Everyone in the kingdom knew the jester.
Not because he was important.
Quite the opposite.
He was simply always there.
At royal banquets, balancing silverware on his fingertips while the nobles discussed politics.
In the gardens, feeding crumbs to ravens and speaking to them as if they understood.
Perched atop walls he had no business climbing.
Lurking in corridors at impossible hours.
Watching.
Always watching.
Nobody knew much about him.
Not where he came from.
Not how old he was.
Not even his real name.
Questions about the jester rarely received answers.
And if they did, they were usually lies.
The servants avoided him.
The nobles tolerated him.
The king found him amusing.
And Princess Seraphina found him irritating.
At least, that's what she told herself.
The morning sun spilled through the towering windows of the throne room, illuminating dust particles that danced through the air like tiny stars.
Seraphina sat beside her father's throne, dressed in black silk despite the spring weather.
The color suited her.
The kingdom's princess was beautiful in the way winter was beautiful.
Elegant.
Cold.
Difficult to love.
A nobleman droned on about trade routes.
Another argued about taxes.
Seraphina stared out the window.
Bored.
Her father, King Aldric, listened with feigned interest.
Then a burst of laughter echoed through the hall.
The room groaned collectively.
The jester had arrived.
Or rather, he had fallen.
One moment he was nowhere to be seen.
The next, he dropped from somewhere above and landed in the center of the throne room with a dramatic flourish.
His bells jingled softly.
A deck of playing cards scattered across the floor.
Not a single guard reacted.
Not because they trusted him.
Because this sort of thing happened regularly.
The jester rose to his feet and bowed.
Deeply.
Excessively.
The king sighed.
"What are you doing?"
The jester considered the question.
Then pointed toward the ceiling.
"I was up there."
ВЫ ЧИТАЕТЕ
A smile in the dark (Jester x Princess)
Детектив / ТриллерNo one truly knows the king's fool. Not his name. Not his past. Not why he always seems to appear when secrets are near. But when Princess Seraphina's path begins crossing with his, she discovers that beneath the painted smiles and silver bells lies...
