Chapter 55: Charming Prince Luther
Somewhere in the castle, the next morning, Luna woke to sunlight spilling across her room. She crossed to the window and looked out.
The princess was still on the training grounds with her instructor, and this time, she was thoroughly dominating him.
Luna watched a while longer. The head guard’s comment about Elestar’s sudden change, just days prior, kept circling back in her mind, and slowly, the question began forming — could that change be tied to Niel somehow?
Maybe this princess wasn’t quite what she seemed. Her pulse ticked up at the thought. If Niel had somehow made his way into the palace, her entire plan could unravel before it even began.
She drifted back to bed and sat, working through the best way to confirm it. She remembered his immunity to poison — and her own ability to adjust a poison’s potency even after it had already been consumed. If she dosed the princess and it took hold normally, that ruled him out. If nothing happened, that was her answer.
But a second problem followed close behind — getting the princess to accept anything from her at all, and if her suspicions were right, Niel wouldn’t touch it regardless.
She’d need to work from a distance while still keeping control, and even that wouldn’t be simple.
Then, the birthday feast surfaced in her thoughts. She’d be overseeing the meal — she could manipulate potency from nearly two hundred feet away, which meant she’d only need to stay within that range to keep control.
Then she thought of the throne hall — if that was where the feast would be held, controlling things from a distance would be far harder. She’d need to get closer or find out exactly which hall they intended to use.
If her plan was going to work at all, she needed to move quickly. She rose and headed off to bathe.
---
She stood before the mirror, dressed in a red gown, black gloves, and a flower-patterned hat to match. The same delicate smile settled over her face as she turned for the door.
Her plan was simple enough — find out where the feast would be held, so she could plan around it properly.
She stepped out and made her way toward the grand hall, hoping to find someone who might know.
She’d barely taken her fourth turn when a voice called out behind her.
"Hey, you there — are you lost?"
She turned to find a face she recognized instantly — the crown prince, Luther, dressed in regal red with black pants.
She turned fully and offered a polite bow. "My lord. It’s an honor to finally meet the first prince of Warstone."
A smile crossed his face. "You seem to know me well enough already." His gaze lingered on her dress — nothing short of noble in its styling — and something in her composed bearing held his attention a beat longer than politeness required. "Did you lose your way?"
"Oh, not at all," she said, smiling, letting her tone soften into something humbler. "I’m the newly appointed royal chef — Luna. Though I won’t officially begin until after the princess’s feast. My apologies if the attire seemed misleading."
"No need to apologize," he said, his smile gentling. "It suits you. The dress."
"Thank you, sir. I’m hardly deserving of such a compliment."
"Don’t sell yourself short. You’re far more striking than you seem to realize." His smile warmed further.
Luna, still smiling outwardly, wondered privately at the sudden flood of compliments — though his expression made the answer obvious enough. He’d taken an interest in her.
The thought struck her instantly. Winning over the crown prince could shortcut her entire plan, skip the long climb entirely.
But the thought dissolved just as fast. She still didn’t know for certain whether the princess was Niel in disguise, still scheming toward the throne. Attaching herself to the prince could just as easily get her killed, if he ever moved against the heir.
And beyond that, she knew the king’s favorite had always been the princess. Once, her incompetence would have made that irrelevant to the succession — but now, with her newfound strength, the king might simply hand her the crown outright. If that happened, chasing the prince would be wasted effort entirely.
The only truly safe bet was aiming for the king himself, directly. She met Luther’s eyes and asked, "And what should I call you, sir...?"
He took her hand and pressed a gentle kiss to it. "Luther. Though you can drop the formalities. Just Luther is fine."
That confirmed her suspicion instantly — he wanted her, plainly. But romance held no interest for her, not now. She began working through the most graceful way to sidestep it without letting it show.
She drew a shallow breath, keeping the smile fixed in place, and bowed. "My apologies, my lord — I couldn’t, even with your blessing. It wouldn’t be proper of me. Shall I simply call you Sir Luther instead?"
He studied her a moment, then smiled again. "That’s fine. For now. Sir Luther it is."
"Thank you, Sir Luther." She offered another polite bow, lifting both sides of her gown.
He held her gaze briefly, smiled once more, and turned to leave, waving over his shoulder without looking back. "I hope our paths cross again, Lady Luna."
"Likewise," she said aloud — while her thoughts answered almost instantly, ’I hope not.’
She watched him until he vanished from sight, then murmured to herself.
"My apologies — I’ve set my sights higher. If the king dies before I reach that height, I’ll come find you. But if I get there first, I’ll be queen. Or perhaps... king."
---
Not far from the castle, near the mountains, Lambadack and Dreece stood atop a cliff, staring out at the mountain where Draken made his home.
"That’s where the dragon is, right?" Dreece asked, pointing, a smile already spreading across her face. "Oh, I can’t wait to get my hands on it."
"You’re way too excited, Dreece. It’s not going anywhere." Lambadack planted both hands on her hips, eyes fixed on the mountain.
"Are you kidding? It’s been decades since I last saw one." She glanced at Lambadack, her grin widening into full laughter.
"Tonight, we’re having a dragon for dinner!"