•F O R T Y - O N E•

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The farther they traveled from Terter, the better. Even the snow on the ground felt warmer as Prudence distanced herself from the doom and dread of Adelaide and Cornelius and their blissful life.

She relaxed in the royal carriage, but it didn't take long for her thoughts to return to the letters she'd hidden under her mattress; the mysteries surrounding her family.

She glimpsed Romain, who peered out the window, an easy smile over his lips. Was there any way he was conscious of what his mother, his father, and Cornelius' father had done?

"Romain," she said, leveling her tone as best as she could. "What was Father like?" She hoped to scan his features, to read his posture, to figure out if he'd lie to her, or if he was as clueless as she was.

He didn't look at her, but flinched; so fast one might have thought it an illusion. "I am only aware of what Mother told me. She said he spent more time with you than with me, and he was concerned about showing you off, checking the competition. He was not thoroughly convinced the Schwartz family was a right match for you." A pinch of irritation developed in his voice. "He was a fair King, watched over his people, but was ruthless with his enemies. As far as I am concerned, he fought for what he believed in, for what he assumed was right."

Prudence shifted in her seat. "And he treated his people with kindness?"

Romain winced, finally turning his gaze to her. "Kindness?" He huffed. "Have you ever met a King? Father treated his citizens with decency. But I would not call him kind."

His words didn't settle well in Prudence's heart. Her father, decent? Kings, in general, unkind? Edouard, though a murderer, had never been cruel, and neither was Antoine. Had her father been difficult with his people?

She pulled her cloak collar up to her chin. "So all you learned from ruling, did you read about it? Was it recorded in a book? Or did his advisors instruct you?"

"You are quite curious today." He squinted at her and shrugged. "Yes, a bit of all of that. I studied his notes from meetings, read his treaties backwards and forwards. There was a private tutor, too, but Mother often insisted on instructing me as she knew Father best."

Prudence refrained from grimacing.

Pauline might have controlled more than what I assumed.

"She was my only living parent." Romain shoved a few scraggly strands of golden hair behind his ears. "And my regent. I would say I learned more from her than from Father. She used to be a Queen, so it made sense."

Too many questions popped into Prudence's mind at once, and she struggled to put them in order.

"What about Mother? I have no idea about her story. Where she is from, what her origins are, her background..."

The Golden Princess (#4 in the GOLDEN series) ✔Where stories live. Discover now