Of Heirs and Errors

Chapter One: Daelyn - The Secret Behind Closed Doors

It was a perfect summer day. The kind that made you want to be anywhere but inside. The sky was cloudless, the breeze cool enough to keep the sun from feeling sharp, and the gardens of the Wintergate Palace were in full bloom.

Daelyn didn't notice any of it. She was sitting, motionless, outside the King's private office, her gaze locked on the heavy double doors. She couldn't hear what was being said inside, but she could feel the weight of it. Something was happening—something important.

Probably something to do with her.

King Lucas, her older brother and only living family, had been meeting with his council for over an hour now. While that wasn't unusual, the tension in the palace had shifted in recent days. Closed-door meetings. Sudden messages arriving from Belraithe. Staff whispering in corners. And Daelyn was sick of being kept in the dark.

The door creaked behind her. She jumped, banging her hip on the polished wood table in the entryway.

"May I get you anything, Miss Daelyn?" Alberta, her lady-in-waiting, asked kindly.

Daelyn shook her head. "No, thank you."

Alberta gave a small curtsy and disappeared down the corridor.

As soon as she was gone, Daelyn exhaled and slipped away, the hem of her silk dress sweeping over marble floors. She moved fast, cutting through the corridor that led to the east wing. The library.

If anyone asked, she was going to the gardens. That was plausible. She usually enjoyed the flowers.

But Daelyn had no interest in flowers. Not today. She needed answers.

Entering the library, she made a beeline for her favorite spot by the tall bay windows. The breeze through the open panes carried the scent of blooming roses and the hum of bees. Normally, it calmed her. Today it barely touched her nerves.

She didn't like the feeling of being left out. Of being kept quiet and pretty while her fate was decided in a room full of men.

And she didn't like the way Lucas had started avoiding her eyes when she brought up her upcoming birthday.

Eighteen. That was the year arrangements started. The year your title stopped being just a title and became a currency.

Footsteps echoed. Doors opening. Low voices in the distance.

Daelyn froze, then slowly turned as her brother entered the library.

His sleeves were rolled up, his tie undone. A rare sight. The King of Wintergate didn't often look... human.

"You missed lunch," he said, making his way to the sofa beside her.

"You mean you missed it. I was here."

Lucas gave her a tired smile. "Fair point."

She studied him. The crinkle at the corners of his blue eyes. The silver streaks formed at his temples. He looked older than his twenty-eight years. The rule did that.

"Was it about me?" she asked finally. "The meeting."

Lucas hesitated. A flicker. That was enough.

"I knew it."

He held up a hand. "It wasn't *about* you, but your name came up. We've had communications from Belraithe."

Daelyn's heart sank. "About arrangements?"

"No. About Pilar."

She blinked. "Pilar Claremont?"

Lucas smiled—smiled this time. "I've chosen her."

It took a beat. Then another. "You're marrying her?"

"She arrives at the end of the week. The engagement announcement will follow."

Daelyn stared at him. "But you've met her once."

"Twice," he corrected. "And that's more than some royals get."

She searched his face for any hint of doubt. There wasn't one.

"I like her, Daelyn. She's smart. Grounded. I think she'll be good for Wintergate."

Good for Wintergate. Not good for *him*.

But Daelyn nodded. "She's beautiful. And kind."

"She likes you," he said. "She asked about you in her letters."

That surprised her. She barely remembered Pilar. A memory of bright hair and calm words, visiting once as a child.

"And she's bringing her brother," Lucas added.

Daelyn's breath caught. "Andrik?"

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "You've heard of him, then?"

"Everyone's heard of him. He's basically tabloid royalty." She thought briefly of the stack of old gossip rags hidden in a box beneath her bed. Ones she definitely didn't read for fun. Andrik was always front and center—shirtless, smirking, scandalous.

"Well, he's staying the whole summer. Their father insisted. Says it's for diplomatic support."

"More like surveillance," Daelyn muttered.

Lucas's expression darkened slightly. "Maybe. But it's also a chance for peace to last. Our alliances matter now more than ever."

He paused, then looked at her carefully. "I'm not going to spring a marriage proposal on you, Daelyn. I remember what I promised."

Her chest loosened a little.

"But..." he said, "you'll need to be polite. Friendly. Especially around King Claremont."

"I can do that."

"Andrik too."

She rolled her eyes. "I'll try not to stab him with a salad fork."

Lucas grinned and stood. "That's all I can ask."

He was almost to the door when he stopped.

"I know this palace can feel like a cage sometimes," he said, not turning around. "But don't go rattling the bars unless you're ready for what rattles back."

Daelyn frowned. "What does that mean?"

But he was already gone.

She meant what she said about being happy for her brother. Pilar was a good match, and Lucas deserved something of his own. But a part of her still felt like something was shifting. Like she was losing the last piece of family she had.

Hours passed slowly. The afternoon slipped into evening, the sky burning soft gold before darkening. She barely noticed when dinner came and went.

The palace had grown quiet again. Her nerves hadn't.

She stood alone in the library a few minutes longer, heart restless. She didn't want to cry. She didn't want to be seen.

She needed air.

She knew just where to go.

Daelyn crossed the library to the far wall, where her fingers found the worn leather spine of an old legal tome. She pulled it. A soft click echoed, and a panel of shelving creaked open.

The passage beyond was dim and narrow, the air stale with dust. But she didn't hesitate.

Barefoot before she even reached the end, she slipped through the hidden door that led into the edge of the gardens.

Outside, the moon hung low and bright. The grass was cool beneath her feet. Her hair tumbled loose as she ran.

For a few minutes, she wasn't Princess Daelyn. She was just a girl. Wild, breathless, and free.

But not for long.

Not with permanent guests coming.

Not with her future closing in.