The Crown Prince was already inside when we entered the sitting room. He was lounging casually as if this were his own home.
He sat with one leg draped over the other, sipping wine and looking like a man who thought the world was made to entertain him.
But the moment we walked in, he stood.
"Lord Noah, Lady Seraphina." He gave a polite bow; it felt like a show, "A pleasure to finally speak face-to-face." He looked straight at me when he said it.
Noah and I didn't show the Crown Prince respect but let him continue on with his obvious fakeness.
"I must admit, I was disappointed not to receive a reply to my invitation from last week."
I felt my throat tighten.
He knew what went down and still had the audacity to send a letter addressed to the Archduke's fiancée. I absolutely refuse any meetings with a man like him.
Noah didn't flinch, most likely a veteran of these types of conversations. "We were busy," he said calmly. "So she couldn't go."
The Crown Prince's gaze flicked between us. I could practically see the calculations happening behind those cold, intelligent eyes.
I unconsciously stepped further behind Noah, away from this man.
He just kept staring at me like a bastard, and that smile made me want to punch him in the face. His hypocritical charm was disgusting.
Then he spoke what I feared the most. "What if," he said slowly, "I gave an order for her to appear at the palace at a later date?"
The temperature in the room dropped ten degrees. It was so suffocating that I buried myself into Noah's side looking for comfort.
The weight of his words and the intent behind them were so unnerving. I've read the stories where those bastard royals, especially a crown prince, force the female lead to come to them because of some stupid invitation. They always say it can't be denied, but who the hell decided he has control over me?
I could barely breathe—I was so furious I wanted to kill him. My hands were shaking, and I saw Noah's expression shift as he picked up on it. Of course he'd take it more seriously than it probably was… but honestly? I didn't mind.
Noah, finding his protector side activated, hugged me tightly like my big, overpowered shield should be. All the pressure I was feeling before instantly vanished as if it was never there.
His cloak also wrapped around me so that I couldn't see him anymore. All I could do was listen to their conversation, but at the same time I was a lot calmer not looking at that bastard's evil face. It was like confronting that bitch of a sister, Evelyne.
The room was so quiet you could hear the wine sloshing around in the prince's glass. Noah's grip was solid; he wasn't going to let me go till the enemy had left. I looked up slightly, being able to just see Noah's face. It was so cold.
He kept his eyes locked on the Crown Prince as he spoke his next words, his voice low and sharp as tempered steel.
"If you try to pursue Seraphina in any way, publicly, politically, or personally, then I won't let you off." Noah paused and then delivered the next line like a sword to the gut. "I will no longer be the only one not contesting the throne."
I was able to just peek out, catching a glimpse of the Crown Prince shrinking back at Noah's last words, visibly afraid of him jumping into the ring to fight for the throne.
Noah wasn't done, though.
"You know as well as I do that I'm favored by your father. More than you ever were."
There was no politeness in his words, and he said that with no hesitation in my defense. Yes… I can't help but fall for him even more the longer we interact with each other.
I'm surprised this bastard Crown Prince is just standing there with this resting smirk on his face, not answering any of Noah's provocations.
"If you step out of line, I will accept his offer for the throne." Noah let those words hang in the air. Then he gave the exclamation point to this conversation. "If you ever touch her in any way," Noah's voice dropped to a terrifying level. "I'll cut your head off and then burn your body, making your whole existence into nothing more than ash."
It was no threat, but a promise if this bastard had the nerve to come at me with bad intentions. Serves him right; keep doing your thing, Noah! I felt an opposing aura slightly erupt at that, just a brief flicker.
I couldn't help but giggle into Noah's chest as I nestled comfortably into his embrace. I've never seen a male lead be this upfront with royalty right from the start in any story I've ever read. He should back off, right?
The Crown Prince put up his hands slowly, a smirk curling on his lips.
"Fine," he said, smooth as silk and twice as insincere. "I'll take my leave for now."
I saw the smile he wore as he exited; it was nightmare-inducing. His gaze fell on me as I was looking through a small hole at him, as if he knew I could see him. That was an obvious provocation, saying, 'For now.' What an idiot provoking someone as strong as Noah.
Only after the doors closed and the guards' footsteps faded did I finally lift my head.
"Noah," I said softly. "You see? This is just like a storybook. All royalty are the same selfish bastards."
He raised an eyebrow at my words.
"I mean it!" I said, pushing away just enough to look him straight in the eyes. "Everything's playing out so predictably: an evil family, a conflict with the Crown Prince, and a powerful protector. This is textbook female lead in distress territory.
