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It was springtime, and the sky was a clear, bright blue as I left the palace. The smell of roses, the sound of birds chirping, the soft breeze on my face - I allowed myself to be lost in the sensations, all the stress of the day melting away with each step. This walk was my time, when there was nothing to do, nobody to talk to, and I could just be. By the time I reached the town, I was in my own world, and my feet were carrying me by habit while my mind wandered freely.
“Ivetta? It is you!”
The voice calling my name brought me back to reality, and an arm wrapped around my shoulder in a casual, friendly manner. I looked up in surprise, and there, grinning down at me, was Prince Jin. We weren’t anywhere near the tavern yet.
“So have you changed your mind?” he asked, steering us down the street.
I ducked under his arm and stepped away. “No, your highness, I haven’t. I’m just on my way home.” I smiled sweetly and hoped he’d leave it at that. He didn’t.
“You can drop the formalities. Just call me Jin. I’m sure you need a drink after dealing with Chevalier all day.”
That charming smile was very disarming. I wondered how many women had fallen for it. I had no desire to add my name to the list.
“No, thank you. I really can’t spare even a few minutes.”
He shrugged. “I’ll walk with you,” he said. “Seems like we’re headed in the same direction, anyway. Where are you going?”
I sighed and started walking. “I’m just going home.”
He fell in step beside me, still wearing that irrepressible grin. “So, you live here in the city? Most of the servants live in the palace.”
“No, I actually live in a village on the other side of the city,” I replied.
“That’s quite a distance. And you walk this far every day?”
“Of course.” Maybe if I kept my answers as short as possible, he’d lose interest.
“How long does it take you?” he asked. I could hear the frown in his voice, although I made a point of not looking at him.
“About an hour.”
“We’ve got to get you moved into the palace. I’m sure there’s room in the servants' quarters.”
“I appreciate your concern, but I’m not moving into the palace right now,” I said, meeting his eyes and hoping that would be the end of it. He furrowed his brow as he looked down at me.
“Why don’t you get a job closer to home?”
It was my turn to shrug. “The palace pays better.”
“So, what aren’t you telling me?”
“It’s really none of your business,” I said quietly, looking away from him again.
He fell silent for a while. I hoped that meant he was leaving it alone. The Rose and Tavern came and went, but he kept walking with me. I was starting to worry that he was going to follow me all the way home if I didn’t come up with something to get rid of him.
“You walk this same route, twice a day, every day?” he finally asked.
“Yes.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, this isn’t the nicest part of the town.” We were passing through the red-light district, where the buildings were run down and dingy, and the people were all at least a bit shady.
“I’m aware, but this is the shortest route.”
“It’s not safe for you to be here. If you’re not moving into the palace, I’ll line up a carriage for you.”
“Prince Jin, I’ve been walking through this area on my own for years now. Not everybody here is as bad as you may think, and I’ve never had any serious trouble. I’m fine.” My exasperation was leaking into my tone. How was I supposed to tell a prince politely to leave me alone?
“But you admit you’ve had trouble.”
“Nothing worse than what I’ve experienced at the palace,” I said, looking pointedly up at him.
He gave me a wry smile. “Well, I guess I misjudged you. You’re not such a fragile little dove after all, are you?”
We’d finally reached the edge of the city. From this point, the road extended through the country for a short distance before it reached the village where I lived. “It’s not too much further from here, Prince Jin, so if you would like to get back to the tavern, I wouldn’t mind.”
“Trying to get rid of me again, huh? Well, I guess I’ve pestered you long enough. Maybe someday you’ll let me treat you to that drink.” He winked and turned back the way we’d come. “See you later.”
“Goodbye, Prince Jin.”
I let out a sigh of relief and started forward again. At least he hadn’t slowed me down, judging by the sun’s position in the sky. I still had to make dinner and take care of Mother when I got home. Hopefully, I could turn in a little early tonight. I needed to wash laundry in the morning before I left for the palace.
At eight o’clock the next morning, I stopped by the kitchen to put in an order for Prince Chevalier’s breakfast to pick up at nine o’clock. I’d made a mental note of what he had and hadn’t eaten the day before, so I could tailor today’s order to his preferences. Then, I went to his room to start cleaning. He was asleep, of course, which made it much easier for me to relax and settle into a routine. At nine o’clock, I pulled his drapes open with a cheery, “Good morning, Prince Chevalier.”
I didn’t have to yank the comforter off of him this time. He pushed the covers back himself, the sunlight catching his platinum blonde hair, and for just a moment he was nothing more than a handsome man yawning as he woke up. Of course, even his pajamas set him apart from a commoner. They would have passed for church clothes in the village. His black pants were perfectly fitted, and his white shirt was decorated with gold vines similar to those on his cloak.
“What were you humming?” he asked, his voice not by any means gentle, but sleepy and without a hint of threat.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I was humming, your highness. It’s just a song my mother used to sing to me. I’ll be back in a moment with your breakfast.”
He was in the bathroom when I returned, the door open and water running inside. It was a bit discomforting for me, but it was easy enough to find something to do facing away from the open door. When he emerged, fully dressed, he sat down at the desk to eat, and I went into the bathroom to clean up after him. By the time I’d finished, he was done with breakfast and gone. I collected the dirty dishes and took them back to the kitchens, and then I spent the rest of the morning working in his private library. Theresa wasn’t in the kitchens at noon, so I grabbed a quick lunch and headed back to the alcove in the library to read.
Maybe this job wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Midafternoon, Prince Chevalier swept through the library to the back room as usual. I went to the kitchens for his tea and brought it to him without a word. He looked up as I did so, one corner of his lips lifting just slightly in a momentary smile, and then he returned to his book.
