Lord Cedric stared into the flickering candlelight, his breath coming in sharp bursts as the weight of the revelation pressed down on him.
"Prince Izan."
The merchant who had been so bold, so confident in outbidding the city's wealthiest men for Elian's company, it was the Crown Prince in disguise.
The thought was preposterous, but the more Cedric dwelled on it, the more everything clicked into place. The way that merchant carried himself, his arrogance, his ease with money, how had he not seen it sooner?
Cedric's mind swirled, a chaotic storm of anger, disbelief, and excitement. He slowly lowered himself into his armchair, his fury momentarily replaced by a cold, calculating satisfaction. His lips curled into a twisted grin.
"The Crown Prince…" he whispered, the words laced with venom. He chuckled darkly, his body trembling with barely contained glee. "The one who condemned Elian, now visits him in secret."
