My first thought when I awoke the next day was Ivetta, peacefully asleep in my arms as I carried her back to her room last night. Alive. All I could think about on that miserable ride through the freezing rain was seeing her alive and well, and I’d done that. She was okay.
Which led to my second thought. Somebody had tried to kill her, and they needed to pay dearly.
I dressed quickly, running through what I knew and what I guessed, my anger building with each passing moment. Nokto wouldn’t have sent that note about a poisoning attempt he had already handled. There was more to this, and I needed to get the full report from him. The letter from Gilbert was undoubtedly a forgery. Clavis and Jin each had an extensive network of informants, and I would employ them to investigate the situation in Obsidian. But first, I needed to talk to Sariel. It was his responsibility to evaluate every invitation Ivetta received, every event she attended, every person she met. If he had done his job correctly, this whole situation could have been prevented.
He had better have a good explanation.
I skipped lunch and headed straight for his office, bursting through the door unannounced. His head snapped up from the documents on his desk.
“King Chevalier-”
“Give me one good reason not to kill you right now,” I snapped, towering over him.
His smile widened in the face of my rage, and he opened a drawer of his desk and pulled out a sheaf of papers.
“I’ll give you twenty,” he said smoothly, dropping them on his desk. “These are the invitations I declined due to unnecessary risk to her safety.” He selected one from the top and handed it to me. “And I declined this invitation well over a month ago.”
Typical of him to always be prepared with an answer. Not that I expected anything less from him. I scanned the document quickly, confirming the veracity of his words.
“Somebody altered her schedule.”
“Yes, one of my…former servants. I have been discussing the matter with him all morning.” The wicked gleam in his lavender eyes, combined with the distinct emphasis on the word ‘discussing,’ gave me a clear picture of his true meaning.
All morning. That meant Ivetta wasn’t in her lessons.
One thing at a time.
“And?”
Sariel sighed and removed his glasses, rubbing his eyes. “And we have a significant problem.”
That was blatantly obvious.
“The emperor of Obsidian has established contact with several expatriated families that have resided in Rhodolite for quite some time, promising a restoration of lands and titles to whomever kills Princess Ivetta.”
The silence following Sariel’s words rang with Gilbert’s warning about the emperor. The man wasn’t just unhinged. He was clearly insane. Such actions were in clear violation of the treaty, punishable by a combined invasion from Rhodolite, Benitoite, and Jade.
And if Gilbert hadn’t stopped him, that could very well mean that Gilbert was dead.
“How many?” I asked quietly.
“A dozen and counting.” Sariel paused, and then he added, “I don’t have to tell you what this means in regards to the treaty.”
“I am aware of the implications, but we need more information before we declare war. If Gilbert is alive, he will undoubtedly resolve the matter for us.”
“And if he is dead?”
If he was dead, the treaty was pointless, as was everything Ivetta suffered to bring it about. And more than a dozen people may be seeking to kill her, just to assuage a mad emperor who would rather see his nation torn apart by war than see her marry me instead of Gilbert.
“Clear Ivetta’s schedule. She is not to leave the palace until further notice. I want every single letter tracked down and its recipients arrested and brought in for questioning. Send word to Benitoite and Jade to be on standby.”
“Consider it done. I have also taken the liberty of locking the gates and ordering the guards to prevent any from entering or leaving the palace for the foreseeable future. What would you like me to do about the engagement ceremony?”
That was the difficult question. I knew the correct answer, but saying it left a bitter taste in my mouth.
“Postpone it,” I finally said, turning to go.
“We are not postponing the ceremony.”
Ivetta was standing in the doorway, her green eyes flashing as she glared at both of us. I clenched my jaw, staring at her, trying to determine how much she heard. She couldn’t have been there long. Even engrossed in our discussion, Sariel couldn’t help but notice anybody wearing a bright red dress entering the office.
What was Julius thinking, letting her out of her room like that? It was impossible for a would-be assailant to miss her.
“This is not up for debate,” I said coolly. At least the dress was otherwise unremarkable, with a rather plain design, but the bold color drew my eyes too easily to her figure as she stormed up to me.
“It’s in three days,” she said, as if she hadn’t even heard me. “There isn’t time to get word to the foreign guests, but there is time for you to clean this mess up.”
Where was this coming from?
“There is much more to this than you realize,” I replied, frustration building as I recognized the stubborn determination in her eyes. She wasn’t going to back down, at least not easily, and there was no way I was winning this argument if I allowed her appearance to distract me. Standing this close to her, looking down at her, meant the dress was not as much of a problem as the red rose she had braided through her hair.
Had she done this on purpose?
“I know that at least part of this is an effort to prevent us from getting married,” she replied insistently. “Postponing the ceremony, even for a day, means they win.”
I hated that she was right.
“Large events are notoriously difficult to secure. I will not risk your safety to make a point,” I growled, clenching my fists at my sides.
“Then don’t. The ceremony is private. I’ll be safe as long as I’m with you, and as soon as it’s done, you can lock me up in my room for the rest of the night. That is what you want, isn’t it? To lock me away where nothing can happen to me?”
The bitter accusation in her voice only served to raise my ire further.
“What I want is for you to be safe. You could have died. Nokto could have died. Do you not understand that?” I snapped.
“But we didn’t,” she snapped back without any hesitation. “Double my guard if you want. Call the rest of the army up if it makes you feel better. We’re not postponing.”
We glared at each other for a moment, neither of us giving way.
“If I may-” Sariel started, his deep voice breaking the tense silence. I’d forgotten he was even in the room.
