Prologue

Author’s note: Please note this has not been professionally edited yet. If that will bug you, please read one of my other works available on Amazon. Once this is edited, it will be moved to Amazon, except for a few chapters. This is the second book in the Masks of the Crown series. IT CAN BE READ AS A STANDALONE. However, if you want to read the first, you can find it here. https://www.amazon.com/Unmasked-Hearts-Masks-Marie-Scully-ebook/dp/B0GMRNJYS7/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

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Much love,

Marie

Prologue

Odessa

“What are the casualties?”

King Alaric’s, her father’s, question drifts through the partially open door, low and strained. Odessa freezes in the corridor. The response that comes is too muffled for her to make out. Silence follows. Then her father exhales sharply between his teeth. The sound alone tells her enough.

The number is bad.

“What will it take to regain the three islands?”

Paper rustles. Boots shift against stone.

Odessa presses herself closer to the wall, barely daring to breathe.

“Eldoria has truly grown bold,” her father continues. “Send word to Adrien and every general and captain currently stationed along the coast. We will retake the islands and drive them back into the sea.”

His hand must slam against the table because several voices stir at once. “They will learn to regret this. Our people depend on those waters. Our merchants depend on them. We will not allow Syndoria to be strangled while Eldoria grows fat on our trade.”

Odessa swallows. Her brother. Adrien spends most of these years wearing armor instead of court finery. While other nobles win praise through politics or advantageous marriages, Adrien earns his through battlefields, campaigns, and victories. Tales of his courage spread across the kingdom until some commoners and nobles seem to speak of him more as a legendary hero, and some even dare to say that he should be next in line instead of their older brother.

Her palms grow damp. Her brother has talent, but all it takes is one moment for him to lose his life.

Syndoria has always belonged to the sea. The kingdom’s western border stretches along the glittering waters of the Aerial Sea, while rivers carve silver paths through much of the land. Merchants carry silk, ore, grain, and spices through an intricate network of waterways that connects nearly every major city.

At the heart of it all stands Valecrest, the capital. Odessa spends her entire life among its towering cliffs. Built where the River Vale empties into the sea, the city rises in layers of pale stone and white marble. Elegant bridges arch over the river’s channels. Domed temples catch the sunlight. Towers crowned with sapphire-colored roofs stretch toward the sky. From nearly every street and balcony, one can glimpse the ocean.

Above the city, perched atop the highest cliff, stands the royal castle. Its walls overlook both the harbor and the endless sea beyond, a constant reminder that Syndoria’s wealth flows from the water below.

But ships alone never sustain the kingdom. Beneath the surrounding hills, vast mining networks tunnel deep into the earth. Silver, iron, and precious gemstones fill the royal coffers almost as reliably as trade. Together, sea and stone transform Syndoria into one of the most prosperous kingdoms on the continent. That may not always have been the case, but it is after the war with Promrimna.

The five offshore islands play an equally vital role.

Each controls important shipping routes. Each offers valuable resources.

And now three of themhavefallen to Eldoria. That alone explains the fury in her father’s voice. Eldoria lies across the sea, a kingdom as different from Syndoria as fire is from water.

Its ports line an arid coastline where golden sands stretch for miles inland. The air is dry, the summers brutal, and rainfall so scarce that entire cities are built around ancient wells and reservoirs. Their architecture favors sunbaked stone and flat rooftops.

Even their culture feels foreign. Where Syndoria celebrates sailors and merchants, Eldoria reveres warriors, horsemen, and conquest. For years, tensions simmer between the two kingdoms.

“Eldoria will pay.” The words land like a blade striking stone.

A chill crawls down Odessa’s spine.

Before anyone discovers her eavesdropping, she quietly steps away from the door and disappears down the corridor.

Two Years Later

Odessa stands before her mirror, draped in a gown of deep sapphire silk that shimmers whenever it catches the candlelight. It is a stunning dress, one tailored to emphasize the grace expected of a princess.

Her gaze lingers on her reflection. Pinned elegantly atop her head, her hair gleams a stark, startling white. Not silver with age nor pale blonde kissed by sunlight, but a pure, snow-bright white that seems almost unnatural against the softness of her youthful face. Little by little, yet as swiftly as the closing of an eye, the color vanishes until nothing remains of the hair she onceknew. It has been so long since she has seen its original color that she can no longer visualize it properly. Each time, it is a slightly different shade.

She reaches up as if to touch it, then stops.

No amount of staring at her reflection will change it.

Drawing a steady breath, Odessa turns away from the mirror.

Tonight is a celebration. A display of royal power and unity before nobles, generals, and allies. And a welcome home. Adrien has finally returned after two years away. Two years.

She has missed him more than she cares to admit.

Ignoring the knot tightening in her stomach, Odessa steps from her chamber. Her oldest brother is waiting. Elion lounges against the far wall, looking entirely too comfortable for someone attending a formal royal gathering. He wears a tailored charcoal-gray jacket that fits his broad frame perfectly. Beneath it, a pale blue shirt peeks from the lapels, its collar secured with a sapphire pin that matches Odessa’s gown. His trousers match the jacket precisely, falling cleanly to polished black shoes.

At her arrival, a lazy grin stretches across his face.

“Well,” he says, pushing away from the wall, “don’t you look terrifyingly regal.”

Odessa rolls her eyes.

