Adrian heard every word his father said, and he was no fool.
He understood exactly what lay beneath them.
For one suspended moment, all he could hear was the roar of blood in his ears. Then his anger rose so sharply it nearly choked him. His father had done it deliberately. He had not merely allowed this duel, he had shaped it, framed it, and handed it to the kingdom in a way that could only end in one thing.
A test of power.A test of worth.
A silent declaration that the crown prince's position was no longer untouchable.
So it had been a trap all along. His father wanted him to fail.
Wanted him to fall in front of the entire kingdom so Enzo could take what father had always believed belonged to him. The throne. The crown. The loyalty of the people. Adrian could see it now with brutal clarity, and the realization sent something inside him snapping loose.
Then he laughed.
