Page 49 of Lost Heir
My eyes widened and for the second time tonight, I thanked the goddess that part of my face was obscured by the cloak’s hood. I flagged down the server and requested another jug of Love in the Moonlight.
“Leila!” Ronan attempted to stop me. “I think one jug is enough—”
The server returned in minutes and placed a fresh jug on the table. “Wait here,” I said.
Without taking time to think through what I was about to do, I grabbed the jug and sauntered over to the table where the men were gossiping. I slid into an empty chair and tossed my cloak’s hood back to expose the crescent moon birthmark on my forehead. The same one the men had, which let them know I was one of them. Thankfully, no one in Valoria knew what the princess looked like, so I was able to blend in as a commoner.
“What is this about the lost heir?” A smirk curled across my lips as I poured them a drink from my wine jug.
One of the men raised a brow, surprised by my audacityto interrupt a conversation they thought was private. “Who are you?”
I shrugged and offered my most charming smile. “I don’t mean to startle you, but I overheard your conversation and it piqued my curiosity. I’ve never heard of a lost heir. Are you referring to the lost princess?”
The men took a drink and their eyes widened.
“Is this Love in the Moonlight?” the other man asked in shock.
I nodded and my grin widened. “Just sharing with friends.”
They each took bigger gulps, then poured more of the free wine. The very expensive, free wine.
One of the men leaned forward and whispered, “The lost heir is the lost princess. For over a decade, the mages of Valoria have petitioned that the line of succession be altered and she be made Crown Princess instead of her younger brother, which the king has refused.”
My eyes widened. “Is that so?” I poured them some more wine. “Why do the mages want her to be the Crown Princess?”
One of the men leaned in conspiratorially, warming up to the topic. “Well—”
“Shh!” the other man stopped him. “We cannot speak of this. If anyone else overhears …”
The man brushed him off. “No one’s listening, mate!”
I fought the urge to laugh because they’d obviously forgotten I had eavesdropped on them and was sitting with them now. But the wine made it a distant memory.
“You know the lost princess is the first female blood mage since the moon goddess, right?” the man whispered and leaned forward.
I nodded.
“Well, they say she’s the reincarnation of the moon goddess.” His eyes widened with barely contained excitement.
I frowned, not believing this so-called theory for a second. “Really? How so?”
The other man shrugged. “I mean, the only other female blood mage in history was the moon goddess. That means it has to be true, right?”
Not necessarily, I thought, but I didn’t want to mess with their illusion or make them start asking me questions. I remained quiet as they continued to ramble about the lost heir, who happened to be sitting in front of them. I wondered if the moon goddess theory was a well-known one that I just never knew about.
I poured them some more wine. “Didn’t the moon goddess refuse to enter politics? Didn’t she want to stay neutral and protect Valoria without interfering with the monarch?” I asked curiously, hoping I’d remembered history correctly.
One of the men nodded. “True. But from what I heard, it wasn’t that she didn’t want to, but more like the king at the time refused her.”
The other man nodded eagerly as he chugged his wine. “I heard a rumor she had an affair that the king was completely against, and that was his way of punishing her. But we all know the moon goddess was thetrueheir to the throne. We only survived Keldara because of her.”
“That’s why the lost princess needs to become Crown Princess,” the man closest to me added, beginning to slur his words. “She’s the oldest child of the king and the rightful heir, as the reincarnation of the moon goddess. She’ll be the one to save us from Keldara again.”
I cleared my throat. “Does everyone believe this theory about the lost heir being the moon goddess?”
The man closest to me shook his head. “Only in Valoria. I don’t believe any outsiders know.”
“Oh …” I stood, then topped off their cups with more wine. “Well, thank you for the information. I appreciate your time.”
