The Jesters Devotion

Valemont Palace is beautiful enough to hide its cruelty. Marble halls. White roses. A crown waiting for a son who has learned to smile until his face aches.
Prince Lucien Valemont has spent his life becoming the shape of a king. He knows how to bow, how to listen, how to want nothing that would disappoint his father. On the eve of his twenty-fifth year, the court gathers to celebrate the man he is supposed to become. They do not see the boy who still runs toward the oldest wing of the palace...