Benedict's carriage rolled to a stop in front of the palace gates. He stepped out, adjusting the collar of his coat, trying to keep the tension off his face. The guards at the gate straightened when they saw him, but didn't move aside or open the gate for him.
"I'm here to see the First Prince," Benedict said, his tone steady, but there was a slight edge to it.
One of the guards stepped forward, his expression unreadable. "We're sorry, Your Grace. But no one is allowed to enter the palace."
Benedict's brows drew together. His patience, already worn thin, started to fray. "I need to see him. Now."
"The orders are strict," the guard repeated. "No one is an exception to the rule."
Benedict's jaw tightened. He glanced past the guards to the familiar palace courtyard beyond. The place where he used to come and go freely, but now he was being restricted?
But something was off.
Why refuse him outright? What were they hiding?
