The familiar voice of Duke Percival asked from just behind her, “What man?” and Seraphina turned to greet her godparents with a wan smile.

“There was a strange man just now, and he claimed his name was Aldric Hargrave,” Seraphina hastily explained. “But that’s quite impossible, given Aldric Hargrave is dead.”

Duke Percival’s eyebrows shot upward. “Aldric Hargrave is here?”

“What game is His Majesty playing at now?” her godmother wondered with a glance toward the treeline.

Frowning, Seraphina stared at her godparents and reminded them both, “Aldric Hargrave isdead.” Though now she suddenly felt…not entirely sure on that point. “Isn’t he?”

Though Duke Percival seemed to be lost in thought, Duchess Edith met her gaze and offered a smile that looked decidedly apologetic.

“Well,” her godmother carefully explained, “he…was stricken from the Hargrave family tree. Disowned on the grounds of his being deemed mad, if I’m not mistaken? King Warwick removed him from the line of succession well over a decade ago.”

“Fifteen years ago,” Duke Percival muttered in absentminded correction. “He was as good as dead as far as we were concerned. But he is here? Now?”

“Yes,” the Master of Ceremonies confirmed, still nervously mopping his brow. “His Highness is…very much alive and here.”

“His Highness?” Seraphina echoed with a hint of alarm. “Not only is Aldric Hargrave alive, but he has been reinstated as a prince?”

Confusion and irritation swirled through her mind like a rising tempest. She fought the urge to demand her godparents explainjust why they had been lying to her for the past fifteen years. What would have been the harm in her knowing Aldric Hargrave was alive?

First, though, she needed all the facts on this latest development.

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