TIARA THORNELLS
There was a moment of tense silence that settled over the living room as my whispered words echoed faintly in the air.
“Prince... Zatan?” Peony repeated in her soft voice laced with disbelief.
All of us turned our attention toward the mysterious figure in the room. Slowly, he reached up and removed the full-head. leather mask that had concealed his identity. The moment his face was revealed, gasps rippled through everyone present.
“Y-Your Highness!” they all exclaimed in unison before quickly bowing low in reverence.
Peony, who had been sitting cross-legged on the floor, sprang to her feet and copied the gesture of Grandpa Alfred and her parents. Their expressions mirrored the same stunned amazement, their eyes wide and mouths slightly open in so much surprise.
“I apo