Seeing that he was listening seriously to me but still hadn't spoken, I continued on, ranting to my heart's content.
"I know he's going to try something. Kidnap me, send mercenaries, or even poison. It's so obvious that it's annoying!"
My arms were crossed. "I hate when the female lead gets taken. It's always for some stupid reason! Like she wandered off or wanted space… Just stupid people! Ugh!"
I pointed a finger towards the door where he had walked out. "Just kill or paralyze him! I don't care! Do something, Noah. Please!"
My voice cracked because I was so frustrated with the current situation. I did notice Noah's expression soften even further. He reached up and cupped my cheek.
"I hear you; I'll take care of it, I promise." The sincerity in his voice seemed real. My body, which had been trembling from the moment we entered the room, finally stilled.
He's earned the right, from everything he's done for me so far, to have my trust when he says he will do something.
Noah is a man of few words, but occasionally he does speak his mind at length. I could still feel tension in the room; something caught his attention, that's for sure.
Hopefully he was thinking and planning to destroy that damned Crown Prince. The one thing I knew for certain is that if he was able to stop someone from taking me, he would never let it happen.
A few hours later, I found myself sitting beside Noah in a room I had only ever heard about in passing. It was his war room at the archduke's estate, where his knights trained and went through battle plans.
It wasn't just some dramatic title, but the place lived up to its name. Tall walls covered in maps, glowing runes hovering above strategic zones of the kingdom, and thick pillars surrounding a long obsidian table where men in hardened armor and noble cloaks sat in silence.
Every single one of them was someone powerful: military generals, political heads, and Noah's personal intelligence officers. People who could shift the balance of power in the kingdom with a single order, and I was sitting next to Noah like I belonged.
He brought me for a reason, I'm sure. To know that he was really trying to deal with this situation, there was no hesitation in accepting my presence for this meeting.
Naturally, there were stares cast in my direction, but no one voiced a single objection. I couldn't stop the warmth blooming in my chest; he would go to any length to make sure I felt safe.
In any novel with this type of situation, there would always be one that would go too far and probably end up dead or thrown out.
They all understood one thing: that the Archduke was very fond of his lady. That was all the reason they needed to stay quiet on the matter.
Noah didn't waste time. He stood at the head of the table and laid everything out.
"The Crown Prince," he began, "dared to covet what's mine."
His words were firm and final, leaving no room for anyone to give their opinion on whether or not we should target him.
"I believe he may be planning something more dangerous in the future, against her." He put a hand on my shoulder; I just looked up at him with a smile. "I will not wait to see if it happens."
The air in the room was thickened. "I want every arm the Crown Prince has cut off." That got a lot of reactions. Brows furrowed, spines straightened, but no one condemned the action.
All these people here were die-hard supporters of the Archduke Noah Velmoure.
"All of his connections cut, his silent supporters disposed of, and hidden partners erased. If you find any noble families secretly bolstering his position, destroy them all. Quietly, publicly, I really don't care as long as the job is done.
He looked around the table like a commander preparing to raze a kingdom.
"I want him isolated, completely alone, in a cage where that animal belongs." He paused for a second. "If anyone resists, kill them." A sharp breath was drawn by one of the younger men at the edge. But no one spoke against it, only nodded their heads.
"If he becomes a thorn in my side and actively interferes with my fiancée, I will challenge him to a life-and-death duel." The room went silent. "I will demand it."
"The King?" One of the generals asked finally, voice measured. "Would he allow such a thing?"
A long pause followed.
Then he smiled with that cold and calm look he was so good at.
Noah stared at him directly. "If I offer to take the Crown Prince's place on the throne, he'll allow it."
Just from my little time with the Crown Prince, I can tell what a tool this man was. There's no way he would be a good leader. The fact the king would pass him over for someone who isn't even his biological son explains everything.
As the war room meeting continued, they finished off with the Crown Prince discussion and then went on to things I had no idea about, so I just tuned out.
My smile kept increasing as I thought about Noah's actions. He wasn't just fighting back to stop the crown prince from doing anything stupid to me. The plan was to cripple him politically so he can't do anything in the future.
Sure, he could still try to kidnap me or even send assassins. But I had a feeling Noah would be able to protect me in that situation. I don't truly understand the scale of his power, but with how much all these strong people listen to him, I'm sure it's immense.
Even though I know Noah said this to me the other day, now I truly believe he'd do it.
'This man would burn the world for me.'
To think his affection level was this much, it's kind of overwhelming.