Prince Patrick

"Your Highness, Prince... I am Marigold Bennett..."

"Your Majesty, how did all of this come to be?" Brian, disregarding etiquette, began to interrogate the Queen in a loud voice. The attendant standing nearby frowned, attempting to intervene and guard against Brian's actions, but Cecelia raised her hand, signaling for him not to make any rash moves.

"Brian, it was indeed remiss of me not to inform you beforehand. However, since Byron and I have already reached an agreement, I believed that you would come to know sooner or later. Isn't it even more of a pleasant surprise now that you know?"

Brian stared directly into the Queen's aged eyes, as if trying to bore a hole into her face. Alas, even so, he was powerless to change the Queen's decree.

"A surprise? Is this what you call..."