Elion offers his arm with exaggerated gallantry.

“Shall we?”

She takes it despite herself.

As they begin walking through the corridor, he sighs dramatically.

“Don’t worry,” he says lightly. “It’ll be over before you know it. I know how much you hate these things.”

He leans closer.

“I, however, can’t wait for the food and wine.”

She rolls her eyes.

“And,” he continues, wagging his eyebrows, “to mingle with the lovely ladies. Even some of the married ones. Oh, don’t give me that look. The judgment is radiating off you.”

His grin widens.

“I swear, you’re becoming as proper as our brother. Adrien makes being a prince seem as miserable as being a prisoner. Every year he gets more serious.” He lowers his voice conspiratorially. “Though I did learn some gossip that makes him considerably more interesting.”

Odessa glances sharply toward him.

Elion laughs.

“Telling you would ruin the fun.”

She narrows her eyes.

His grin only widens.

“Don’t worry,” he says. “You’ll see soon enough.”

They meet their parents outside the throne room. Adrien is nowhere to be seen. Odessa glances toward Elion. He simply winks. The gesture does nothing to calm her curiosity.

Queen Raya stands resplendent in a gown of deep amethyst velvet embroidered with silver thread that glitters like frost. A delicate crown of sapphires and diamonds rests upon her intricately styled hair, while a matching necklace catches every flicker of candlelight.

Beside her, King Valen looks every bit the ruler of a powerful kingdom. His midnight-black tailcoat is sharply tailored, his burgundy brocade waistcoat rich with detail. Gold studs gleam against the white of his shirt.

Beyond the massive double doors come the sounds of music, laughter, and conversation.

Then suddenly, silence. The doors swing inward. The royal family enters. A ripple moves through the room. Nobles bow. Officers lower their heads. Conversations cease as hundreds of eyes turn toward the throne room’s entrance. Together they cross the hall.

Guests part before them. Odessa and Elion step aside as their parents ascend the dais and take their seats upon the twin thrones. Only then does Odessa allow her gaze to sweep the crowd. She finds Adrien almost immediately. He stands near the center of the room. And beside him stands a woman. A beautiful woman. Far too close, he stands by her side.

Odessa shoots Elion a questioning look. He stares ahead with saintly innocence. The slight twitch at the corner of his mouth betrays him.

As the evening progresses, the hall transforms into a swirl of music, dancing, and politics.

Couples drift across the polished floor. Servants circulate with trays of crystal glasses. Nobles form clusters beneath glittering chandeliers, exchanging rumors disguised as conversation.

For a while, Odessa escapes to her favorite place.

The corner.

Half-hidden behind a pillar, she can observe without participating. The best part of any royal gathering. Unfortunately, peace never lasts. Before long, her parents rise from their thrones. The room quiets. Guests turn expectantly. Odessa returns to Elion’s side.

The king lifts his goblet.

“Thank you all for joining my family this evening.” His voice carries effortlessly throughout the hall. “It is our great honor to celebrate alongside the brave men and women who have served this kingdom and the friends who have stood beside us through every trial.”

A murmur of approval sweeps the crowd.

“Without your loyalty, our nation would not stand as strong as it does today.”

He smiles. “Tonight is a night of celebration.” The king raises his glass higher. “And I have news to share.”

Odessa frowns. What news?

King Valen’s eyes sweep the hall.

“Tonight, I announce the marriages of my children.”

The room explodes.

Gasps echo off stone walls.

Elion nearly inhales his wine.

Odessa’s glass slips from numb fingers and shatters against the floor.

Red wine spreads across the flagstones like spilled blood.

Marriage?

The word crashes into her.

Her heart pounds so violently she can hear little else.

Instinctively, she steps closer to Elion, as though her brother can somehow shield her from what she already knows is coming.

She does not dare look toward Adrien.

She is terrified of what she might see.

Queen Raya speaks before the hall can descend into complete chaos.

Her voice slices cleanly through the noise. “Tomorrow, Princess Maelis of Calder, Princess Isolde of Aerin, and Prince Draven of Eldoria will arrive.”

The hall falls silent once more. “Prince Elion and his intended have been courting privately for over a year and now wish to make their betrothal official.”

Elion makes a strangled sound. A mixture of disbelief, horror, and amusement crosses his face. Beside him, Odessa feels panic closing around her throat.

Whispers erupt throughout the crowd. A hundred political calculations unfold behind smiling faces. No one even tries to hide it.

The implications are impossible to miss. Elion is the heir. His marriage means alliances. Power. Influence. Future succession. Adrien, already celebrated throughout the kingdom as one of its greatest military leaders, now stands beside a woman who looks every bit the match of a prince.

Across the room, nobles subtly reposition themselves. Some move closer to old allies.

Others drift toward potential new ones. Entire futures are being recalculated before Odessa’s eyes.

And her own future? She can barely bring herself to think about it. The announcement feels like a chain wrapped around her chest. Heavy. Unavoidable. Final.

She searches for Adrien through the crowd. He is gone. Vanished. As though he had never been there at all.

Nearby, Elion is already speaking to an attractive noblewoman, somehow managing to appear completely unaffected despite nearly choking moments earlier. Odessa looks toward the dais.

Her mother’s eyes meet hers.

There is pity there.

But there is also certainty.

A certainty that says no argument will stop what has already been decided.

Her fate is sealed long before tonight.