I could hardly believe it. I had won the Brutal Beast’s favor.
It was about an hour later when another man burst through the door and stormed into Prince Chevalier’s private library. I barely glimpsed the man in black from the corner of my eye before he was gone. He hadn’t shut the door, and I tried not to listen, but it was impossible to ignore once they started shouting at each other. Well, the intruder was shouting, anyway. Prince Chevalier remained as calm and collected as ever.
“What did you think you were doing?” That was the unknown man.
“I’ve already said all I have to say on the matter,” Prince Chevalier responded coolly.
“Yeah, well, I haven’t. Did you ever consider trying to talk it out instead of jumping straight into battle?”
“I don’t waste my time talking to traitors.”
“What about the village? I can almost understand the fort, but the village, too? Do you even care how many innocent people died in your purge?”
My blood ran cold. I’d heard of Prince Chevalier’s purges. He was the leader of a political faction focused on foreign affairs, and rumor said he was a heartless beast, ruthlessly eradicating any supposed traitors to the crown within and without the country of Rhodolite. There were even stories about him killing his own family members. He was also supposed to be a brilliant tactician, and although he had never lost a battle, his knights inflicted severe casualties, not all of whom were opposing soldiers.
“There is nothing innocent about knowingly aiding and abetting Rhodolite’s enemies,” Prince Chevalier responded without a trace of remorse.
“You went too far this time, Chevalier.”
“If you wish to spout your drivel, do so elsewhere.”
I felt sick listening to this. I didn’t believe all the rumors before I met Prince Chevalier, but I found them very believable now. He had well and truly earned the monikers Brutal Beast and Bloody Tiger. I headed for the library door, no destination in mind other than somewhere away from this horrible argument. A loud thud from Prince Chevalier’s library stopped me in my tracks. From where I stood, I could clearly see the angry man in a black cloak pinning Prince Chevalier by his collar against a bookcase, his strength clearly apparent as Prince Chevalier’s feet dangled just above the floor. Prince Chevalier wasn’t a weakling, though. He grabbed the other man’s hand and easily ripped it away. Even from this distance, I could see his blue eyes flashing dangerously. I watched, my feet frozen in place, my hand on the doorknob. There was no way I was going to try to stop them, but I couldn’t look away. They glared at each other - well, I assume, but I could only see the back of the black-haired man’s head - and then, suddenly, the tension snapped and they both relaxed.
“I don’t know why I even bother trying to talk to you,” the intruder said, his voice irritated but down to a regular volume. He turned toward me and walked out, his long strides carrying him quickly across the library. A single glance at his hard, angry amber eyes was all I needed to spin quickly away and open the door.
“Sorry you had to hear that,” an apologetic voice said behind me.
I looked up at him in surprise. His expression had completely changed. He wore a relaxed smile, with no trace of anger or tension on his face. How could somebody’s mood change so quickly? And why was he apologizing? What went on between him and Prince Chevalier was none of my business. And I didn’t want to talk to him. I just wanted to get away from this whole situation. I should have left earlier instead of standing there staring.
The gold plating decorating his left shoulder drew my eye to the golden lion crest displayed on the left side of his chest. He was another prince.
“There is no need to apologize, your highness,” I replied politely with a fake smile, my heart still pounding frantically. “If you’ll excuse me-”
Prince Chevalier’s frigid voice cut me off with a single word: “Maid.”
The unknown prince narrowed his amber eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. I wanted to do the same, or, better yet, ignore Prince Chevalier and bolt for freedom, but I removed my hand from the doorknob and headed back to where he waited for me in the doorway to his private library with his arms crossed over his chest. His icy blue eyes sent a shiver down my spine. They left me to look over my head, and he, too, narrowed his eyes and sighed.
“Unless you have something of actual importance to say, Black, our business is concluded,” he said coldly. I looked back and saw that the other prince was following me. He unflinchingly met Prince Chevalier’s dangerous glare.
“I’m just sticking around to make sure you don’t mistreat this little lady,” the prince said firmly, crossing his arms over his ornate black jacket adorned with gold buttons, seams, and trims. A red sash cut diagonally across it, from the lion crest to his right side. Red lined the inside of his cloak as well. And he was wearing a sword, strapped to his hip by a striking red belt. I suddenly realized I was trapped between two extremely hostile princes, directly in the crossfire, if they decided to have a go at each other again, and my mind scrambled for a way out of this situation.
“Thank you, your highness, but that really isn’t necessary,” I said quietly to the prince in black, and then I turned back to Prince Chevalier. “What was it you needed, Prince Chevalier?”
His ice-blue eyes flicked down to me, and then he turned and led me back into his library, picking up an open letter on the table next to his tea. “Take this to my office,” he commanded, giving it to me. “You’ll need this,” he added, tossing me a key.
“Yes, your highness,” I said, folding the letter closed along its seams and leaving with the key in hand. The other prince stood just outside the door, watching the whole exchange. I pulled the door shut behind me as a smile spread across his face.
“Well, you’re something else,” he said.
I looked up at him, confused. “I’m glad you approve, although I don’t know what’s so special about obeying orders, your highness.”
“I’ll take you to Chevalier’s office,” he said, smiling as he turned and headed for the main library door. “You can call me Leon.”
Now it all made sense. Prince Leon was the leader of another political faction focused on domestic affairs. I’d heard that he and Prince Chevalier were often at odds with each other. Theresa said it took a lot to get Prince Leon upset, but mass civilian casualties would make anybody upset.
Anybody except Prince Chevalier.
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