Page 11 of Stolen Magic

She fiddled with the necklace she constantly wore, a nervous habit of hers I’d noticed my first day of service, which hadcreated my first opening in gathering more of the information I desperately needed. I closed my eyes, returning to that moment as well as the others that had filled the days in my new role.

I’d noticed the pendant around her neck the first morning I helped her dress for the day, clumsy efforts she endured with a patience that offered the first hint of many to come that she didn’t deserve the plans I had for her…signs I would do anything to ignore.

At the time I’d still been uncertain of how to approach my relationship with the princess and establish trust. I initially thought it best to placate her vanity with compliments, no matter how trivial…a strategy that failed almost as soon as it began once I discovered the princess wasn’t a vain woman.

“What a beautiful necklace,” I complimented.

She offered a gracious smile, but unlike the others she’d given me this one didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Thank you; it’s from my fiancé.” Her mouth twisted around the word, seeming unaccustomed to speaking it, as if still uncertain what to make of the relationship.

I cradled it in my palm to better examine it, running my thumb across the jewelry—a heart-shaped pendant adorned with a border of tiny gemstones—simple in design, but elegant. “It seems fitting for an engagement gift.”

“He said it belonged to his mother.”

A cliché claim on His Highness’s part, yet one I gratefully seized for the opening it created. Of all the information it was imperative I gather prior to our departure, that pertaining to the enemy kingdom’s crown prince was of the utmost priority if I was to figure out a strategy to better manipulate him.

I forced my lips upwards in what I hoped was a convincing show of pleasure. “How sweet. You must mean a lot to him for him to give you something so precious.”

I hoped my words would coax another smile from her, but she merely bit her lip and cast her gaze downwards. “Perhaps.”

I frowned at this strange response and scrambled for a way fix whatever mistake I’d inadvertently committed. “You doubt he cares for you?”

She sighed. “He seemed amiable enough, charming and polite. I’m sure he’s a man of honor.”

It took every ounce of my careful willpower to contain my snort of disbelief. Eldoria as a nation was the furthest thing from honorable, most particularly their deplorable royal family. Thankfully the tragedies I’d borne from my difficult life allowed me to maintain a rigid, emotionless expression lest I betray my hatred.

“Hasn’t your courtship assured you that His Highness cares for you as his future wife?”

This was the information I needed most—the more acquainted Prince Callan had become with the princess, the more difficult it would be to eventually impersonate her; a careful study of her behavior and my small arsenal of spells from my limited magic reserves could only get me so far.

She shook her head. “We’ve only met once.”

My fingers paused in arranging her hair, shock momentarily rendering me still. I knew royal unions revolved around politics and treaties, but I hadn’t expected their foundation to be this shallow. This was a good thing, I reminded myself; the less Prince Callan knew the true princess the better for my eventual usurpation.

Yet logic couldn’t dispel the flicker of empathy I experienced for a faltering moment at the thought of Princess Gwendolyn being forced to marry a man who was practically a stranger…though if my plans came to fruition, it was an arrangement she wouldn’t have to worry about for much longer.

Instead that unpleasant task would befall me. As necessary as this reality was, the truth caused a swell of rising anxiety before I could quench it. “Have you deciphered more about his character beyond his royal pleasantries?” I braced myself for the response I anticipated: cold, conceited, a monster.

She considered. “Sweet.”

Sweet?This time I couldn’t quite hold back my scoff of disbelief, which caused her eyebrows to rise in surprise. “Forgive me, your unexpected assessment startled me.” I internally winced, knowing my efforts for damage control were likely doing more harm than good.

To my relief she simply laughed, not seeming the least offended. “I understand the sentiment. I was admittedly surprised myself, considering the…difficult history between our kingdoms.”

That was putting it lightly. Undoubtedly his supposedly kind, honorable persona was merely the product of rigorous training, a mask for his true character—anyone could pretend to be someone they weren’t; with enough practice, one might convince themselves the lie was the truth. I more than anyone would know.

“Understandable,” I said carefully. “After all, Eldoria is responsible for taking the last of our magic.”

Her expression become solemn. “I try not to focus on that uncomfortable fact. That occurred a long time ago, not to mention it was done under his father’s command rather than his own.”

That made little difference to me; the son of a tyrant was simply a tyrant-in-training whose sins lay waiting in our dreaded future.

“I was admittedly anxious to meet him,” she continued. “But he quickly put me at ease. I enjoyed our time together and am now less nervous about our union.” Yet her words didn’tdispel the worry marring her brow, a falter in the courage she repeatedly attempted to exert throughout the course of our time together.

Though the discussion sobered her, her resilience soon caused her to brighten. “Though we’ve only met once, we’ve exchanged several letters. He’s a lovely correspondent.”

As if a person’s true character could be gleaned from a few exchanged words. The prince had undoubtedly gone to great lengths to craft the perfect phrases to manipulate her, offering all manner of charming platitudes to convince her he was something he wasn’t in order to win her romantic heart. Though Princess Gwendolyn’s character was amiable, a single day in her company was enough to reveal that she was painfully naive.

The part of my conscience that hadn’t fully died gave an unpleasant twinge, reminding me that I was guilty of the same crime of manipulation. I gritted my teeth, hating the idea of bearing any similarity with the Eldorian prince I was convinced was actually a scoundrel.

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