Todos los capítulos de The Secret Of My Royal Prince: Capítulo 51 - Capítulo 60

Autumn had painted the woodland in shades of amber and copper by the morning of the Crown Hunt.Evercrest had been awake since before sunrise. Servants moved through the courtyards carrying riding equipment, grooms led restless horses towards the royal stables, and nobles gathered in the crisp morning air under the watchful eyes of the guards. The hunt was one of the kingdom's oldest traditions, and for a few hours, the usual boundaries of court life would give way to the excitement of the forest.Titus arrived at the stables before most of the other servants. His altered assignment lay folded inside his coat.Prince Kelvin's horse.He approached the black stallion quietly. The animal stood patiently as Titus checked its bridle and saddle. His hands were steady now, but his thoughts were not. He had spent the night trying to convince himself that the plan was nothing more than a task. A task he had been paid to complete. Yet standing beside the horse, with its warm breath rising in th

Men from the capital arrived at Westbridge Crossing.The previous evening, a passing traveller had discovered a coat caught among the reeds near the riverbank. Inside one of the pockets were a few coins, a small knife and a worn servant's token bearing the name Titus Vale.The authorities searched the surrounding ground before turning their attention to the river. They continued until dusk, but found nothing. The river ran deep underneath the crossing, and its current was strong enough to carry a man far beyond the town. After several hours, the search party concluded that if Titus had fallen into the water, his body might never be recovered.There were no witnesses to the fall, and no one had heard Titus calling for help. All the authorities had was the evidence he had left behind: his belongings and his unexplained absence.The simplest explanation was that Titus Vale had been drinking, lost his footing at Westbridge Crossing and fallen into the river.An unfortunate accident.By th

The following morning, Beatrice returned to the royal archives before the castle had fully awakened.The early hours were the best time for work of this kind. The corridors were quieter, servants had not yet filled the castle with the sounds of their daily duties, and the officials who frequently requested records had not begun arriving. Beatrice lit a lamp beside her desk and opened the ledgers she had collected so far.She was not interested in Titus's death. That part of the story had already been questioned. What she needed to understand was what had happened before the Crown Hunt.The stable assignments were the first on her list. And the first schedule showed the servants originally assigned to the royal horses. Beatrice ran her finger down the list until she reached Prince Kelvin's name.Edwin Pike.She knew that name. He had been assigned to Kelvin's horse. Turning the page, she noticed that a second copy of the schedule had been filed with the records from the day of the hunt

In another part of Evercrest, Valerie was discovering that her own position had become far less secure than she had imagined.The royal physicians had still not confirmed her pregnancy, and the uncertainty was beginning to wear on her. She had expected the claim to bring her closer to the royal family, perhaps even to earn her the queen's protection. Instead, she found herself waiting for answers while every conversation with the household seemed to carry the possibility of an unwelcomed question.Queen Vivienne had made no accusation, but Valerie could not forget the measured way she had been examined and questioned. The physicians had asked for further time, and the queen had agreed. Nothing had been settled. Still, Valerie was increasingly troubled by the thought that the delay might not be entirely in her favour.That afternoon, she crossed the gallery outside the royal apartments and found two attendants speaking near a window. Their conversation stopped when she approached. One

Two evenings later, Evercrest's royal carriage arrived at the residence of Lord and Lady Briarroot whose family belonged to House Briarwood and had invited the court to celebrate Lord Briarroot's birthday.The estate had been prepared for a grand gathering, with music drifting through the reception rooms and candlelight reflecting from the tall windows. Nobles filled the house in their finest clothes, exchanging greetings and discussing the affairs of the kingdom over glasses of wine and a grand buffet.Kelvin arrived with Elaine at his side.Their entrance drew the attention expected of the heir to the throne and his future bride. Kelvin greeted the assembled guests with measured courtesy, while Elaine moved gracefully through the reception, offering congratulations to their host and exchanging pleasantries with familiar faces. To anyone watching, they appeared every inch the royal couple the kingdom expected them to become. Only Elaine could see how much effort Kelvin was making to