All Chapters of Tempting the Wrong Prince: Chapter 211 - Chapter 220

Cassandra’s POVDiana did not knock the way she normally did.Usually, even when she was worried, she still respected my space. She would knock softly, call my name, then wait a little, as if giving me time to prepare myself. She knew this palace well enough to understand how quickly it could steal a person’s peace.But this time, the door opened too fast, like manners no longer mattered.The moment I saw her face, my stomach dropped.Diana looked pale. Not the kind of pale that came from lack of sleep or a long morning. This was different. This was the kind that came from hearing something so terrible it drained the life from your face. Her eyes were wide and glossy, and when she shut the door behind her, she did it carefully, like even the smallest sound could betray us.“Cassandra,” she whispered.My body turned cold before my mind could even catch up. I sat up straighter on the couch, the blanket slipping from my lap. I had been pretending to read one of the palace magazines, th

Cassandra’s POVThe guard turned to Diana.“You are to be detained as well,” he said.Diana’s face lost what little colour it still had.“What?” she whispered.“For aiding and abetting,” he replied in that same flat voice.My stomach dropped all over again.So this was not just about me.They were sweeping.They were taking anyone close to me.They were building a net around me, and I knew enough about this palace to understand what that meant. Nets were not about truth. They were not about fairness. They were about blame. They were about catching enough bodies to make a story look believable.We were led out of the room.The corridor felt different now. It no longer felt like a wing in a palace. It felt like a tunnel. Cold. Narrow. Suffocating.Guards stood along the hallways. Staff members looked at us, then quickly looked away. Whispers moved through the air like insects.I kept my back straight.I kept my face calm.But inside me, fear was clawing.Because I did not know what they

Cassandra’s POVThe gazebo.That morning.The one where the king cornered me with that false calm on his face and those real threats underneath it. The one where he spoke to me like he was being generous while trying to erase me. The one where he offered me freedom, but only if I left Arden and disappeared quietly like I was something shameful. Like I was a stain that needed to be removed before it embarrassed the palace further.I had thought that conversation was private.I had thought at least that much belonged to me.But of course it didn’t.Nothing in this palace was private.Not grief.Not fear.Not love.Not even desperation.Aldrich watched my face as if he had been waiting for that exact reaction. His eyes narrowed just slightly, and I hated how observant he was. Hated how he stood there looking at me like a man studying a wound to see how deep he had cut. He did not rush. He did not need to. Men like him knew silence could do half the work.“She might think,” he said, “her

Arden’s POVA revolution message sprayed on palace walls.My jaw tightened, but I forced my voice to remain steady.“What do you mean by that?” I asked.Roger’s laughter returned immediately, and this time it was almost delighted, like he enjoyed the way my question revealed interest.He didn’t answer directly.He laughed like a man who knew something and loved knowing it.“You don’t see it,” he said. “You don’t even understand how easy it will be.”I kept my voice calm, but there was a sharper edge now.“Explain,” I demanded.Roger chuckled, slow and cruel.“I don’t need to make the move to take the country,” he said. “Taking Eldenwald would be easy.”My blood ran colder.Because it wasn’t just a threat.It was confidence.The kind of confidence you had when you had already planted something.When you had already bought someone.When you already knew the doors were open.He kept talking, voice almost conversational, like he was discussing weather.“Especially with Queen Ivana’s help,

Arden’s POVRichard continued quickly, practical, like his mind had already shifted into protection mode.“She and I have eaten the same meals,” he said. “From the same kitchen. If it’s in my system, ”Then it could be in hers.The thought hit me so hard I felt it in my stomach.Cassy.In Richard’s wing.Already arrested.Already accused.Already trapped.Already vulnerable.If poison isn't found in her system, it would be another weapon against her. Another reason for the palace to claim she was involved. Another reason to bury her.Or worse, it could actually hurt her body.And that thought made something cold and violent rise in me.Silvia nodded immediately.“That’s reasonable,” she said. “I’ll send someone to your wing to get her sample. Just to be sure.”Richard’s jaw tightened. “No,” he said, and his tone carried an edge that made the nurse nearby flinch. “I’ll go.”Silvia hesitated. “Your Highness, ”Richard cut her off. “I’m not leaving her in that wing without knowing.”He d