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"I don\'t think Adeline is the Golden Rose," Weston quietly said to his younger brother.

They were near the foot of the staircase leading to the platform. From where they stood, they could see the dashing couple begin to walk away from the dance floor.

The King gave a magnificent performance. None could compare. He held her with the adoration of a lover but gazed at her like a mistress. It was evident his emotions were surface level, and never enough to touch his heart.

This didn\'t surprise Weston. All along, he knew the King was not capable of compassion, empathy, or the likes of that nature. Perhaps he also did not know how to love.

"You already told me that. I\'m not deaf, you know," Easton snorted.

Easton crossed his arms and continued to watch them. His eyes never left His Majesty. Occasionally, he would scan the room for any threats.

"I\'m just reminding you of the obvious," Weston snapped. His temper was not at it\'s finest today.

Weston was supposed to carry out an order, but for once, he failed. The King of Wraith didn\'t comment on that—which was strange. Considering the nature of His Majesty, he was the first to point out a mistake.

"I know you did a background check on her and gave it to His Majesty," Weston stated. "Her birthday is on Halloween, but the time was logged as 11:58 P.M. which is too close to midnight for comfort."

"Oh."

"On top of that, the doctor and nurse that helped Crown Princess Addison give birth suddenly retired and has never been heard from," Weston said.

"It\'s just a strange coincidence. That\'s all. I still think Princess Adeline is the Golden Rose," Easton murmured. "Why else would the King enjoy being in her presence? He sneaks off to see her."

Weston narrowed his eyes. "He hasn\'t entertained a woman for a while now. He\'s bored. He wants a plaything. Eventually, the prey will bore him."

Easton didn\'t comment. It was the cycle of how the King treats his previous women. Though, it had been a long time since His Majesty was seen with anyone. The timeline was strange… How long has it been? A decade? Two decades?

Easton couldn\'t remember, nor care. "Didn\'t you tell me she outwitted you earlier? How can someone so weak win over you?"

Weston pressed his lips together. He shot a glare towards his brother. He rarely suffered a loss, unless it was to His Majesty. But today, a woman had bested him. She laid out the rules that he set and trampled over his orders. He had never seen that side of her.

"I don\'t know," Weston gritted out. He was highly irritated about the events of tonight.

The King never listens!

What was the point of becoming his close friend and advisor if His Majesty rarely took Weston\'s advice? Weston didn\'t graduate with multiple degrees, reach a Master\'s in several topics, all for nothing! The majority of his youth had been spent in school, training to help His Majesty. They had been friends for as long as they could remember, and it was quite a winding timespan.

"Perhaps she\'s not as dreary as we expected," Easton mused.

Weston let out a scoff. "She was with a friend. It\'s a one-time thing. Women feel empowered in groups."

Speaking of that "friend," Weston had finally spotted her. His brows shot up at her large smile. She was conversing with a group of women, and they were all laughing with her, eager to see her in a good mood. His eyes narrowed.

Why was she so well-liked? The women surrounded her as if she was the center of their world. They peered at her like one would peer at their idol and a few even clasped their hands together in eagerness to speak.

"That\'s Lydia Claymore," Easton piqued. "Her father is Duke Claymore, but as the humans call him, he\'s the President of Claymore Conglamorate and—"

"I know who she is," Weston hissed.

"—and she\'s very much single," Easton finished.

Easton noticed his brother had been staring intently at her. What happened? If he recalled correctly, Easton was supposed to take Lydia to the Princess\'s room. Once that task was done, he was gone.

She sounded angry at him earlier. For what? Abandoning her near the Princess\'s room? He had hoped they were smart enough to find their way, or have the maids guide them.

"Why would I care if a deranged woman is single or not? It\'s not like I fancy her or anything." Weston glanced away from her.

Weston didn\'t need to be distracted by her golden hair, bright as a lemon, and her green eyes, like a meadow of fresh grass.

Now that Weston thought about it, Lydia Claymore had similar physical features to Adeline. They could be mistaken for sisters.

His eyes narrowed upon the floor. He needed to do a background check on Lydia. Immediately.

"Well you were looking at her for a while, so I thought you were interested," Easton explained. He shifted his attention to Lydia Claymore as well.

He wasn\'t surprised to find her surrounded by people. They said socialites clung to Lydia, heiresses flock to her, and suitors were aplenty. Many people were attracted to Lydia Claymore for her great charisma and brilliant smile.

"You know," Easton slowly said. "I am a bit confused as to why His Majesty chose Adeline…"

Weston hummed. "We\'re finally on the same page for something. When was the last time that happened? A decade? A century?"

Easton laughed. His brother rarely joked. The few times that he did, Easton was always smiling. He gave his brother a shrug.

"I can\'t imagine what could be possibly attractive about Lady Rose," Weston added on. This comment would probably make her cry.

"Don\'t be so mean, Wes," Easton murmured. "Adeline is quite beautiful, you know. In a conventional, prim, and proper way."

Weston scoffed. "She lacks the presence of a Queen. I doubt she can command even a dog. I hear her stutter and I\'m already yawning."

"You\'re being rude, Wes," Easton muttered. "If the King hears you, he will not be happy."

"He won\'t kill me, but he will beat me. It is a challenge I am willing to accept," Weston deadpanned.

"Or he\'ll have you hanged on the castle walls," Easton said.

Weston rolled his eyes. The same old threat. His Majesty would smack him on the head, and call it a day. There was no way he was going to hurt their friendship for a weak little thing.

Nonetheless, he straightened his shoulders when the King approached, with the pitiful Princess in tow. But for some reason, she seemed less frightened. Her posture was laid back, her head high, and her eyes forward. She walked like a Queen, but with none the beauty and grace. She was an imposter.

"Your Majesty," Weston instantly said in a clipped voice.

"Your Majesty!" Easton chirped with brightened eyes.

Elias nodded in greetings. For a split second, his eyes met Weston, and he did not seem pleased.

Weston\'s brows wrung together. Did the King hear their discussion? Even if he did, what was wrong with it? Weston was merely sharing his opinion. Was it truly an insult if it was the truth? What exactly were insults in the first place? People make it sound like a discourteous thing, but they were just scared to hear the truth.

"And Princess Rose," Easton added on with a gentle smile.

Adeline didn\'t return his smile. She was bewildered. Why was he so nice to her? Everyone had ulterior motives for unexpecting kindness. What did he want from her?

But she didn\'t want to be rude, so she slowly nodded her head. In an instant, something flickered in Easton\'s gaze.

His smile widened, almost sheepishly, before he glanced away.

What was that all about?

"It seems my beloved is quite aloof even to puppies," Elias teased. She peered back at him, tilting her head at his strange words.

Elias was pleased.

Adeline saw the ghost of a smile on his lips. His eyes had softened just for her. With his hand settled on her hips, she could feel his reassuring squeeze. His touch was always cold, but somehow, she felt warm. A fuzzy feeling bloomed in her chest.

"Such a shame, the Princess is a cat person," Easton grumbled in defeat, with dropped shoulders. He feigned sadness and pouted towards the ground.

"Grow up," Weston scoffed with a roll of his eyes.

The conversations in the background had returned to normal. People behaved as they normally did in the ball, eating, chatting, and having fun. But Weston and Adeline knew better than that. They were watching the entire thing unfold, through the corner of their eyes. It was daunting.

Adeline had no choice but to stand here. This was going to be her future from now on. She was familiar with the gossip and snide remarks. She had grown up with it.

\'Their words will never hurt me,\' she thought to herself. It was the inevitable truth.