The Scarlet Assassin

Chapter forty-four

I was extremely grateful that the king didn't have any interest in the young princess. I didn't know if I'd have it in me to kill a kid.

Even psychopaths draw the line somewhere.

After the dance was over, I momentarily lost sight of the prince. He disappeared in the crowd and came back a moment later looking the slightest more agitated and frazzled, now accompanied by an elder man dressed in an old cloak with streaks of silver in his black hair. I recognized him as the preacher in the chapel. The man put a hand on the prince's shoulder, whispered something in his ear, and the two exchanged a small smile.

It was time.

I moved to the corner of the room after smiling at an Althyni dignitary and handing him the second-to-last glass. I reached into my sleeve that hugged my wrist tightly, and inside was a small vial of a clear liquid–poison. It's what Ace had been spending this entire time trying to brew and perfect.

I uncorked the top, poured the liquid in a champagne glass, and slipped the vial back into my sleeve.

Making my way to the prince, I kept my eyes down. Thankfully, not many people actually knew what I looked like as I tended to keep a low profile, but I was this close, and I wouldn't risk getting caught now.

In front of Prince Nikolas, I curtsied deeply, making sure not to look him in the eyes. "Your majesty," I began, making him look away from the older man he was talking to. But before I continued, the old man said sternly,

"You know better than to address a royal without-"

"Marquis," the prince said, voice shaking as if he was nervous to speak. His voice surprised me. It was rockier than what I remembered, shakier even, but it might've been because he was nervous. "It's okay. Go on, Ms..."

"Evelyn," I said sweetly. "Would you care for a refreshment? The champagne, so I've heard, is exquisite."

The prince licked his lips but looked to the elder man as if for an answer. And when the man nodded, he said, "Yes, in fact, I would love some. I'm parched." That's obvious. He's sweating through his suit.

Prince Nikolas reached for the last glass of champagne, hand extending, and then something curious caught my eye–the prince's birthmark was gone.

My brows furrowed, and I quickly looked up to meet the prince's eyes, the eyes I was sure were different from the ones I looked in while in the safe room. The eyes in that room had been forest green. These that were now locked with mine were a much lighter green with brown accents around the iris.

That's when I remembered the paper I'd seen. How to change the hue of a person's eyes. At first, I thought it was to aid the prince while he went into hiding, but what if...

I looked at the old man named Marquis. M. If Marquis was M, that means he signed the old piece of parchment. What if this man was helping the prince escape?

And what had the guards been complaining about? The prince had sent them for hair dye and a book. Hair dye. I looked at the prince and noticed his hair color seemed a few shades lighter. It could've been the light, but with one look at the prince's neck that was mainly covered with the collar of his suit, I noticed light streaks of what was most likely blonde hair dye.

What if... oh shit.

"Are you alright?" the man, who I was now 90% sure wasn't the prince, asked me. Giving him a tight smile and a nod, I watched the man, the doppelganger, down the glass of poison.

I quickly curtsied and walked as fast as I could without drawing attention out of the ballroom.

I wanted to find Sophie–it'd be safer if I found Sophie–but the prince could be gone by now. My shot at freedom might be beyond the castle gates.