enjoyebooks CHAPTER 46
CHAPTER 46
POV: Evangeline
Rosemary finds me in the west corridor, breathless, her braid slightly undone—a rare sight for someone normally so composed. The moment I see her expression, my stomach tightens.
“What happened?” I ask.
She doesn’t waste a second. “My Queen, I found Henry. And William. I heard them speaking. I know their plan.”
I grip her arm. “Tell me.”
“William is supposed to get close to one of your sons,” Rosemary says, steadying her breath. “It’s part of Henry’s strategy. He wants to use the boy to get inside your family—emotionally or otherwise. Whatever Henry’s goal is… William is the key.”
A cold shiver crawls across my skin. “Marc saw him.” My voice falters. “He saw William the day the twins were playing outside. Marc told me William approached them.”
Rosemary inhales sharply. “And?”
“I told Marc to stay away,” I say. “I forbade him to see William again.”
“Good,” she murmurs. “Very good.”
But her expression changes when she sees something in my face.
“That’s not all,” Rosemary says quietly. “Is it?”
I shake my head. “Adrian seemed… jealous. He wanted to know who William was. He asked questions, he kept listening when Marc talked about him. I thought maybe it was just another fight between them.”
A muscle in Rosemary’s jaw twitches. “My Queen, jealousy is exactly what Henry would use. Sibling rivalry makes perfect leverage.”
I swallow hard. “Rosemary… what if Adrian—”
“Go to them,” she says before I can finish. “Now.”
I nod, gather my skirts, and hurry through the halls. Every step feels like walking toward a cliff. The palace feels colder. Narrower.
I reach the small study room where Georgina said the boys were last seen. I push open the door.
Marc sits with his arms crossed, eyes puffed from earlier arguments. Adrian stands by the window, turned away, shoulders stiff.
They don’t look at each other.
They don’t look at me.
I rub my temples. “What is it this time?”
Neither answers.
“Speak,” I say, exhausted. “I am done with the silence.”
Marc finally blurts, “He won’t talk to me!”
Adrian snaps back, “You didn’t want to talk!”
“I tried!” Marc argues. “But you kept ignoring me!”
“Because you always ruin everything!”
“Boys,” I warn sharply. “Enough.”
They quiet, though not willingly.
I kneel to face them. “What happened today? Why are you fighting now?”
Marc opens his mouth too fast—too angry. “Because Adrian snuck out of the palace!”
My breath freezes. “What?”
Adrian turns sharply, glaring at his brother. “You weren’t supposed to tell her!”
Marc throws his hands up. “And you weren’t supposed to RUN AWAY!”
“Where,” I whisper, my voice trembling, “did you go?”
Adrian bites the inside of his cheek. His eyes shift. He looks small and stubborn and afraid all at once. “I… I wanted to meet him too.”
My heart slams into my ribs. “Meet who?”
But I already know.
Adrian hesitates only a moment. “William.”
My fingers go numb. “Adrian… please tell me you didn’t.”
He looks away.
Silence.
“Adrian?” My voice cracks. “You left the palace without permission? Without guards? And you went to see—him?”
Adrian snaps defensively, “I only wanted a friend! Marc gets everything. He gets to meet William, he gets to—”
“WILLIAM IS NOT A FRIEND!” I shout, louder than I intend. The boys both flinch. My heart pounds too fast. “He is dangerous. His father is dangerous. And you—you are just a child. You don’t understand what you’re risking!”
Adrian’s eyes widen, filling with fear and confusion. “I—I didn’t know! I just… I wanted someone who wasn’t always angry with me like Marc is!”
Marc gasps. “I’m not always angry—”
“Yes, you are!” Adrian snaps, voice breaking.
I hold up my hand sharply. “Stop. Both of you.”
My throat tightens. My lungs feel too small.
I look directly at Adrian. “Tell me everything. How long were you gone?”
He hesitates, then whispers, “A few hours.”
“A few—” My voice nearly collapses. “Adrian, do you understand what could have happened to you? Do you understand who William is?”
“I just wanted to see him!” Adrian insists, panic rising in his voice. “He seemed nice. He said I looked lonely. He said he understood—”
“He manipulated you,” I say. “That’s what he does. That’s what his father wants.”
Adrian shakes his head. “He didn’t do anything! He talked to me. That’s all. He said he wished he had brothers. He said we could be friends—”
I slap my hands against the table, not to scare him but because my own fear explodes out of me. “NO. YOU WILL NOT SEE HIM AGAIN.”
Adrian’s face crumples. “But—”
“No.” My voice trembles. “You are my son. I will not bury my son because of a mistake. Not again. Not ever.”
He stares at me, shocked. Hurt. But I can’t stop now.
“Listen to me,” I say, breath shallow. “You must not go outside without guards. You must not speak to William. Not a word. Do you understand?”
“But Mother—”
“DO YOU UNDERSTAND?” My voice rises again, sharp as a blade. “Adrian, this is not a discussion. This is not about fairness. This is about your life.”
Adrian’s eyes flood with tears. “You’re yelling at me without even letting me explain—”
“There is nothing to explain!” I cry. “You ran away. You lied. You met the boy whose family has tried to kill us. I don’t need more explanation to know it must end. Now.”
Adrian’s tears fall, silent and heavy.
Marc stares at his brother, guilty and pale.
I stand, forcing myself to breathe through the ache in my chest. “From this moment on, you will stay inside the palace unless escorted by myself, your father, or a knight I choose. You will not leave alone. You will not look for William. You will not respond if he calls your name. Am I clear?”
Adrian wipes his cheek with his sleeve, voice barely audible. “Yes, Mother.”
“Say it louder.”
“Yes, Mother!” he cries.
My voice cracks as I finish, “You are forbidden from seeing William, Adrian. Completely. Absolutely. And if you try again—there will be consequences you won’t like.”
He looks at me with wide, wounded eyes.
But I cannot soften.
Not now. Not when danger is already reaching into my home.
I turn away, heart breaking as I whisper the last words again, firm and shaking:
“You will not see William again.”