Page 1 of A Wise Prince

PROLOGUE

For folly, that he wisely shows is fit,

But wise men, folly-fall’n, quite taint their wit

~Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

I kick the garden wall. “Stupid,”I curse. I’m home from school for a break. It’s the first time that I’ve been home since Mom died. I was supposed to “act appropriately” in front of the cameras, but I couldn’t help sticking my tongue out when the paparazzi ribbed my new haircut. Heck, Dad’s lucky that I didn’t flip them the bird, those motherfuckers.

I continue to curse as I take my anger out on the three-hundred-year-old wall.

“Auggie?”

I stop mid-kick at the sound of my little sister’s voice. There’s not much I care about in my life, but Susanna, well, I’d die for her. And now, more than ever, I feel like I need to protect her.

“What’s up?” I ask her as I turn to see her standing in front of me. Her little hands on her hips.

“You shouldn’t do that. Dad will be mad,” she scolds. It’s hard to take a lecture seriously from a little girl, especially one in pigtails and a frilly dress.

I sigh. “What?” I ask again, probably a little harsher than I should.

I see a look of hurt flash over her eyes and she glances down. “Chris won’t play with me, will you?” she asks quietly, her eyes remaining focused on the divot her foot is making in the gravel of the garden pathway.

I take a breath. “Sure. What shall we play?” I don’t know why I bother asking, she always wants to play the same game, hide-and-go-seek.

She looks up at me and grins. “Hide-and-go-seek?” she asks, her little voice so hopeful.

I shake my head, and I see her start to frown. “OK.”

“Yay!” she squeals and claps her hands. “I hide first!” Of course, because she always hides first. I roll my eyes and start counting. We have the same rules, always. No hiding in the parts of the castle that are forbidden. No hiding in the tunnels. No hiding in the pool house. No hiding in Dad’s office or the kitchen.

I count to one hundred and start to look for Anna. I’d go get Chris to help me, but he’s been mister mopey pants since Mom died. He’s also super into a girl and wants to spend all day talking to her on the phone. I don’t get it.

I look in all the normal spots first. We haven’t played in a while, but apparently, Anna has upped her game. I wonder if our nanny, Tessa, has been playing with her. Anna’s school is near the palace. So, while Chris and I have been away, she’s been home, having the run of the place, I’m sure.

An hour later, I’m still looking for her, and now I’m starting to get concerned. I wrack my brain for where she could have gone. I even ask Chris who shrugs and goes back to his video game. It’s then an idea hits me…the vault. Two levels below the ground is a very secured room. We technically aren’t supposed to go in it, but we haven’t been expressly forbidden there. I head down the stairs and another set of stairs and past the guards. I press my hand to a scanner, and the door opens. I see Anna, she’s leaning against the glass case that once held my mother’s favorite tiara, the one that went missing the night she was killed. The police haven’t found it, and it’s unlikely that they ever will, or at least that’s what I heard Dad say to someone on the phone last week.

“Gotcha!” I say.

“Took you long enough,” she says, not bothering to turn to face me.

“What are you doing here, Anna? You really shouldn’t be here.”

She shrugs. “Just wondering.”

I place a hand on her shoulder, the game is forgotten. My mom’s crown, as she calls it, is the one thing that Anna hasn’t been able to let go of since Mom died. She asks about it constantly.

“Anna, you’ve got to let it go,” I urge her, while also trying to make myself feel better.

She finally turns to me. “I don’t want to.” She has a pouty determined look on her face.

“Auggie, will you help me look for it?” she asks, her eyes look so hopeful.

I crouch down to her eye level. “Anna, it’s gone. If I knew where to find it, I promise you, I’d have found it.”

Her eyes tear up for a moment. “It was her favorite.”

“I know. Come on, let’s go play checkers,” I say, guiding her toward the door. I look back as we leave, wondering where the crown is and if anyone will ever find it. “Let it go,” I think to myself.

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