Gilbert didn’t leave my sight until two o’clock, and only then because Clavis had an update on the informant. No confirmed contact had been made, but the informant was the cook who had prepared Baron Flandre’s breakfast this morning, and Clavis suspected a message had been hidden in the food somehow. The countess whom Clavis had bedded was a former lover of Flandre’s, and the only information she had provided was reports of past abuse. Despicable, and a matter that most certainly would not be ignored, but unhelpful to the current investigation.
“Continue as planned,” I decided. “I’ll need to speak with the Clown as well regarding Flandre. But before you leave, there is one other matter that must be resolved.”
Clavis winced, no trace of amusement in his golden eyes. “That was a mistake, and I intend to apologize to Ivetta as soon as possible.”
“You had better,” I snapped. “Your little stunt reminded her of an incident with Jack.”
Clavis’ golden eyes darkened. “I’d rather you hit me than tell me that,” he muttered.
“I’d rather hit you and tell you that,” I replied sharply. “Fortunately for you, a black eye would raise questions, so I will leave you with this instead.”
I’d been sitting at my desk, and I stood up and walked toward him, watching with satisfaction as he backed away quickly. I trapped him in a corner and drew his sword from its sheath, holding the tip of the blade at his throat.
“Remind you of something?” I asked, smirking.
He scowled at me, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as his eyes narrowed.
“I let you live then. Scare her like that again, and your life is forfeit,” I hissed. I took a step back and flipped the sword around, handing it to him hilt first. “Now get out of here.”
He left without a word.
I was intentionally hard on him because he instigated that debacle last night, and though I intended to address the matter with Jin and Nokto as well, I wouldn’t be so harsh with them. But they were not my priority at the moment. It had been fifteen minutes since I’d last seen Gilbert, and Leon hadn’t been present for a smooth hand-off. I hoped it wasn’t enough time for Gilbert to find and harass Ivetta, but I headed for the library. Once I’d confirmed she was there and safe, I would track down Gilbert.
But she wasn’t there.
I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and went to the window. It could be nothing. She could have stepped out to go to the kitchens, or the restroom, or - my stomach lurched as I saw her down below in the gardens. With Gilbert. He had his arm looped through hers, and he was steering her toward the back of the gardens. I turned from the sight, heading for the door just as Leon walked into the library.
“Chevalier, what’s up?” he asked, stopping in his tracks.
“Get out of my way,” I snapped.
His amber eyes narrowed, and he shook his head. “Not with you looking like that. What’s going on? Where’s Ivetta?”
“In the gardens with Gilbert,” I spat. “I took my eyes off of him for fifteen minutes-”
“Okay, hold on. You stay here. I’ll handle this.”
I scowled at him, but he didn’t budge.
“I know he’s been needling you about her this whole time, but you can’t kill him on his second day here. Let’s wait until tomorrow and reevaluate, okay?” Leon clapped me on the shoulder and grinned, but his amber eyes were just as predatory as mine, and his attempt at a joke did nothing to ease the tension in the air.
“You’re wasting time,” I said coolly, stepping back and crossing my arms.
“Don’t worry,” he said, turning to leave. “I’ll have her back soon.”
I glared at the library door as it slammed shut behind him, everything in me demanding that I throw it open and go after Ivetta myself, but I forced myself to turn and go back to the window. Gilbert and Ivetta were just disappearing into the gazebo at the furthest point of the gardens, too far away for me to see inside. I clenched my fists and scanned the rest of the gardens. Clavis and Silvio were out there, too, just entering the gardens but headed in the same direction as the gazebo. If I weren’t so worried about Ivetta, the sight would have amused me. Clavis undoubtedly wanted a moment to himself in the gardens after my threat, but he’d run into Silvio, and now he had to play the pleasant host to a spoiled brat. Unplanned, but perfectly timed to prolong his agony. And that agony may work to my advantage. Even without my threat, Clavis wouldn’t laugh off finding Ivetta with Gilbert. With it, very fresh in his mind, he may be upset enough to inflict actual physical harm on Gilbert. Which I wouldn’t mind at all.
It wasn’t long before Clavis and Silvio reached the gazebo, and Ivetta stepped out alone into the sunlight. Stepped out, not ran out. So, she wasn’t so frightened as to lose control. That was good, but it wasn’t enough. I wanted her here, away from that madman. And, when Clavis took her arm and led her away from the gazebo, I hoped that would be the end of it. But he stopped just around a bend in the path.
