Free Web NovelChapter 257: The Second Competition
Chapter 256: The Second Competition
Duke Valenridge stayed for a while longer after Lyria fell asleep.
The fire crackled softly in the hearth, casting warm shadows across the walls. The Princess’s breathing had evened out, slow and steady. The tears had dried on her cheeks, leaving faint trails that caught the firelight.
He watched her for a long moment.
Then, quietly, the same way he had come in, he rose and moved toward the window. His footsteps were silent against the floorboards. His movements were fluid, and he slipped through the opening and disappeared into the night.
---
The corridor outside his chambers was empty when he arrived.
Tommy stood near the door, his arms crossed, his foot tapping impatiently against the stone floor. The moment he saw the Duke, his shoulders sagged with relief.
"Your Grace," he said, exhaling. "Finally, you decide to grace us with your presence."
Duke Valenridge chuckled.
"I’m not sure I like you so much, Tommy."
"You do, Your Grace," Tommy told him.
Duke Valenridge rolled his eyes.
"Anyway, did you think I would not return?" he asked.
"Every time you disappear, I doubt it," Tommy said flatly.
The Duke shook his head, a smile on his face.
Then Tommy pushed open the door to his chambers, and they stepped inside.
Immediately the door closed behind them.
Tommy moved at once, assisting the Duke with removing his clothes, reaching for the fastenings of the Duke’s coat. It smelled faintly of the Princess’s chambers, and there was a stain on it, but Tommy said nothing.
Mathias and Robin were already within.
Robin stood near the window, his arms folded, his posture alert. Mathias sat in a chair near the hearth, a book open in his lap, though he had not turned a page in some time.
"Your Grace," they said at once.
"How is the Princess?" Robin asked.
Duke Valenridge shrugged the garment from his shoulders.
"She is awake," he said.
The three of them stilled.
Tommy’s hands paused mid-motion.
"She is awake?" Mathias repeated.
"Yes."
Robin uncrossed his arms.
"That is good news," he said.
"It is," the Duke agreed.
He turned to Robin, his expression shifting.
"I need you to find out something for me," he said.
Robin straightened.
"What is it, Your Grace?"
The Duke’s voice dropped then, taking on a serious tone.
"Something happened in the palace that we are not aware of. Someone died, and whoever it was, was close to the Princess."
Tommy frowned, his hands resuming their work on the Duke’s sleeves.
"I have not heard anything of that sort," he said. "No servants have spoken of it. There have been no whispers in the corridors either."
Duke Valenridge nodded.
"I suspect the royal family is hiding it," he said. "But there must be some place where they slipped. There must be something that could help us uncover the truth of the matter."
He looked at Robin.
"I want you to find out what happened."
Robin nodded once, his expression serious.
"I will, Your Grace."
Mathias set his book aside.
"What will you do about the next competition?" he asked.
Duke Valenridge winced.
The next competition.
He had been trying not to think about it.
"The next competition takes place tomorrow evening, Your Grace," Mathias continued. "You have not forgotten that fact, have you?"
"I have not forgotten," the Duke said. "I have simply been... occupied."
"I told you all previously, but just because His Grace miraculously passed the poetry competition does not mean the same miracle will happen a second time. We ought to pack our bags. There is no way His Grace can learn to compose within hours," Tommy said.
Robin frowned.
"What is the royal family even thinking?" he asked. "Asking the suitors to compose a piece of music?"
Mathias shook his head.
"The only music His Grace can compose," he said dryly, "is the sound of the waves crashing against the shore."
Duke Valenridge chuckled.
"You are not wrong," he said.
He stepped away from Tommy, who had finished removing his coat, and moved toward the window. The night sky was dark, scattered with stars, the moon hidden behind a veil of clouds.
"Relax," he said. "All of you."
Tommy smiled hopefully.
"Do you have a plan, Your Grace?"
The Duke turned to him, and then he smiled widely.
Tommy smiled too, and even Robin and Mathias heaved sighs of relief, hoping the Duke had something in mind.
"No," the Duke said, answering the question he had been asked. "We should really pack our bags. I am only going to survive this through some miracle."
Whatever hope the others had died immediately.
---
Meanwhile, in Duke Thorncrest’s chambers...
A woman had just delivered a message.
"The Princess is awake," she said. "Her fever has broken. She is resting comfortably."
Duke Thorncrest let out a breath he had not realised he was holding.
"Thank you," he said.
The woman curtsied and turned to leave.
The Duke chuckled softly to himself.
"I knew she would pull through," he murmured.
His valet stepped forward from the corner of the room. He was young, around Tommy’s age, with black hair pulled back into a neat ponytail. His name was Ellis, and he had been in the Duke’s service for years now. He was efficient, observant, and not afraid to speak his mind.
"Your Grace," Ellis said, "forgive me, but I do not understand why you are so relieved."
Duke Thorncrest raised an eyebrow.
"Excuse me?"
"The Princess is awake," Ellis continued. "That is good news, certainly. But rather than celebrating, we ought to be focused on the competition. There is no way you are going to pass."
The Duke winced.
"You could be gentler," he said.
"I could be," Ellis agreed. "But we shall risk everything if you fail and are eliminated."
The Duke sighed.
"Ellis, relax a bit. I know the competition gave strict instructions to compose a piece, but I shall simply play a piece I was taught when I was younger," he said.
His guard stepped forward. His name was Aldric, a broad-shouldered man with a scar running along his jaw.
"Which piece would that be, Your Grace?" Aldric asked. "Because I seem to recall that you cannot play a single piece fully without making a thousand mistakes."
Duke Thorncrest chuckled.
"I shall charm everyone, then," he said. "Surely there must be someone worse than me."
Aldric and Ellis exchanged a glance.
Neither looked convinced. It would be a miracle if their lord were to pass this competition.
