Chapter 448: A Most Unwelcome Addition

Chapter 447: A Most Unwelcome Addition

Lyria’s POV

I must admit, I woke earlier than usual that morning and was properly dressed for travel.

We travelled by carriage to the docks, and, as had increasingly become the case of late, I found myself discovering yet another thing that I had somehow managed to remain ignorant of despite having spent my entire life in the capital.

There was a dock situated this close to the capital.

It was in Ashford, a town that was not far from the city itself, and yet I had never once visited it.

The moment I stepped from the carriage, I found myself staring.

Boats of varying sizes rested upon the water, some moored quietly against the docks while others were being loaded or unloaded. Crates were carried from one vessel to another, barrels were rolled along the wooden planks, and merchants and labourers moved about with familiarity.

There was a constant hum to the place.

Men called instructions to one another. Horses pulled carts laden with goods. Ropes creaked beneath the weight of cargo, and the water shifted gently against the sides of the vessels.

I took it all in with considerably more interest than I ought perhaps to have displayed.

I had never been to Ashford before.

Nor had I realised that people travelled through the canals themselves.

I had always assumed the canals were principally for the transportation of goods, though, upon reflection, it seemed rather foolish to believe that goods simply travelled by themselves. Someone had to oversee them, after all.

"You are like a child who has been given a sweet."

Lucian’s amused voice came from beside me.

He had arrived at almost the same time I had. Duke Thorncrest had come shortly afterwards, followed by Duke Valenridge and Marquess Silverwyn, who had arrived together.

"There is n-nothing e-else to do e-except watch them," I replied, gesturing towards the activity before us. "And b-besides, this i-is my first time s-seeing all of this."

I turned beneath the canopy that had been arranged for us and looked towards Duke Valenridge, who was seated beside Duke Thorncrest.

"Blackmere i-is known a-as a territory o-of trade," I said. "Is this how i-it looks there as well?"

"If you mean whether it is busy, then yes," Duke Valenridge replied.

"What types of g-goods are t-traded there?"

"Your Highness," he said, a smile appearing upon his face, "Blackmere is a place in which one may purchase almost anything, provided it is not prohibited by law. I should hardly be able to give you a complete account of all that passes through our ports."

"That m-much?"

"You would be surprised."

For a brief moment, the conversation remained light.

Then suddenly, Duke Thorncrest straightened in his seat.

A low growl escaped him and I followed his gaze only to see a gentleman approaching us.

And unfortunately, I knew him rather well.

Corvin.

My amusement vanished at once.

He stopped before us as though he had every right to be before us.

Marquess Silverwyn regarded him with a coolness that would have frozen the water in the canal.

"To what," he asked, "do we owe the pleasure of your visit, my lord?"

Corvin’s mouth curved faintly.

"Now, my lord, is that any manner in which to address one’s teammate?"

I felt as though someone had emptied a bucket of ice water over my head.

Teammate.

So that was it.

At last, I understood why I had been so unsettled when the Queen had explained the rules of the competition.

"If I recall correctly," Lucian said pleasantly, though there was very little warmth in his expression, "our remaining teammate was Baron Fairmont."

His eyes travelled over Corvin.

"You are neither a baron nor Baron Fairmont."

"No," Corvin replied. "I am a marquess. And though you may dispute the matter, Your Grace, I am nevertheless your teammate."

"Do tell us how you came to be a member of our team when, unless my memory fails me, you were standing with the opposing party only yesterday." Duke Thorncrest said.

Corvin opened his mouth but he never got the opportunity to answer.

"Now that you are all gathered." A voice spoke up.

He had introduced himself to us as Daniel and was assigned to oversee the proceedings of our competition.

I had disliked him from the moment he introduced himself.

There was nothing particularly improper about his manner. If anything, he was unfailingly respectful.

That was precisely what made his tone so irritating.

There was always something beneath it.

An edge carefully concealed beneath courtesy.

He inclined his head towards us.

"You must depart."

"Depart?" Duke Thorncrest looked at him as though he had suggested we take flight. "The marquess is not a member of this team."

Daniel tilted his head.

For a moment, he said nothing.

Then he reached inside his coat and produced a rolled parchment which he read.

"Your Grace," he said finally, "perhaps there has been some misunderstanding. According to the record presently in my possession, the Marquess is indeed a member of your team."

Marquess Silverwyn rose immediately. He crossed the short distance between them and took the parchment from Daniel.

He examined it and the longer he looked, the more displeased his expression became.

"This is false."

"My lord—"

"This is plainly false."

"May I draw your attention to the royal seal?"

Marquess Silverwyn’s eyes lowered to the parchment once more.

I watched the faint change in his expression.

Daniel was right.

The royal stamp was there.

There could be no argument over its authenticity without directly accusing the Crown of issuing a forged document.

And I doubted even Marquess Silverwyn wished to go quite so far in the middle of a public competition.

"My lord," Daniel continued in the same infuriatingly calm tone, "I assure you that I have no interest in debating the authenticity of a document bearing the royal seal. Nor, I imagine, would you wish to delay matters further."

He glanced towards the canal.

"We have already lost a considerable amount of time. The opposing team may well have reached their destination by now."

I could not help the smile that touched my lips.

So this was the game they had chosen to play.

We had waited for hours that morning.

And now, after all that waiting, we were expected to accept Corvin as though he had been part of our party from the beginning.

Perhaps, had he arrived earlier, we might have had some opportunity to contest the matter.

But now?

There was very little we could do. And so I rose, then I turned towrds Corvin, the same smile plastered upon my face.

"W-welcome to the t-team, m-my lord. I t-trust you have your reasons f-for joining us, do you not?"

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Do tell me, Your Highness, what you mean by that."

I maintained my pleasant expression.

"Now, my lord, y-you of all people k-know quite well how d-directly I speak. Everyone has a r-reason for being on t-this team."

I said then I turned towards the others.

"Do we not?"

"I do." Duke Thorncrest answered immediately, his gaze still fixed on Corvin.

"I do," Lucian said.

"As do I," Marquess Silverwyn added.

"I very much do." Duke Valenridge said just as he rose and adjusted his coat before turning towards Corvin. "Welcome to the team."

I turned towards Daniel.

"Should w-we not get g-going?" I asked then gestured towards the boat. "F-for you have already i-informed us that we h-have delayed long e-enough."

Daniel blinked rapidly in shock and I must say it was quite amusing to see him momentarily caught off guard.

"Of course, Your Highness."

Marquess Silverwyn was the first to board.

As he passed Corvin, their shoulders nearly collided.

Duke Valenridge approached Corvin and Daniel next.

He paused beside them and made a courteous gesture towards the boat.

"After you."

Corvin glared at him but he said nothing, he too stepped aboard, Daniel following close behind.

Duke Valenridge went after them.

I walked with Lucian and Duke Thorncrest towards the vessel.

Before boarding, however, I turned towards the servants who had helped with arranging our luggages.

"Do see t-that his luggage i-is properly arranged."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The royal family wished to play a game with me.

They had evidently decided that I would remain their puppet indefinitely—that I would continue to accept whatever string they chose to pull and dance whenever they commanded.

They had forgotten something rather important.

There were limits to how long a puppet remained a puppet.

And it was time I began cutting the strings that held me and perhaps creating my own strings instead.