What was he playing at?
My hand went to my sword hilt automatically. I’d spared Clavis’ life many times since we were children, but he insisted on continuing to push me as far as he could. He was reaching my limit.
Leon was in the gardens now, heading for the gazebo with long, purposeful strides, but my focus was on Clavis and Ivetta. Silvio followed them, and Clavis threw his arm around her shoulders and took her back to stand right outside the gazebo. Gilbert was still in there. Silvio was right behind them. A precarious situation for her, surrounded by those three, but Leon was within sight of the group.
No more games. She’d be fine now.
I headed for the main door, my arms crossed over my chest as I waited for her. After I saw to her, I had multiple brothers to discipline, including Clavis. Again.
Noisy pest.
She finally came through the door, her green eyes immediately filling with relief when she saw me.
“Sorry, Prince Chevalier. Prince Gilbert found me and asked for a tour,” she explained sheepishly.
As if any of this was her fault. She had a bad habit of taking responsibility for matters that were beyond her control.
“I saw,” I said shortly. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Prince Leon rescued me.” She sighed. “At least Prince Clavis apologized for last night.”
Fortunately for Clavis, her words would spare him another unpleasant encounter with me. Although all thoughts of my brothers and the foreign princes were rapidly fading with her standing in front of me. I turned and led her back to my private library, closing the door behind us.
“Silvio was late to breakfast,” I said, as if I really had time for a conversation with her.
“He had a hangover,” she replied. “I brought him some tea, and then he wanted to talk for a while. You didn’t tell me he was such a brat.”
I smirked, leaning back against the door. Maybe she was simply too tired to bother with formalities, but I enjoyed the added level of familiarity. I decided a few more minutes wouldn’t hurt anything.
“He is, isn’t he?”
“He didn’t really give me any trouble, though. Other than trying to bribe me into serving him exclusively.”
“So I heard,” I replied irritably. The brat had good taste.
“You don’t have to worry about it,” she said, giving me a reassuring smile. “I told him off.”
I smirked again, wishing I’d been there to see that. “I’m sure. What about Gilbert?”
She sighed again, heavily. “He’s really interested in my background for some reason. It’s almost like…” She paused, struggling to find the right words. “Like he thinks I’m a threat to him,” she finally said, looking up at me.
I frowned down at her, silent for a moment. What possible reason could he have for thinking such a thing? If anything, I should be concerned that she was a threat to me. She was my biggest weakness, unbeknownst to her, but fully known to my biggest enemy.
“What, exactly, did he want to know?” I asked quietly.
“What country my mother came from, if she’d ever talked about my father, that sort of thing.” She hesitated. “He said I reminded him of someone, and then he asked the color of Mother’s eyes. I don’t think he’ll go after her, but it seems like he may have known her.”
Something about Ivetta’s background, then. The part she didn’t know. The part that I didn’t know.
“Are you going to ask her about him?”
Ivetta shook her head quickly. “She’s really bad. I don’t think…I don’t think it will be long now.” She looked away quickly, but not before I saw the pain in her green eyes.
The time no longer mattered. I stepped toward her and pulled her into my arms, and she leaned in with no hesitation. Strange that this woman, who was used to force and fear, saw me, the Brutal Beast, as her source of safety and protection. Strange that I not only wanted to give her that, but so much more.
After the gala, I reminded myself. A few more days. Unless her mother died first…
“When the time comes, I want you to take care of yourself,” I said quietly. “I can do without you for a few days. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Prince Chevalier,” she murmured, resting her head on my chest.
No, she didn’t. Not really. I didn’t even want to let her leave my arms right now, let alone imagine the prospect of going without seeing her for a few days.
“I can’t stay,” I said quietly, tightening my arms around her. “But I’ll be back at five o’clock to walk you to the carriage.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she said, wrapping her arms around my waist.
“Yes, I do,” I said firmly, trying to ignore the jolt her embrace sent through me. “I don’t like the level of interest Gilbert has taken in you.”
“Me, neither,” she agreed softly.
I leaned in to smell her hair, that plain, simple, strangely erotic scent of soap, and I realized her eyes were closed.
“You’re falling asleep,” I murmured, a smile tugging at my lips.
“I’m sorry. I’m just so tired.”
