The crown prince
Chapter One — The Crown Prince
By the time I reached the Crown Prince's private quarters, I had already decided how the night would end.
With me walking out of his room wearing the smile of a woman who had succeeded where every other woman had failed.
The palace was quieter at night.
The marble corridors stretched beneath rows of golden lights, and every sound seemed louder than it should have been—the soft click of my heels against the floor, the distant movement of servants, the occasional murmur from the guards stationed outside the royal wing.
I kept my head high.
I had no reason to be nervous.
I had been told everything I needed to know about Crown Prince Adrian.
He was twenty-something, unmarried, next in line to the throne, and apparently impossible to impress.
For years, women had been brought to him.
Beautiful women.
Wealthy women.
Women from noble families.
Women who had spent years learning exactly how to make themselves desirable.
None of them had succeeded.
And that was where the rumor had begun.
The Crown Prince wasn't interested in women.
Some people whispered that he preferred men.
Others claimed he had simply never been attracted to anyone.
I didn't believe either story.
Men were men.
And I knew exactly how to deal with them.
The woman who arranged this meeting had warned me not to embarrass myself.
I almost laughed when I remembered it.
"Don't get too confident."
Too confident?
I had never needed confidence to make a man notice me.
I stopped in front of the enormous wooden doors at the end of the corridor.
Two guards stood on either side.
One of them looked at me, then at the small card in my hand.
"You're expected?"
I nodded.
"Yes."
He stepped aside.
The doors opened.
I walked inside.
The Crown Prince's room was nothing like I had imagined.
It was large, but not excessively decorated. Dark wood covered the walls, tall windows overlooked the city, and a single lamp cast a warm glow across the room.
There was a desk near the window.
Several books were scattered across it.
And then I saw him.
Adrian.
He stood with his back toward me, looking through the window.
For a moment, I simply watched him.
He wasn't dressed like someone preparing to receive a woman.
There was nothing particularly formal about him.
Just a dark shirt, neatly pressed trousers, and his sleeves rolled slightly above his wrists.
He looked completely at ease.
As though he hadn't been waiting for me.
I closed the door behind me.
The sound made him turn.
His eyes met mine.
And suddenly, for the first time that evening, I wasn't quite as certain of myself.
Not because he was intimidating.
Because his expression gave me absolutely nothing.
No surprise.
No curiosity.
Not even interest.
Just a calm, unreadable stare.
I smiled.
"Your Highness."
He said nothing.
I took a slow step toward him.
Then another.
My confidence returned.
After all, I hadn't come all the way to the Crown Prince's private quarters to stand across the room and admire him.
I stopped a few feet away.
"Didn't anyone tell you I was coming?"
Adrian's eyes remained on me.
"I was told."
His voice was lower than I expected.
I smiled again.
"Then why do you look surprised?"
"I'm not."
Something about the way he said it made my smile falter.
But only for a second.
I moved closer.
He didn't step back.
Good.
I lifted my hand.
My fingers were almost close enough to touch his chest when
Adrian's eyes dropped to my hand.
Then slowly lifted back to my face.
And for the first time since I entered the room...
he smiled.