“No, you may not,” Ivetta snapped, turning her anger on him.
“Ivetta,” I reprimanded her sharply.
“You have three days,” she said again, returning her fierce glare to me. “Get to work.”
She turned toward the door, a fireball in motion, and something in me snapped. Her blatant disrespect for me in front of Sariel and her guards was intolerable. I overtook her quickly, grabbing her arm without breaking my stride.
“Chevalier-” she protested, trying to pull free.
“You can walk, or I can carry you.”
Her frustrated sigh evidenced her disapproval, but she stopped resisting. I kept a firm grip on her arm until we reached her room.
“Chevalier-” she started again as I yanked the door open.
“You disregarded the rule last night,” I said coolly, tossing her into the room and following after her. She stumbled, righting herself quickly and turning to face me with as much fury in her green eyes as I felt heating the blood in my veins. I slammed the door shut behind me.
“Do not do that again.”
“Do what? Question your decisions? Am I supposed to follow your orders blindly, just like everybody else?”
“You weren’t listening.” I grabbed her upper arms, holding her still while I leaned in closer so she couldn’t look anywhere but at me. “You’re stubborn, you’re frustrating, you’re mouthy, and I love you too much to take any chances with your life.”
She pursed her lips, her brow furrowing as the conviction in her eyes wavered.
“I will handle this, and I will do so without any further interference from you. Do you understand?”
“Don’t talk to me like I’m a child,” she muttered through clenched teeth, tears shimmering just below the ledge of her eyelids.
My heart throbbed uncomfortably. I needed to focus on the problem at hand. Not her inexplicable anger, not her shifting moods, not her strange accusations. But I hated seeing her cry.
“I’m not,” I said, my voice softening as I relaxed my grip on her arms. “But I nearly lost you once, and I won’t go through that again. You don’t need to know all the details. Just trust me.”
She bit her lip and stepped toward me, resting her forehead on my chest. “Everything’s been against us from the start,” she said, her voice trembling. “Every step has been a battle. I just want to marry you. Why is it so hard for us to get married? What is so wrong about that?”
“Nothing,” I murmured, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close. “Nothing is wrong with us getting married, and it will happen.”
I sighed and kissed the top of her head. She hadn’t been upset with me at all, just frustrated and afraid, unable to express the desperate longing of her heart. A longing that I shared, more now than ever.
“The ceremony is private - just us, the priest, and a witness. We can go forward with it as planned. But I can’t allow you to attend the ball afterwards if it isn’t safe yet.”
“I don’t care about the ball,” she said, looking up at me, her tear-stained cheeks tugging at my heart. “Just you.”
How could I leave when she said something like that to me?
I leaned in and kissed her softly, tasting the salt of her tears on her lips.
“I have to get back to work, Ivetta,” I reminded myself, kissing the tip of her nose. “And you need to get out of that ridiculous dress and into something better suited for maintaining a low profile.”
“Don’t you like it?” she asked shyly.
“Too much.” I kissed her again, sliding my hands up her back to toy with the end of her braid, and she wrapped her arms around my neck and sighed softly. She was so beautiful, and so willing, and so frustrating. I forced myself to pull back slightly, looking down into her shining green eyes.
“Was this on purpose?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “You can blame Theresa for this. Actually, she suggested a red evening gown, but I thought that would be a bit much.”
“I’m going to need to see that dress later,” I said, capturing her lips again before she could respond. My heated kiss turned into two, and then three, addicted to her sweet flavor and unable to let her go. I tugged at the ribbon holding her braid, untying it and dropping it to the floor, combing my fingers through her long, silky black hair as her fingers pressed into the back of my neck.
“Chevalier,” she gasped, pulling back to catch her breath. “Don’t you need to get back to work?”
“Yes.” I kissed her again, keeping it much more brief than I would have liked. “I won’t be able to see much of you until this is over.” Another quick kiss, this time to her flushed cheek. “Try to behave yourself and don’t go wandering around at night anymore.”
She giggled as I kissed her ear. “Alright, I promise. And even if I can’t go to the ball, maybe we could spend some time together after the ceremony? In the library?”
“Of course,” I replied, kissing her neck. I needed to stop. Every kiss made it harder to leave.
Thankfully, she pushed back from me and went to her bureau. “What’s appropriate attire for a princess who’s trying not to get murdered?” she asked jokingly, studying the contents of a drawer.
A general guideline and a goodbye. That was what I needed to do. But I followed her to the bureau and glanced down at the assortment of dresses in the open drawer, immediately spotting my favorite dress.
“This will do,” I said, plucking it out and handing it to her. “It’s too simple for a princess.”
“Oh, good,” she said, taking it from me. “And I won’t have to send for Theresa to help me get dressed. You don’t know how lucky you are to be a man and not have to deal with all the corsets and other nonsense.”
“Do you need any help?” I asked teasingly.
“Just see to it that our engagement ceremony goes forward as planned,” she said firmly, her cheeks flushing bright red as she stared fixedly at the dress in her hands, avoiding my eyes.
I caught her chin and turned her to face me, kissing her again before she could protest. The soft moan in the back of her throat nearly undid me.
“I’m not locking you away, but may I request that you stay here or in the library for the time being?” I asked softly, my thumb stroking her lip as her warm breath tickled mine.
“Okay,” she said, her gaze heated and dangerous.
I redirected my last kiss to her forehead just in time.
“Goodbye, Ivetta.”
I had plenty of motivation now. If nothing else, I needed to wrap everything up quickly so I could get back to her and see that look in her eyes again.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ60omp9QNnV
