"The peasants have been rather unruly lately," Countess Gianne complained, massaging her temple. "We've had to have at least a dozen public whippings to get them to comply."

Magnus fiddled with the stem of his glass. "Do you know why they're acting like that?"

"Why does it matter? All I know is that they're behind on their dues, and I refuse to tolerate it."

"Perhaps, the higher taxes have been putting further strain—"

"Which only means they need to work harder," Count Gaspar scoffed. "It seems like every day they have a new excuse."

Magnus bit his lip and looked away as they continued to titter amongst themselves. By this point, his father had successfully weeded out nearly everyone who dared to question his policies, leaving only like minded people in his court. As much as Magnus hated to admit it, his father knew how to make people loyal to him and maintain that loyalty, graciously rewarding those who pleased him and brutally punishing those who didn't. It didn't matter who you were or where you came from. If you were loyal to him and complied with whatever was ordered of you, you would be in his good graces. He even afforded some common people higher, more powerful positions as long as he felt that he could control them, and those people weren't too hard to find. The simple fact was, the powerless would always desire power, and many were able to put aside their morals in order to obtain it.

Excusing himself from the current conversation, Magnus headed off to get another drink. As he threaded through the crowds, he heard a familiar voice call his name.

"Prince Magnus!"

Turning to look for the source of the sound, he smiled when his eyes fell on a radiant young lady with golden hair and soft blue eyes. She wore a shimmering silver gown with a deep neckline that reached almost to her navel and cut outs at her waist, showing off her fair skin. Next to her was a tall man with light brown shoulder length hair and similar pale blue eyes. He was clad in a crimson red suit that was embroidered with golden doves.

"Kydia! Finley! It's been far too long."

Kydia and Finley Paxton had been Magnus's friends since childhood. When he was still allowed outside, he would visit them often at their estate in Poltove, located right by the border with Kithage. It was a long trip, but he didn't mind; he felt more at home there than in his own castle anyway. Even after so many years, Magnus could still remember swimming in the crystal clear Lake Yortawa and reading stories by the glowing fireplace with the Paxton twins. Unfortunately for all of them, that happiness couldn't last forever. A few years after Magnus was confined to the castle, the king had their parents, Lord Claude and Lady Delia Paxton, killed in one of his loyalty purges. One of their stewards betrayed them, revealing that they were sympathetic to the conquered people in the west and allegedly planned to harbor runaways trying to escape to Kithage. That steward, now Lord Charles Marlowe, was granted jurisdiction over the Paxton estate in reward, leaving Kydia and Finley with no one else to rely on.

Kydia rushed over to Magnus, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly. "I've missed you."

Magnus hugged her back. "I've missed you too. You look lovely tonight." Pulling back from her, he turned to give Finley a hug too, but the young lord's expression didn't express quite as much joy.

"How have you both been?"

Finley shrugged. "We're just taking it day by day."

"We're pleased to see you again though," Kydia piped up. "How have you been?"

Magnus smiled. "I've been alright. It's been quiet here, but I'm sure the same can't be said about Poltove."

Kydia shook her head sadly. "Marlowe has ruined everything. Father would have never let the people suffer like this."

"Careful," Finley murmured, glancing around. "You never know who might be listening."

They all fell silent, knowing he was right. The Paxtons' name was already forever tarnished, but Kydia and Finley were only still alive because they personally hadn't offended the king, at least not openly. Not wanting to meet the same fate as their parents, they had learned to keep their real feelings locked inside, trusting no one but each other and their longtime friend.

Magnus sighed. "I'm sorry. I wish I could do something to help."

Finley stuffed his hands into his pockets. There was so much that he wanted to say that he knew he couldn't. He knew Magnus meant well, but realistically, he knew it would be incredibly difficult to undo all the damage the king had done, if it was even possible to do so at all. With each passing day, he came to believe more and more that Cordia was past the point of saving.

"Let's just enjoy this night for what it is. We're honored to have been invited, and we thank His Majesty for being so gracious to lowly, undeserving people like us."

Kydia looked as if she wanted to protest, but Magnus spoke up. "He's right. Kydia, would you care for a dance?"

Her eyes widened at his offer but then she nodded silently, so he took her by the hand and led her onto the dance floor. Facing each other, he placed one hand on her back and held her other hand in his. Things had grown somewhat awkward between the two of them as they grew and matured over the years, primarily due to the fact that Lady Delia had filled Kydia's head with notions that she would be the lucky girl to marry the prince and one day become queen. Ever since, Kydia seemed to try her best to fit whatever she believed to be Magnus's ideal partner, even though he preferred her to just be herself. Now with her parents gone, Kydia became even more desperate, seeing Magnus as not only a source of comfort, but as the only way to escape her troubles.

As they danced to the slow but rhythmic music, he couldn't help but notice how she held onto him, her hand on his shoulder clenching onto his suit jacket as she tried desperately to distract herself from everything and just focus on the dance.

"Kydia?" he asked gently.

She sucked in a breath, drawing as close as she possibly could to him. "He's so horrible to us, Magnus. And everyone here looks at us like they want us dead."

He rubbed her back tenderly. "I'm so sorry, Kydia. You don't deserve any of this."

"When is it going to end? When will I finally wake up from this horrible, horrible nightmare?"

"You have to hold on just a little longer. I won't let this continue, I promise."

She tried her best to smile at him, but he could see her eyes growing glassy with tears. Pulling her close, he let her cry silently into his chest, shielding her from everyone. He knew she tried so hard to be strong, but she was always silently crumbling under the weight. Seeing her break down in front of him made his own heart break, wanting to do whatever he could to relieve her pain but knowing that nothing could bring back what was already lost.

Feeling someone's eyes on him, he looked up, only to make eye contact with his father. The king smiled, making Magnus's heart drop into his stomach as he tried his best not to panic. They weren't doing anything wrong or treasonous, so he had no reason to worry...right? His arms subconsciously tightened around the girl in his arms. He couldn't risk it.

Reaching over, he tucked a strand of hair behind Kydia's ear. "Let's get out of here," he whispered.

Kydia looked up at him, her eyebrows scrunching in confusion, but he didn't explain more, simply taking her by the waist and leading her out of the ballroom. Finley shot him a questioning look but opted not to follow them so as to not draw any further attention. If Magnus were any other man, he'd have questions, but Finley trusted him enough.

Once they were alone in the hall, Magnus exhaled, letting out the breath he didn't know he was holding. "Maybe it's best if you don't come back here anymore."

Kydia was taken aback. "What? Why?"

"It's not safe. My father knows how close you are to me, and I know he'll try to take advantage of that."

"Magnus..."

"Please, Kydia. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Why does it matter if I'm here or back home? I'm just at risk either way. At least if I'm with you, I'll know I'll have someone to look out for me."

"If you're at home, at least he won't be watching you. My father can see through anyone."

She shook her head. "I'm not leaving you alone, Magnus."

"Kydia, I can't," he sighed, trying to keep his voice steady. "I'm sorry, but I can't protect you from him. I can't protect anyone..."

Kydia's gaze softened and she reached up to touch his face. "Magnus, I—"

The sound of fast paced footsteps coming their way caught their attention. Looking over his shoulder, Magnus's eyes widened when he saw a familiar maid scurrying down the hall. Mina's face was streaked with tears and contorted with distress and terror. Her dress was torn and hung partially off her shoulder. But that wasn't all. Looking down, he saw that her hands bore the unmistakable crimson stains of blood.

"Mina," he gasped, looking into her eyes. "What did you do?"