Chapter Six

 

 

Being so close to the castle, our manor was one of the first the search party approached. My throat closed up as I saw them riding up the road to me; the three princes in disheveled elegance. They were as gorgeous as ever, perhaps more so, with their wild hair and wilder eyes. They reined in their horses before me; their eyes coasting over me and dismissing me immediately. I smirked; yep, just as I predicted.

“You there,” Prince Ashton called to me. “Have you seen a carriage pass by tonight?”

“No, Your Highness,” I said.

Ashton frowned, blinked, and then looked back at me. He dismounted and walked over.

“Do I know you?” He asked me.

“Ashton, we don't have time for this,” Prince Weston growled. “Lily could be miles away by now.”

I lifted a brow at that and smirked. Mother was also right; they were obsessed.

“You find that amusing?” Ashton asked me. “That we pursue a woman?”

“Oh yes,” I purred, and he gave a start.

“Who are you?”

“I am Madelyn. I live here.”

“You live here?” Weston had come close enough to feel a little of the peace that Mother's spell ensured that they felt around me. His face relaxed, and he also got off his horse. “What do you mean by that?”

“What else could one mean by that?” I shot back.

“It's an odd phrasing, coming from a servant. More like something a noble would say,” Braxton growled impatiently. But then his horse brought him close enough to me, and he too went quiet. He slid off his horse and came over to stand with his brothers. “You remind me of someone.”

“Do I?” I asked, not giving them any more.

Let them work for it.

“You're certain that you saw no one passing by recently?” Ashton asked. “We met a woman tonight, a very special woman, and she ran off without telling us who she truly was?”

“And what do you mean by that?” I asked. “You don't know her name? Not truly?”

“We know her name,” Braxton huffed, “we're just not sure if it's her real name. No one else seems to know a Duchess Lily. Do you?”

“A long time ago, there was a Duchess Lily who lived in this very house,” I whispered.

The men drew closer.

“Here?” Weston asked. “What happened to her?”

“She disappeared one day,” I said. “My father told me that she was a fairy, and she had to go home.”

“A fairy?” Weston's eyes went wide, and then he cursed under his breath. “Did we sleep with a fairy tonight?”

“You slept with her?” I asked him, starting to enjoy the game. “I thought you had just met her?”

“We did.” Ashton was looking at me strangely. “And we were cads; we seduced her, despite her protests.”

“That sounds like rape, Your Highness.” I leveled my stare on him, and he flinched.

“No,” he protested. “I've never taken an unwilling woman in all of my life, and I never shall.”

“She was willing,” Braxton added. “But we may have manipulated her into it.”

“That does not sound honorable,” I chided him.

Braxton's eyes went wide, and I noticed his attendants looking nervous.

“You dare to tell me what is honorable?” Braxton asked, but with little heat.

“Someone should,” I said. “From what I've heard of your exploits, someone should have told you long ago that such behavior is unfitting of a prince.”

“She has fire, this one,” Weston edged closer. “What was your name again?”

“See?” I huffed. “You can't even remember a name you heard mere moments ago because I'm not beautiful enough for you to take note of.”

Weston gaped at me.

“Who said that you're not beautiful?” Ashton was looking closer at me, and he lifted his hand to brush away a smudge of dirt from my cheek. “I think your beauty lies hidden, little Madelyn. You've masked it on purpose.”

I pulled back, surprising him again.

“And you three only notice obvious beauty,” I huffed. “You need something primped and polished before you know its worth. What kind of man is that? Who can't see beyond the surface of things? It's not a man who should rule a kingdom, is it?”

The men all gaped at me.

“Goodnight, Your Highnesses,” I said primly. “I wish you luck in finding your missing flower.”

I hurried into the house, my single slipper clicking on the pavement. As soon as I closed the door behind me, I breathed a sigh of relief and reached down to remove the slipper. I smiled at it and tucked it into the pocket of my apron.

“Maybe they are worth the effort.”