I slipped through the servants' entrance at the back of the palace. The night air hit my face like cold water, clearing my head as I hurried down the stone path toward the magnolia gardens. There, far from the ball, I could think.

  I bypassed the main paths where couples might be strolling and headed for the farthest corner - my favorite spot, where the oldest and largest magnolia trees lived. All three moons hung in the night sky, bathing everything in their combined light. The Icestar's cool blue, Firestar's warm orange, and Darkstar's purple turned the already colorful magnolia blossoms into an iridescent dreamscape. Their reflections waved in the small pond at the center of the grove.

  I reached out to touch a low-hanging blossom. It was just like that night when Ariella brought me out there. When she had kissed me.

  I closed my eyes, remembering the warmth of her lips against mine, the way my heart had beat. It had felt so real. Had it all been a performance? A political move orchestrated by Lord Cassius to secure House Winters' place in the royal succession?

  I sank onto the stone bench beneath the largest magnolia tree, staring up at the branches that split the moonlight. House Winters already controlled the eastern provinces - the coastal territories with their lucrative trade routes between the main continent and the rest of Ynys. They had grown exceptionally rich through trade, and joining with the royal family would be their next natural step toward even greater power.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  But did that mean Ariella's affection was false? Could someone fake the tenderness in her eyes when she looked at me? The way her hand always found mine under the table when she joined council meetings? The secret smiles we exchanged across crowded rooms?

  Or was I simply naive, sheltered Queen Lavinia, who had never set foot outside the palace walls and knew nothing of real politics or deception?

  A blossom detached from a branch above and spiraled down, landing in my lap. I picked it up, turning it over in my hands.

  "Did you know that magnolia flowers appeared before bees existed?" Ariella had told me once. "They evolved to be pollinated by beetles instead."

  She was always telling me such things - strange little facts about the world that made me feel less confined by my palace walls. Had those moments been calculated too? Seeds planted to endear herself to me?

  And furthermore... did I even have anything against that? I liked Ariella - perhaps even loved her - but I didn't want to marry someone who didn't truly love me back. I wanted what my parents had... or what I imagined they had. My father had died when I was too young to remember, assassinated by anarchists during a provincial tour. And my mother had died giving birth to me. All I had were paintings and stories, and the notion that they had loved each other.

  The distant music from the ball floated through the night air. I would need to return soon or Ariella would come looking. I was sure she would be angry.

  I stood and walked to the edge of the pond, staring at my reflection.

  How could I discover Ariella's true feelings? If I confronted her directly, she would surely tell me what I wanted to hear. If I revealed that I knew about her father's plans, she would have some perfectly reasonable explanation.

  I needed proof, one way or another.