Page 51 of The Crownless Prince

“I am, Your Majesty.” Marcus attempted to bow, but it was nearly impossible with Thorne holding his hair. “I’m Aedyllanian. You’re the king of Aedyllan. I was a subject of my father, and like all former subjects of Prince Arlius, I am now your subject since Alimer Principality was rightfully conquered by you and all within its lands claimed as yours.”

“He’s also my husband,” Adriana said. “And that makes him your subject.”

“As crown prince,” Jairus said, “I claim Marcus Alimer as under my protection and plead on his behalf for a public hearing.”

The king ground his teeth. “I don’t recognize him as Adriana’s husband. But very well.” His gaze flicked between Marcus and Adriana. “Bring them both to the great hall. Everyone is still there for the feast.”

“May we finish getting dressed, Father?” Adriana asked, red creeping into her cheeks.

Mortimer eyed her. “You may. He is fine.”

At least Marcus had his trousers and tunic on, so he was decent, if a little pathetic with bare feet and no belt. Adriana’s unlaced dress hung awkwardly on her, the shoulders slipping off.

Leena slipped inside—she must have noticed the commotion and been watching in the hall. Her face was pale as she slunk over to Adriana.

“Jairus!” Mortimer glared at his son. “A word.” He spun on his heel and strode out of the room. Jairus squared his shoulders and lifted his chin before following his father.

Thorne tugged sharply upward on Marcus’s hair. “Get up.” The moment Marcus was standing, Thorne yanked on his hair, pulling his head back. He whispered in Marcus’s ear, “I’ll kill you and your brother—or friend or whatever he really is. Wherever he’s hiding, I’ll find him, and neither of you will get away with this. Testify that you did curse me, that this was all a conspiracy against me, and I’ll be merciful. Edwin will live, I won’t punish Adriana for her part in this, and I’ll kill you quickly.”

He released Marcus’s hair and shoved him forward. “Move.”

Thorne pushed and manhandled Marcus all the way to the great hall, nearly knocking him down the stairs more than once. By the time they were standing in front of the dais, facing the buzzing crowd, his feet bore scrapes from the stone. Between making love and Thorne’s yanking, his hair was tangled and mostly unbraided. But he stood tall anyway—until Thorne roughly shoved him to his knees.

The knights, ladies, their families, and the servants filling the great hall spared him little more than a glance, their horrified attention fixed on Thorne and his reptilian disfigurement.

Several moments later, Adriana and Jairus entered the hall. Her dress had been properly laced and her belt tied in place, and she at leastwore her boots. She hadn’t attempted to tame her disheveled curls. They hurried over to stand next to Marcus, opposite from Thorne.

Marcus smiled, trying to ease the fear written all over her face. Her returned smile was wobbly, but she also turned toward the audience with her head held high.

“We are here,” King Mortimer said, “to settle a personal grievance between Lord Lucien Thorne, Marcus Alimer, former prince of Alimer Principality, and myself.”

The murmuring in the crowd rose to a roar, then abruptly cut off as the king motioned for silence.

“Lord Thorne. Please give your testimony of events.”

Thorne wove a fabricated tale of Marcus purposefully deceiving his way into Thorne’s household with the intent of framing Thorne and kidnapping Adriana. According to Thorne, Marcus had hidden in Thorne’s bedchamber. When he arrived with Adriana after the wedding ceremony, Marcus had attacked Thorne, knocking him unconscious, tying him up, and cursing Thorne to his current monstrous appearance. Then Marcus had stolen his silver hair stick and enchanted it so he could disguise himself as Thorne and had taken Adriana. Marcus’s plan, Thorne claimed he suspected, was to get Thorne killed and steal his life as Lord Thorne.

By the end of his tale, the crowd had turned their shocked, horrified, and disgusted stares on Marcus. He refused to cower under their judgment—he knew the truth.

“And what is your story, Marcus Alimer?” Mortimer asked in an icy tone.

“Rise and give your account, Marcus,” Jairus said, an intensity in his eyes that dared his father to object.

Marcus stood, wincing a bit as his scraped feet brushed against the stone.

He began his story with coming to Glenborough to learn news of the woman he loved and his heartbreak at hearing of her engagement. His skin heated as he admitted to talking himself out of risking his life to contact Adriana and how he’d taken the first offer of employment he found. Jairus’s nose wrinkled when he described the unfair terms of the contract.

Marcus told of his surprise when he realized where his new position was taking him, of the bittersweet joy of learning Adriana still loved him, and about discovering Lucien Thorne’s true physical condition. In brief summary, he explained about planning to reveal the truth with Adriana, Edwin, and Jairus.

“So before the wedding, Edwin and I used a medicine supplied by Healer Alban to render Thorne unconscious, stole his enchanted hair stick, and were relieved when it transformed me to look exactly like Thorne—”

“Lies!” Thorne interrupted. “Alimer knew it would make him look like me becauseheenchanted it! I’m sure Prince Jairus believes his story, but until today, I didn’t look like this—”

“So you claim that you performed the marriage ceremony with Adriana?” Marcus asked calmly.

“Of course I did. You may have stolen her to your bed, but as that is only half of the rite, legally she is unwed to either of us—”

“What if I can prove that I performed the marriage ceremony?”

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