The Marquis' Daughter's Second Chance

Episode 1.9

PIERCE RAVENSWOOD

"I told you not to involve her." My hands curled around the collar of his shirt. The sheer cold wasn't enough to soothe my anger. Raising a hand against royalty was treason, but I couldn't just stand by and watch my best friend propose to my baby sister. He blindsided me.

"Being a Ravenswood, she was already involved." Eli tried to reason with me, but I didn't want to hear it. Of course I knew she was already involved, but my father and I wanted a different life for her. She didn't deserve to be entrapped in the political drama surrounding the throne. King Riverty knew that as well, which is why he didn't mention it sooner out of respect for my father.

"I want her to have a normal life." I explained. "I want her to fall in love and be far removed from this battle for the throne." I released his collar, pushing him away from me.

"Then she'll be safest by my side."

"That's the worst place for her to be." I argued. Eli has only told me about a handful of the assassination attempts. Since I was away at war, I could only imagine how many more attempts have happened since I left. The foolish prince didn't even keep any guards with him. When we were in the Academy together, I was the only person to guard him. And he wanted my sister to be by his side? Did he honestly think that I would be okay with that?

"You can't protect her forever." That was something I was aware of, but I wanted to do everything in my power to protect my little sister from hardship. "Were you planning on sending her to your uncle's home? Viscount Barbatos may be far from the area of conflict, but he is one of the nobles that openly supports me. None of the duchies are safe, so you can't house her in Duke Riyo's duchy. So what exactly were you planning to do, Pierce?" Closing my hand into a tight fist, I threw my entire weight into the stone wall behind me. Beneath my fist, the wall crumbled. "That strength of yours is truly frightening."

His cunningness was frightening. It was as if this was his plan all along. "What should I do?"

"Let your sister become the queen." Pressing my hand against the wall, I slid down to the ground. My knees settled into the rubble. There weren't many things that terrified me, but the thing that sat at the very top of that list was the safety of my family. It's why I continue to fight in this asinine war concerning the mountain pass. "Lucienne is strong and smart. She's the best candidate."

"I know." I knew my sister's capabilities better than anyone. She was in a whole different league than the people being considered for the throne. There was one thing she had that only one other woman in the kingdom had: military prowess. I knew better than anyone that she would be an irreplaceable asset for the future king. If I were younger and more naive, I would've been elated to let my best friend take my sister's hand in marriage. In my eyes, there was no bachelor more worthy than Eli, but things weren't that simple. "You'll take care of her. Swear on your life."

"I love your sister." With wide eyes, I turned around to face him. He's my best friend and I could always tell if he's lying. The expression on his face was apologetic, as if he was sorry for hiding it from me. He was being serious. I never knew. "I would easily throw away my life for her."

"You can't. You'll be king."

"I'm showing you my resolve."

"Since when? How long have you felt this way?"

A soft smile spread across his face. "She probably doesn't remember this moment, but I saw her a little before my coming of age party. I was nervous due to this leg of mine." His hand settled on his right knee. "I was afraid I wouldn't be taken seriously because I couldn't walk. And I was right. But the words she told me that day stay in my heart and mind. 'Walk proud, your highness, for you will be king one day'." Eli's hand tightened around his cane.

"That's it?"

He raised his cane and whacked me on the arm. "What else do you want me to say? That she's beautiful?"

"That's a given."

"Lucienne has always been the only option."

"Why? Why say something now?"

"Because." Eli's expression darkened. "Time is running out."