“Why do you think it’s a foreign army and not our own?” Duke Willer asked.

The dukes and royal family convened around a large dining table.

“They are dressed in solid red,” Gordon stated. “That is not the uniform of Marsden soldiers.”

“We cannot assume it’s an act of war,” Duke Ryder stated.

No surprise that Duke Ryder would side with the king. His daughter was Princess Dana—Gordon’s wife.

“No,” Gordon said. “We cannot. But I have men in position just in case. Until we know more, we will exercise caution.”

Reid saw an opening, so took it. “Prince Gordon, do you think these foreign soldiers are the ones who tried to assassinate the king?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “When we were attacked, I didn’t see anyone’s face, nor did I see any sort of uniform.”

Regardless, Reid had planted the seed, which was all she needed to do.

“Has the king been kidnapped?” Duke Ellington asked.

“I sent men to spy on the incoming army.” Gordon shook his head. “It appears the king is riding with them in good spirits.”

“I don’t understand,” Prince Colbert said. “Our king is in league with a foreign army?”

Everyone started talking at once.

Gordon raised his hand, capturing everyone’s attention. “I don’t know what’s going on. However, since the king appears to be fine, we will assume the army means us no harm and the wedding will proceed as planned.” He glanced at Reid, then quickly looked away. “If I find out the king is there against his will, we will retake our king, defeat the enemy, and Marsden will be victorious.” With that, he strode out of the room.

“He is definitely a soldier,” Gytha mumbled as she and Reid also exited. “He is not very eloquent with his speech.”

While Reid agreed, she didn’t say anything. Gordon was in a tough position—having sworn fealty to the king, being commander of the Marsden army, being the brother of the king, and having a keen love for his kingdom. If it came down to choosing between his king and kingdom, what would he do? Again, the queen’s words came back to haunt Reid. What were Gordon’s motivations? What did he want?

Two days later, the horn blew once, indicating the army had been spotted entering the city. Reid hoped they didn’t destroy the beautiful buildings as they marched toward the palace. Some of these buildings were hundreds of years old. At least the people had made it safely out of the city.

Reid and Gytha made their way to the first floor, where they were supposed to meet the dukes. They’d decided they would all greet the king and army together. Many hoped the army would pose no threat.

As Reid headed along a corridor, Finn bounded toward her. She knew Colbert couldn’t be far behind. Squatting, she rubbed Finn’s head.