Breakfast was an awkward event for everyone involved. After a night’s worth of rest, Prince Nathaniel seed to be more in control of his emotions. He was effortlessly polite, easily winning over the household staff with his graces.
However, he did not speak much to Daphne. A dark cloud seed to follow Prince Nathaniel wherever he went and he looked lackluster and devoid of energy. Even his smiles of greeting seed half-hearted. He rely greeted her a simple good morning, and then continued to help himself to his breakfast while his n shot her barely concealed looks of hostility.
If not for Prince Nathaniel and Atticus’s warning glances, Daphne might have found herself at the end of a fist!
Yet she couldn’t fault them entirely for it.
If Daphne had been honest with him on the full details of the event, Prince Nathaniel wouldn’t have felt so betrayed. Yet, she hadn’t partly because she feared rejection and partly also because she didn’t see a need to at that ti. Prince Nathaniel wasn’t her lover― so what if the prize of the competition was a date with her husband? She wasn’t being an infidel!
But of course, she had failed to consider the possibility he might still feel a little upset, considering his affection for her. Daphne wasn’t blind; Prince Nathaniel’s actions had been quite clear that he hadn’t fully gotten over their would-have-been relationship.
And now, the guilt was eating her alive.
She had tossed and turned the whole night, much to Atticus’s dismay. He didn’t see a problem, claiming that it was all Prince Nathaniel’s own thoughtless delusions that landed him in such a state. While Daphne could see the value of his words, she knew she wasn’t entirely blaless.
After all, she was the one who kept writing letters to him, even when Atticus disapproved. She had a part to play in this ss. And when she rummaged through the contents of the pouch, her guilt only grew stronger.
Fire lilies. Sunset carnations. Radiant poppies. Prince Nathaniel had stopped at nothing to give her what she had asked for, and more. Even if Daphne didn’t have romantic feelings for Nathaniel, she still felt the sincerity of his gesture.
Daphne had to set things right, but she only got the opportunity to speak to him when they were just about to leave. Atticus pressed a kiss right on her lips, before whistling a jaunty tune as he strolled away. He had recently received reports of possible gem smuggling from Jonah, and that took precedence over Prince Nathaniel’s sadness.
Quite frankly, in Atticus’s opinion, everything took precedence over Prince Nathaniel’s sadness.
Prince Nathaniel’s nostrils flared at the display of affection, but he didn’t speak. Instead, he focused a cool glare on Daphne. Daphne, who had never been faced with anything but Prince Nathaniel’s kindness, could only wince internally.
But she gathered her courage to speak.
"Prince Nathaniel, I want to say that it was never my intention to lead you on false pretenses―" Daphne began, anxiously twisting her fingers into her skirts. She took a deep breath, "I understand that you probably feel a little made use of, at the mont, and I apologize for omitting the details of what I needed help for. It was just that―"
Prince Nathaniel held up a hand to stop her. "I understand. You wanted to win, so you played like a card. I have no right to be mad and I will not fault you for it, but I do wish you had told the truth from the beginning."
He turned his head, tearing his gaze away from her. A brief look of hurt flashed through his eyes, causing Daphne’s heart to clench with remorse.
In a much softer voice, he said, "No one likes to be made a fool of, after all."
"Would you have given the flowers if I gave you the truth?" Daphne asked impulsively.
"I would," Prince Nathaniel said evenly, gazing at Daphne in disappointnt. "But I do not like not being given that consideration. Nevertheless, I wish you a good day. May you get the results you wish for."
With a final polite bow of his head, Prince Nathaniel turned away and left with his retinue.
"...That went well," Sirona said as they watched his back vanish in the distance.
"That went terribly," Daphne lanted, tugging on her hair. "What do I do now?"
"What else can you do? What’s done is done." Sirona shrugged. "Now you have to win the contest. If not, you would have ruined your friendship with him for nothing."
Daphne nodded as she bit her lip. She had a job to do.
***
anwhile, Atticus smiled when he got the news from his scouts that the Raxuvian party had left his borders. Hopefully, Prince Nathaniel would never step foot into his kingdom, even if Daphne did choose to invite him again.
"You could stand to look a little less smug," Jonah ntioned. "Daphne didn’t seem too happy about things."
"Jonah, is he your best friend or I am?" Atticus complained. "And Daphne will co around eventually. She’s doing all of this because she loves . Now let’s talk about security at the parade. Can you get my proposed numbers?"
With various mbers of nobility — and his own wife — participating in the event, security during the event had to be heightened to reduce the possibility of mishaps happening. Atticus wasn’t expecting anything as drastic as people flinging rotten food at the ladies, but if the crowd surged in excitent, they could cause the floats to topple.
"Atticus, we don’t have enough people unless you want to pull our guards away from the outlying regions," Jonah said frankly.
Atticus steeled his fingers. "Do it anyway. There won’t be any incidents happening elsewhere."
"You’re jesting, right?" Jonah sighed. "Have you considered the possible gem smuggling? Jean Nott could be back! What if he shows up in a neighboring town?"
"No, that isn’t his style. He loves to hide in plain sight. If he’s here, he’ll be right in the heart of the capital," Atticus retorted. "The parade would be a perfect distraction. With all the pomp and the pageantry, any smuggler would be hard-pressed to find a better smokescreen."
"And there will be a huge influx of visitors for this festival," Jonah said, understanding dawning in his eyes. "He’ll just blend in with the crowd and then leave afterward."
"I don’t believe none of my nobles are involved in this trade; he would never have evaded capture for so long otherwise." Atticus’s eyes were dark with displeasure. "The commoners might do it for coin, but they aren’t going to be high up his ladder. Soone is facilitating his transactions for their own benefit."
"They might even be his buyers," Jonah added with a sigh. After all, which noble family wouldn’t want to get their hands on Jean Nott’s gems?
With Jean Nott’s connections, even the rarest, most dangerous artifacts could be theirs for the right price. And Vramid’s nobility was obnoxiously wealthy, despite Atticus’s efforts to curb their wealth. He couldn’t tax them without causing huge internal turmoil and civil unrest, and he couldn’t kill all of them off either, because he would have no society left.
If he found proof that they were colluding with Jean Nott, that would be the perfect excuse to have them executed!
"Every noble family will be in attendance for the parade, which makes it the perfect ti to raise havoc." Atticus’s eyes glinted with manic excitent. "This ti, none of these snakes are escaping my grasp."
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