The Golden Duchess (#3 in the GOLDEN series)

•S I X T Y - T W O•

Tears saturated her eyes and she no longer had control over her lower limbs. "She is not here!"

Sébastien caught her before she crumbled and hurried inside, closing the door with his foot. He heaved her over to the sofa and deposited her, sinking beside her.

"She left?"

Céleste gasped for air between sobs. "She did not even say goodbye!" She succumbed to a fit of shivers, her mind filling with flashes of Prudence sneaking out in the night, climbing into a carriage, sitting next to Romain, glaring at the castle as the vehicle took off, its shiny surface shimmering in the moonlight.

"It is," Sébastien peered at the clock above the fireplace, "only seven. Surely they have not left yet."

"She was my best friend." The sorrow piling up in Céleste's heart had toppled over, spilling out, drowning her. Her convulsions intensified, and Sébastien pulled her against his chest.

"And she still is. Her departure does not change her affection for you, I guarantee it." He planted gentle kisses on the back of her neck, his lips tender, taming her tremors. He then lifted her chin and pressed his forehead to hers. "I imagine she slipped out because she could not bear to leave you."

Céleste struggled to return his gaze. His eyes were so round and sincere and perfect that she felt terrible for letting them hypnotize her. "But now I will never know the truth!" Her voice croaked.

"I can tell you the truth." Sébastien kept a firm hold on her chin. "There is good news amidst this chaos. My siblings and I unanimously banned Mother from court! The Duchess of Torrinni title is available, so we gave it to her. In a matter of hours, Antoine will sign the decree to confirm it. Then she will be off to Torrinni Palace, on the outskirts of town, away from the temptation of her schemes, from her life-altering lies."

Céleste sniffled. "Splendid. But a bit late, no?" Sarcasm wasn't her forte, but she didn't care.

"She kept secrets from the monarch, conspired with known enemies, allowed spies into our territory," said Sébastien, swiping his thumb below her lash-line, dabbing at her tears. "The Schwartz's allegiances have always been flimsy, and it turns out this time, they played a double role, allying with Mother and working for the Giromian Dowager."

"That Duke is an arsehole—" she snapped her mouth shut, outraged at her vocabulary.

"He is," Sébastien snickered, "and for Mother's part with him, Antoine considered trying her for treason. Jules vouched for her to be executed."

She bounced to the other side of the sofa, heart hammering in her rib-cage. "Executed?"

His gaze widened and he raised his shoulders, surprised as she was. "It was extreme, for certain. But one cannot fault him. Aside from Prudence, he was most manipulated in all this. But I was the voice of reason, as always." He scooched closer to her. "I suggested our initial solution of barring her from court, and Antoine accepted."

Céleste gulped down the large lumps that blocked the top of her throat. "How is he? The King, I mean. How is he faring?"

Sébastien shuffled about and massaged her upper arm. "He is not faring. At all. During our entire meeting, he was solemn. Eerily quiet. He permitted us to debate and only interjected to speak of a trial against Mother. And to admit that," he scratched his jawline, "he plans to annul his marriage to Adelaide. Soon. He is sick of her tricks and her involvement with Mother."

"He plans to what?" As if her legs were custard, she slid off the couch and onto the floor. "And he has proved this? That Adelaide worked with your mother?"

Sébastien slithered down to her level. "Yes, though her final agenda is a mystery. Antoine did not get into details, distraught as he was. He has taken all this with much difficulty. More than any of us. So once Mother is gone, Adelaide will follow. She will no longer be Queen of Totresia."

Céleste scoffed. "It is too easy." She fixated on the coffee table. "She aids in ruining lives and all she loses is her marriage? Her crown? She will find another man to torture, no doubt. It is not enough."

Shriveling against the sofa's base, Sébastien tipped his head back and puffed out a breath. "Yes, well, regardless, it is the best option, for now. Adelaide has been nothing but trouble, and Mother was wrong to choose her as Antoine's Queen. I do not condone her hatred towards Marguerite, Prudence, but if she had to replace her, why with that red-headed devil?"

"Red-headed devil indeed," said Céleste, snorting.

"Most nobles will agree to this annulment, anyway," Sébastien kicked at the lower part of the tea-table, "since most were already prepared to vote on it."

Céleste moved onto her knees. "Where is the King now?"

Wrinkling his nose, Sébastien heaved up to his feet. "Knowing him, pacing. Waiting outside for Prudence. Or trying to see her off—"

Shooting up so fast she nearly cracked her ankle, Céleste skidded from the couch. "If she is still here, we should see her off, too! Or try to convince her to stay—"

"—she made her choice, love—"

"—but she was not in her right mind!" Céleste seized his wrist and dragged him to the door, that she yanked open without effort. "If we tell her Antoine will annul his union with Adelaide, that will make her delay, yes?"

Resisting her pull, Sébastien slowed her pace, halfway over the threshold. "She was angry. She accused Antoine of being Mother's puppet and pointed out his violence. He told us she feared he would become like Father, who did have Gregor murdered—"

"—what?" Céleste released him and froze. "So it was true?"

Sébastien reached for her, trying to haul her back into the bedroom, but she dodged his fingers. "It is, which means—"

"—nothing." She resumed her urge to hurry down the hallway, and Sébastien hurdled after her. "I still need to catch her before she makes a mistake."

Prudence was running away all over again. But she'd forgive Antoine's errors; she always did. Moving to Giroma, marrying Cornelius, assuming her role as Princess in a place she hated—she couldn't do it. Céleste believed, in the depths of her soul, that Prudence wouldn't.

I will be the one to bring her to reality. To remind her that her home is in Totresia.

•••