CHAPTER SEVENTEEN : THE QUEEN’S TRAP 

Elara’s POV

The palace had begun to feel different.

Not louder.

Not busier.

Just… watchful.

It was a strange sensation, like walking through a room where you knew someone had been talking about you moments before you arrived. Conversations paused when I passed. Servants lowered their eyes too quickly. Nobles smiled politely, but their curiosity lingered longer than it should.

And the Queen Mother…

The Queen Mother had been observing everything.

Carefully.

Quietly.

Patiently.

Which made her the most dangerous person in the palace.

That afternoon, a servant arrived at my chambers carrying a message sealed with the Queen Mother’s insignia.

“Her Majesty requests your presence in the west gardens at sunset,” the servant said respectfully.

The west gardens.

I frowned slightly.

The east gardens were where the court usually walked and talked. The west side of the palace was quieter, less visited, filled with winding paths and tall hedges that blocked much of the view from the palace windows.

Which made it a strange place for a meeting.

Still, refusing the Queen Mother was not an option.

So at sunset, I went.

The west garden was bathed in warm orange light when I arrived. The setting sun filtered through the trees, painting the pathways with long shadows.

But the Queen Mother wasn’t there.

Instead, someone else stood near the stone fountain.

Prince Adrian.

He turned when he heard my footsteps.

“Well,” he said with a small smile. “I was hoping it would be you.”

My stomach tightened.

“You were hoping?”

“I received a message this afternoon,” he explained. “Saying Lady Elara wished to meet me privately in the west gardens.”

Realization slowly crept in.

“I didn’t send that message.”

Adrian’s smile faded slightly.

“No,” he said thoughtfully. “I suspected as much.”

For a moment we simply looked at each other.

Then we both said the same word at the same time.

“The Queen.”

Adrian sighed softly and leaned against the fountain’s edge.

“She’s clever,” he admitted.

“Very.”

“She’s testing something.”

I nodded slowly.

“If she suspects anything between you and the king…”

“…she’d want to see how we behave together,” Adrian finished.

My heart beat a little faster.

“And she’s probably watching right now.”

Adrian glanced around the garden thoughtfully.

“Oh, I’m certain she is.”

For a few quiet moments, neither of us spoke.

The sound of the fountain filled the air between us.

Then Adrian straightened slightly.

“Well,” he said. “If we’re being observed, we might as well make the performance convincing.”

“What kind of performance?”

“The kind where two people getting to know each other enjoy each other’s company.”

He offered his hand casually.

“Walk with me.”

I hesitated.

But he was right.

If the Queen Mother was watching, refusing would look suspicious.

So I took his hand.

We walked slowly along the garden path.

The sun had nearly disappeared now, leaving the sky soft and purple above the palace towers.

Adrian seemed quieter than usual.

More thoughtful.

“You know,” he said eventually, “this situation started as a curiosity for me.”

“What situation?”

“You.”

I glanced at him.

“That’s flattering.”

“Not exactly,” he said honestly. “At first, you were simply… interesting.”

“And now?”

He stopped walking.

His expression had changed.

The playful confidence was still there—but something deeper had appeared behind it.

“Now,” he said quietly, “I think I’m actually beginning to care.”

My heart skipped.

“Adrian—”

“I know,” he said gently. “You didn’t ask for that.”

He looked toward the palace for a moment.

“But I also know something else.”

“What?”

“Your heart isn’t free.”

The truth in his voice made it impossible to respond immediately.

Adrian studied my face carefully.

“You don’t have to say anything,” he added.

“I’m not blind, Elara.”

My stomach twisted slightly.

“How much do you think you understand?”

“Enough.”

His voice was calm, not accusing.

“You look at the king the way people look at storms.”

“That’s an unusual comparison.”

“Storms are dangerous,” he said softly. “But they’re also impossible to ignore.”

I exhaled slowly.

“And yet you’re still here.”

He smiled faintly.

“I did warn you I enjoy difficult situations.”

Then Adrian did something unexpected.

He stepped closer.

Close enough that anyone watching from the palace would see exactly what it looked like.

“Elara,” he said quietly.

My pulse quickened.

“Yes?”

“If I kissed you right now…”

My breath caught.

“…what would you do?”

The question hung in the evening air.

And somewhere in the distance—

A faint movement near the palace balcony confirmed my suspicion.

The Queen Mother was watching.

Adrian leaned slightly closer.

Not touching me.

Just close enough to make the moment look real.

But the Queen Mother wasn’t the only one watching.

Because at the far end of the garden path—

Someone else had arrived.

Someone tall.

Someone very familiar.

Caelan.

The king had seen enough to understand exactly what this moment looked like.

And the anger in his eyes was impossible to miss.

Adrian noticed him immediately.

Of course he did.

And for the briefest second—

He smiled.

Because the king had just walked directly into the trap.

Adrian’s voice dropped slightly as he leaned closer to me.

“I believe,” he murmured softly, “we now have an audience.”

My heart pounded as I turned slightly.

Caelan stood frozen several yards away.

Watching us.

Watching Adrian standing inches from me.

Watching the moment that looked dangerously close to becoming a kiss.

And this time…

The king looked like a man who might actually forget he was king.

The garden had become completely still.

Three people standing in the middle of a trap set by a queen.

Prince Adrian… calm and curious.

The king… furious and barely hiding it.

And me… caught between them.

One step closer and Adrian would kiss me.

One step forward and the king might stop him.

And somewhere above us—

The Queen Mother was watching the entire scene unfold.

Waiting to see which one of us would make the first mistake.