Chapter 153

Chapter 153 No room for peace Once the tea was all poured and the cookies were gone, Doris was finally left alone with her thoughts.

She dared William to show his face just so she could give him a piece of her mind. He had no right announcing her as his lady without asking her if she even wanted to be. She didn’t want this, right? Why was it getting harder to feel that way.

she was Melody’s maid. It was much bigger than the one they shared and actually had warm water through the pipes rather than the ice cold baths they were used to in their old room. At least her friend seemed happy with her new situation. Beth deserved the world and more, but that didn’t make this any easier. (This novel will be daily updtaed at www.noveljar.com) A constant battle brewed inside her. One half wanted her to sit back and enjoy the ride while it lasted, and the other half-the smarter half of her wanted to run as fast as she could before it all crumbled in her grasp. 2 A knock startled Doris out of her thoughts. It was polite rather than rough and demanding like they usually were when someone came for her. “Yes?” Doris said hesitantly. “I’ve got a letter for you, my lady. Prince William requests your appearance at his m meeting starting soon.”

her, she almost didn’t know what to do or say. “Thank you.” Doris bowed and closed the door quickly before he did anything else. William’s elegant handwriting sent a jolt through her blood. While she knew how to read and write, her penmanship would never be as beautiful as the prince’s was. “My lady,” Doris read out loud to herself. “Please join me and the rogues for our next meeting. We hope to discuss the future of the kingdom together and I would like you to be there. Yours, William.” Perhaps it was the way he showed her a bit of vulnerability by just writing a letter like this, but Doris was out the door in seconds.

Everywhere she turned, someone bowed to her and greeted her as a lady. She almost had half a mind to take the servants paths just so no one else noticed her. Though, she would be hard to miss in the dress she was in. It was much more suited for a princess. At the end of the hallway, one of William’s guards bowed and opened the door for her without her even having to explain why she was there. After a second, she forced her steps forward and the door slammed closed the moment her body was fully in. All at once, the room silenced as every head turned towards Doris. (This novel will be daily updtaed at www.noveljar.com) William’s eyes broke through the rest and rooted her right to the spot. She wanted to melt into the floor and make them all erase the image of her in this beautiful dress that she didn’t belong in. She should be wearing a uniform and blending into the walls as people discussed important things-

not be invited to stand at the prince’s side. “I’m glad you could join us, my lady.” William bowed his head just a little as his eyes swept over her body. Doris cleared her throat and crossed the room “Yes, of course.” Doris said awkwardly. A guard stepped forward to pull out her chair and William waved him away and did it himself. When she sat, he leaned close to her ear to whisper. “You look beautiful.”

His words sent chills down her body. Had he ever said that to her before? Perhaps once, but she never really took him seriously when he said things like that. Doris’s hands trembled under the table. She forced herself to smile at those around her. “Great, now that the beauty is here, let us continue.” Enzo said and clapped his hands. He shot a wink at Doris when William wasn’t looking. “How will we go about discussing this with Prince Martin? He seems utterly distracted lately.” said a man on William’s left. He looked like a general, though Doris didn’t recognize him and didn’t think it was appropriate to ask. “Yeah, he’s been quite distracted.” William said bitterly. Doris stiffened beside him. “I’ll call forward a private meeting with him tomorrow and announce my intentions for the crown. If he refuses, we can go into our next stages.” Enzo leaned forward in his chair. “I think it would be best to make sure we have our details correct before you go into that meeting. (This novel will be daily updtaed at www.noveljar.com) With the Luna Queen looming around every corner, she must already have her own plans in motion.” “I’ve already sent letters to some of my most loyal supporters. I know many of them already have their own armies behind them and everything we can bring will help.” William opened a wide piece of parchment and laid it across the table. Doris’s eyes widened at the hundreds and hundreds of names sprawled across. “This is just a fraction of the people ready to stand behind me when the time comes.” “How did you manage so many—“ Enzo paused. He looked over each name curiously. “You‘ve been planning this for years, haven’t you?” “Since I was 15 years old.” William leaned back in his chair and watched as everyone took in the large list. “I know my brother wasn’t fit to be king. He let my father speak for him and make all of the decisions. I started my own path and knew I had to gain more friends than foes outside of the palace.” “Prince Martin will let his mother run this place to ruins. We all can see she’s already breathing down his neck and he has done nothing to stand up to her.” Another man down the table said. “Luna Queen wants to get rid of all who disagree with her, so we must be careful. We can’t let her know what we’re planning until we’re ready to act on it.” William rolled up the parchment and stowed it away. “What will happen if Prince Martin doesn’t let you take the crown?” Doris asked. She was almost afraid to hear the answer. “I already told you what would happen, my lady. We will bring him a war until he hands it over.” William glanced around at those around him and they all nodded eagerly. They all wanted this just as much as he did. Had Doris truly been so blind all these years not to realize that William was so hungry for the throne? Everyone always thought he was reckless and didn’t care about anything to do with politics. His father never gave him a pack and never took him seriously-could it be that William wanted him to think that way? “Wouldn’t the king be upset to have his sons go to war?”

Doris asked cautiously. (This novel will be daily updtaed at www.noveljar.com)

“The king isn’t fit to make decisions. We have to act fast before he passes. Once he does, it’ll be too late.

Prince Martin will already be king.” Enzo explained patiently. He offered Doris a small smile but she felt uncomfortable with the topic of war. It made her want to get as far from this room as possible. “Martin doesn’t expect any of this to happen. He thinks everything will remain as it is and I haven’t seen any sign that he’s suspicious of someone taking his title. I’ve been told that he’s let his mother control all of his meetings while he retreats to the library or whatever else he does in his own time.” William sighed. “It’ll be a perfect time to strike.” “I can’t wait to throw that little weasel off the throne with his horrible mother.”

One of the rogues commented. “He doesn’t have an ounce of leadership inside him, I can’t wait to watch him fall.” “He is still William’s brother. We shouldn’t wish anyone harm even if they don’t deserve their position. I’m sure there might be a more peaceful way to go about this–“ Doris started. 2 “Peaceful? Luna Queen tried to kill me several times when we were in the north. I’m sure she will try a few more times while we’re here. There’s nothing peaceful about that woman and she doesn’t deserve our kindness!”

William slammed his hand down against the table and made Doris flinch. “I didn’t mean to spare her…”

Doris said quietly after a moment of silence. “I meant your brother.” “Why do you care what happens to him so much?” William hissed. “Because he’s your blood and that means something even if you don’t want to admit it!” Doris stood. “Excuse me, I think I need to go lay down.” Nobody said a word as they watched her leave. She could still feel William’s eyes glare into her back long after she was gone