The Reddest Apple

In my mother's gardens grow the reddest apples – the pledge of our wealth and prosperity, washed in blood and sealed with dark oaths.

I learned this secret by chance, eavesdropping on the feast of the wonderful neighbors, and now I pay for my foolishness and curiosity.

To save myself, I had to go to the king's court and serve the betrothed of the young prince. Could I have known that the intrigues of the wonderful neighbors would catch up with me there?