The Forgotten Princess Rose
Chapter 187

Chapter 187: Chapter 187

"You," Henry said, not believing his ears.

It was one thing to want to kill each other but it was another for Mateo to go onto Zayne’s side when the fight had not been lost.

Mateo pointed his sword at Henry. "I am just the spare, remember? I can only be king if you die."

"And father would have to die," Henry argued.

James couldn’t bring himself to jump out the window since they were too high up and there wasn’t anything below to catch him. He was in so much of a panic that he hadn’t heard what was said by Mateo.

James hid behind his sons since Richard was outnumbered by Zayne’s men and the guards who once shielded him were on the floor. "Kill him, Mateo. This is what we prepared you for."

"For the king!" Richard yelled, aiming his sword at Finn. He smiled when his sword wounded the soldier but a pain growing in his side woke him up to the fact he had not won this fight.

"Fuck," Finn cursed, swinging his sword to knock Richard’s sword from his hand. "I applaud you for landing a hit. It was a good fight," he said, swinging the sword once more to take Richard’s head. "What about the painter?"

"Leave him be. I can smell the piss from here. Put down your sword and then we can later speak about you becoming king. I will not place another fool who will ignore the slaves," Zayne said, waiting for Mateo to make his decision.

Mateo heard the soldiers yelling through the window his father opened. Their side could easily win this fight since Zayne was outnumbered but if his father and brother died, he would be left to take the throne. All he needed to do was hide the truth by letting everyone present die to hide his betrayal.

Mateo threw his sword to Zayne’s feet. A chance to kill his father and brother would not come again.

"You fucking bastard," Henry grabbed Mateo’s shirt to pull him close. "You just killed us."

"I will not be your blade. I want to be king," Mateo spoke softly. "Don’t pretend like you weren’t going to kill me. Kiara told me."

"She told me the same thing about you," Henry replied.

Zayne’s laughter interrupted the two brothers as he found it entertaining how the princess played both of them. "What a shame the princess wasn’t born a prince for you to focus on her talents. To be able to turn her brothers against each other would have made her a strong opponent."

James wanted to strangle Mateo for throwing his sword to Zayne’s feet. It was not unusual for royals to turn on each other to get on the throne but he believed his children were raised better to not become like this.

Mateo had to be dealt with later. James didn’t fear his life being taken since he heard the loud sound of footsteps as men ran and their calls.

"You foolish bastard. You should have signed the truce when you had the chance. Now the tales of your great victories will die here and I will pick the armour from your body to display it. You have killed my commander but I am a forgiving man. We can put this aside and go ahead with our plans," James proposed.

"I suggest you look out the window," said Zayne.

James didn’t see the need to but he still went back to the window and when he did, his jaws dropped. "Y-You," he stuttered. His palace was swarmed with Hamilton soldiers. "I did not allow your ships to come in."

"One does not need permission during war. Move away from them. You are safe for now," Zayne said, looking at Mateo who smiled.

Mateo happily left his brother’s side. His only concern was Zayne’s interest in Kiara. His sister would want to see him dead.

Mateo smiled when he turned around to face Henry. It was wonderful how the tables had changed. No longer would he be in Henry’s shadows anymore. No longer would he be forced to train to protect his brother in the future.

He would be the next king.

"What do you know about Madeline Ambroses’s children?" Zayne asked.

Someone in this palace tried to get rid of Rose and before they all died, he would get the truth.

James’s brows knitted, confused as to why Zayne was asking about Madeline. "Do not speak her name."

"I would listen if you were her husband but you are not. Tell me, who in this palace would want to harm one of her daughters aside from your wife? You may be a fool when it comes to war but you must know what your wife does in your palace," said Zayne.

"Tell me why you ask this," James said, needing to know what Lilian had done. From the very beginning, he had stated Madeline was off-limits from Lilian’s schemes. She was not to be troubled like the other women he entertained.

"Our grandfather would if father showed her too much attention," Mateo answered in place of his father. He wasn’t a stranger to his grandfather arriving in the palace whenever there was talk of their father having another mistress.

"And if Madeline shared a child with you from the past? Would they go as far as to kidnap her daughter? To have her sold as a slave?" Zayne questioned, closing the space between him and James.

James was at a loss for words. "I share a child with Madeline? How do you know this? Tell me right now," he begged.

He had been searching for something to get Madeline back in his arms and this was it.

"Step away from my father!" Henry yelled, throwing a punch at Zayne’s face but it was dodged.

Zayne returned the punch dead in Henry’s face, his armoured hand adding more damage. Henry groaned, palming his nose which felt broken.

"What does the child look like? I need to see her-"

Zayne grabbed James’s neck and dragged him toward the same window James opened. Zayne forced James to lean out the window where a long drop awaited him. "Why would you want to see her when the very trick you played to fool me stopped her from going back to her mother?"

Zayne tightened his grip on James’s neck and leaned down so James could hear him. "Your wife knew about the child and had her kidnapped to be sold. The very child you shared with Madeline ended up a slave and it was because of your rule that she couldn’t get home. Why should you get to see her?"

James thought Zayne was lying to him at first but Madeline’s oldest daughter had gone missing. "I must see her. I need to see them both."

"No," Zayne replied, lifting James to let him slip out the window. "Live your last moments knowing you failed your daughter."

"Wait!" James reached out for Zayne’s hand to hold onto.

Zayne watched on as James fell from the window to the ground where there wasn’t anything below him to help with his fall. The fall was fast thanks to James’ weight but it was long enough for James to regret the decision he made about slaves since it concerned a child with the woman he was obsessed with.

"He’s persistent," Zayne commented since he could see James moving slightly but he knew it wouldn’t be long before James passed.

"We have a sister from Lady Ambrose?" Mateo asked, more surprised about this news than his father’s death. He had much to smile for as it was only Henry who stood in his way. "I would love to meet her. Is she the sister you spoke of missing?"

Zayne looked away from the sight of James to Mateo who was a little too mouthy. "You talk too much for someone who just betrayed his family. Finn, keep the painter safe and watch the princes. This is the beginning of our fight so stay aware and safe."

They had not succeeded in taking over the palace yet until the guards surrendered and all the royals were captured.

Mateo stepped to Zayne to stop him from leaving. "What do you mean to only keep the painter safe? We are allies now."

"Are we?" Zayne replied, shoving Mateo away from him. "I have not made my decision yet. You need to be smarter when you betray your family."