Alexander stood in the midst of it all, his fists clenched tight by his sides, hatred coursing through him with the force of a thousand waves.
Every breath he took was heavy, his chest rising and falling with rage that he barely contained beneath his mask of civility.
Next to him, Elena radiated joy and admiration, her eyes wide with excitement as she gazed across the ballroom at her elder brother.
The difference in their reactions was like night and day.
While Alexander seethed with envy, Elena beamed with love and pride, completely oblivious to her brother's torment.
As Arthur made his way down the grand staircase, the entire room seemed to hold its breath.
His presence was regal, his movements effortless, like he belonged here in the spotlight.
Alexander could barely stand to watch as Arthur bowed gracefully to their father, King Henry, and the Queen Consort, Camille.
Then, as custom dictated, Arthur paid his respects to his half-siblings—Alexander and Elena—before finally bowing to the distinguished guests in the room.
In return, they all bowed to him, acknowledging his importance.
Everyone, that is, except for the king. The king bowed to no one.
Meanwhile, outside the ballroom, Lani and Maverick were sneaking their way through the palace corridors.
With the majority of the security stationed around the ballroom for the grand event, the rest of the palace was sparsely guarded.
It was the perfect opportunity for the two thieves to pull off the heist of their lives.
"Are you sure about this?" Lani whispered, her voice laced with unease.
Her gut churned with anxiety, the feeling of something bad lurking in the shadows of the palace.
They were nearing the royal memorial room.
Maverick shrugged off her concern. "Stop worrying, baby. It'll be fine," he said confidently, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze as they followed the map he had downloaded from the dark web.
He had planned every detail meticulously. Nothing would go wrong.
Back in the ballroom, Alexander's eyes followed the chief of palace staff as she entered, carrying a tray of drinks.
He had already tried once to eliminate Arthur tonight, and it had failed.
Now, it was time for plan two.
His heart raced as he caught the chief's gaze from across the room, his eyes flashing a silent command for her to act.
The chief nodded, understanding the signal.
She glided across the ballroom, elegance in her every step, as she approached the king and queen consort with glasses of champagne.
"Your Majesties," she greeted them softly, handing them their drinks.
But just as she was about to serve Arthur, a voice cut through the crowd.
"Arthur!" Roy Cooper called out, striding across the room with a grin.
His childhood friend—always so casually confident—pulled Arthur into a hug before he could take the champagne.
"Long time no see," Arthur said, laughing, as the two embraced.
The moment was warm and full of camaraderie.
Alexander jaw tightened.
From across the room, He gestured to the chief to leave, irritation sparking in his eyes.
Plan two had failed. But he wasn't done yet. There was always plan three.
Moments later, the chief of staff returned, interrupting Arthur and Roy's conversation.
"Your Highness," she said sweetly, picking up a glass of champagne.
She extended it toward Arthur once more, but Roy, with his easy charm, grabbed it instead.
"Thank you," he said, flashing a smile before downing the drink in one gulp.
"That was mine," Arthur protested, but Roy was already too deep into his conversation to care.
Alexander's frustration mounted.
Another failure.
His second attempt to poison his brother had been thwarted by the carelessness of others.
His mind began spinning through the next stage of his plan.
As Roy and Arthur continued to chat, Roy's gaze wandered across the ballroom, eventually landing on Alexander.
He frowned slightly. "Your brother doesn't seem happy," he remarked.
Arthur chuckled. "He's never happy."
The two shared a laugh, but Roy's eyes remained fixed on Alexander.
"I can't believe you have a crush on him of all people."
Roy raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "What did you expect? You said you weren't interested."
He gave Arthur a playful pat on the back.
"Well, excuse me, I'm off to shoot my shot. Maybe I'll bag myself a second prince."
"Good luck," Arthur laughed, waving him off.
As Roy approached Alexander, the tension in the air grew thick.
Alexander saw him coming, and old memories flooded his mind.
Their history together, their intimate moments, now seemed like a lifetime ago.
But the emotions that stirred within him were far from dead.
His heart raced, his face reddened, and despite everything, he couldn't shake the magnetic pull Roy had over him.
"Long time no see, Ale," Roy said softly, his smile sweet and disarming.
Alexander swallowed hard, his feelings bubbling to the surface despite his attempts to remain calm.
Before he knew it, he had grabbed Roy by the arm and led him into one of the empty rooms off the ballroom.
The door clicked shut behind them, locking out the world.
With a surge of pent-up desire, Alexander pinned Roy against the wall, his lips crashing into Roy's with a hunger that bordered on desperation.
For a brief moment, he lost himself in the kiss, devouring Roy with the intensity of a man starved of affection.
But just as quickly, he pulled away, his breath coming in ragged gasps as the weight of his responsibilities crashed down on him.
"This was a mistake," he muttered, wiping his lips as he turned to leave the room.
He couldn't afford distractions, not tonight.
As Alexander stepped back into the ballroom, Maverick and Lani had finally reached the royal memorial room.
Using a jammer to disable the security lock, Maverick easily opened the door.
They stepped inside, the vast room filled with relics from the royal family's past.
"Baby, I really don't think we should be doing this," Lani said again, her worry growing as they stood amongst priceless artifacts.
"Stop worrying," Maverick said, brushing her concerns aside as he pulled out a small flashlight and began inspecting the room. His eyes gleamed with excitement. "We're about to make history."
Meanwhile, Alexander's third and final plot was about to begin.
He wouldn't fail again. Not this time.
Tonight, Arthur DIES.