Soleia chanced a quick look at the crowd, who were staring blankly back at her and the newcomer. They had never seen a member of the royal family in the flesh, so they would be hard-pressed to identify him in broad daylight, let alone in the dark night with only lanterns for lighting.
Thank goodness for that. If they found out who the newcomer was, there might be mass hysteria― and Soleia would barely be able to keep her identity as a princess a secret. She chanced a glance at Ralph, only to see him clench his jaw. His expression was stony, a far cry from the happiness he showed during the dance.
Since he wasn’t replying, Soleia replied on his behalf. "Of course, Mister Rick," Soleia said, quickly making up a name. She smiled tremulously. "I would never turn away a visit from you."
At her words, Ralph seemed to come to his senses. He cleared his throat. "Follow us then," he said, pasting a smile on his face, but he couldn’t hide the intense dislike in his voice. He clutched Soleia’s hand tightly and led the way, discreetly catching Oliver’s eyes as he walked.
How had his men not noticed his brother entering the town?
"Thank you very much." Prince Ricard smiled genially, causing some of the single ladies to titter behind their hands at his handsomeness. The light was dim, but it was enough to highlight his high cheekbones and deep-set eyes. With his broad stature and noble bearing, one couldn’t help but feel attracted to him.
Their walk back to the house was deadly silent. Soleia’s heart was racing in her chest as she dragged her feet. Why had Prince Ricard come? How did he even know they were here?
The only thing her mind could jump to was that he was here to drag them back to Vramid as a show of goodwill to her father. Her hands immediately grew cold and clammy at the very thought. Thankfully, he seemed to have come alone. If it came down to it, she believed that Sir Ralph could take him on. Between his combat prowess and her nullifying abilities, they would be able to get away.
Then, she caught sight of the newest visitor squatting at their door. Her heart sank. Prince Raziel blinked owlishly up at them before he got up with a low groan.
"Finally," Prince Raziel complained as he rubbed his neck. "I thought I would have to camp here the entire night."
"Prince Raziel," Soleia said softly, trying not to let the fear enter her voice. The princes knew where they lived the entire time. Prince Ricard asking for an escort was nothing more than mere politeness― as though he was a cat playing with its food. "What are you doing here?"
"I am very hurt," Prince Ricard interrupted from behind them, with one hand on his chest. "You saw me first! We walked the whole way together― why didn’t you call me by my title?"
Soleia froze. Now she and Sir Ralph were technically surrounded.
"Well, we were in public," Soleia said. "Since you didn’t arrive with your men, I assumed that discretion was necessary."
"So smart of you," Prince Ricard said approvingly. "Good to see that you haven’t lost your wits despite being dragged all the way here by the upstanding Sir Ralph."
"Why are the both of you here?" Rafael barked out, pushing Soleia to the side so she wasn’t sandwiched between his brothers. He held out a protective arm in front of her, mentally calculating how much blood he needed to spill to subdue both his brothers and carry her to safety.
"Save the hostility!" His oldest brother Ricard smiled and held out both his hands."We come in peace! We simply heard about your wedding and we wanted to attend."
"Two princes, at our humble wedding? To what do we owe the honor?" Soleia asked, immediately suspicious. Ricard laughed at her comment.
"Well, we had the time. And I consider you a dear friend, Princess Soleia, after all we’ve been through together. Of course I want to see you finally have a successful wedding ceremony after the disaster that was your previous one," Ricard said, relishing in the faint look of hurt that crossed Soleia’s face at the reminder.
He turned to address his youngest brother with an impressed tone.
"I must say, Sir Ralph, that you can dance so well for a landed knight. One might think you had years of lessons. I’m surprised you could match Princess Soleia on stage. Don’t you think so, Princess Soleia? It’s as though your new husband is a noble!"
"My husband is a very talented man," Soleia retorted, even as part of her did notice the strangeness of the sudden improvement. A frown crossed her face. Why did Prince Ricard bring it up now?
"In more ways than one, I’m sure," Prince Ricard smirked. He shot his younger brother a knowing glance. Someone was certainly awfully fond of lying― it was a pity that he and Raziel hadn’t arrived in time to stop their sham of a wedding. On second thought, it wasn’t necessary.
After all, neither of the names on the wedding certificate was their birth name. In the eyes of their father the king, this marriage was nothing more than children playing pretend, and his dearest younger brother must know that.
Rafael scoffed coldly. "If that’s all you have to say to us, we’d take our leave. We had a long day."
"Wait," Prince Ricard said. "How can we leave without giving you a wedding gift?"
Raziel shifted, a hand reaching into his pocket. Soleia froze, and Ralph bristled before her. They expected the princes to strike them, but instead, Raziel simply handed them an envelope.
"Consider this a token of our appreciation," Raziel said evenly. Soleia tore open the envelope only to realize it was a missive. Her eyes quickly glanced over the words, and her hands began to tremble.
"Is this... is this true?" Soleia asked, her voice shaky with hope.