He nodded.“They kept it as hushed as they could, tried to confine it to the town, but with the Paravellian Balls and people traveling, word gets out.He said the prince was assassinated at his home in broad daylight.Throat slit.No suspect.Nothing—except for the signature of an assassin.”
“One of ours?”I questioned.
He shook his head.“It was a mark burned into Rivero’s skin.The man described it, but it didn’t sound like one of our seals, and besides, with that high profile of a kill, we would have been warned what was going on before walking into this mess.”
“I can understand the secrecy about the assassination, but why hide his death?”Nadiyah asked.
“Because word would eventually get out.Better to let everyone think he was still alive.No one would make a deal with Paravellia if they knew the government was unstable and someone wanted the royal family dead.”
“They did this to send a message to King Zaricor,” I mused.
“Which means someone else wants him dead,” Nadiyah interjected.“Which means—”
“We’re not the only ones who came to the balls seeking blood,” I finished.
This incident could be isolated to Rivero, or it could run deeper.The last thing we needed was another assassination plot interfering with ours.
I looked up at Desmond, understanding and unspoken words passing between us.We’d worked too hard, too long, to let someone else do the dirty work for us.
Desmond stood from the sofa, striding back to his room.“That just means we’ll have to eliminate the competition, or kill the king first.”
Chapter Eleven
Valeris
“What do you mean wecan’t get rid of her?”I slammed my biscuit back onto the plate.Not only did she interrupt my alliance, but now she was interrupting my morning meal.“You have my seal.I watched the guards leave to escort her from the city.”
“They did go to escort her from the city,” my uncle said.
“Then why—”
“Patience, Valeris!”Red shot up through my uncle’s neck and cheeks.
I fell silent, leaning back in my seat and composing myself.My uncle rarely showed visible anger.Pressing him would be a rather unwise choice.
“She has a special invitation.”