She really had to be exhausted to admit that.
“You have two choices. Take a nap in my room, or go home now.”
She stiffened and jumped backwards, her green eyes suddenly wide with shock, her cheeks bright red. I hadn’t meant anything untoward, until I saw that reaction. Imagining the feel of her warm cheeks under my fingers sent my heart racing.
“Then I think I’d better go home, your highness,” she stammered nervously.
I chuckled at her sudden embarrassment, reining in my thoughts before they wandered too far. She was so sensitive to teasing. Especially mine, I noted with satisfaction.
“I thought as much,” I lied, having thought nothing of the kind when I’d given her the choices. “Come.”
She followed me to the front gate and boarded the carriage without protest, unable to meet my eyes. I tried to restrain myself from further teasing, but she flushed again as I closed the door, and I couldn’t resist a little more. I stepped up into the carriage and leaned in to whisper in her ear: “If you continue blushing this way, your mother is going to suspect something.”
She sucked in her breath, and when I stepped back out of the carriage, her green eyes were wide, and her entire face was bright red.
“The carriage will pick you up in the morning,” I said in my usual cool tone, still smirking. “Goodbye.”
She visibly swallowed, her voice faint when she responded. “Goodbye, Prince Chevalier.”
I closed the door, chuckling. The carriage began to move, and she leaned back against the seat and put her hands over her rosy cheeks. I turned back to the palace. The guards at the door, a pair of my knights, looked quickly away. I strode past them, on the way back to my office. They knew better than to contribute to Clavis’ rumor mill.
Nokto was fortunate to be in my office when I arrived.
“King Highness, you’re smiling,” he said, his crimson eyes wide with shock.
“What do you have?” I asked, brushing past him to my seat behind the desk.
“Flandre sent a message to Gilbert,” he said, recovering his composure and dropping a note in front of me. “Courtesy of his dear sister, who dropped it in my room last night.” He chuckled, settling into a seat by the wall and leaning back against it casually, interlacing his hands behind his head and stretching his long legs in front of him. “Seems our Baron has been talking to Gilbert about a possible deal.”
I scanned the few lines. “The purge at Flandre’s doorstep was apparently insufficient warning.”
“Apparently,” Nokto agreed. “He’d rather accept Gilbert’s dubious promise of safety for his family than run the risk of fighting Obsidian - even at the expense of offering his barony and his country up on a silver platter to enemy invasion.”
“He beats his women,” I said coolly, handing the note back to Nokto. “The man has no concern for his family, or anybody else. He is a fool and a coward.”
Nokto scowled. “And, on that note, I will admit to being a fool last night, but I am not a coward. I apologized to Ivetta this morning for my inexcusable behavior.”
I smirked. “And I am willing to overlook your offense, on one condition.”
Nokto winced, very much like Clavis less than an hour ago.
I opened a drawer, removing a folder and dropping it on the desk. “You will attend to this.”
Nokto reluctantly stood and walked over to the desk, picking up the folder and flipping through its contents. He looked back up at me, his crimson eyes narrowed.
“You wouldn’t rather stab me?”
I chuckled. “Go.”
He closed the folder and turned to the door. “Well, I guess it’s not so bad. She forgave me, you know.”
“She would.”
If she could forgive me, she could certainly forgive Nokto. I’d continue to let her handle the forgiveness while I handled the punishment.
Jin and Yves were next.
I went next door to Leon’s office, and I was pleased to find Jin there alone.
“Chevalier,” Jin said unenthusiastically. “Come to kill me, I expect.”
I glanced around the unusually spotless office. “Not yet.”
“Phew, guess it’s a good thing Theresa was just here. Nowhere for you to hide the body,” Jin quipped as I walked in and shut the door.
“What were you thinking?” I asked quietly.
He shrugged. “Honestly, not much except she’s hot and I didn’t want Clavis and Nokto having all the fun. Is she okay?”
“Yes.” I leaned back against the door, crossing my arms over my chest. “And I have the perfect punishment for you.”
There was that wince.
I chuckled. “The Benitoite princess needs an escort for her tour of Rhodolite tomorrow.”
“No, Chevalier-” Jin protested, his burgundy eyes widening in panic.
“And you have volunteered,” I interrupted, smirking.
He dropped into a chair and put his head in his hands. “You really know how to hurt a guy.”
I turned to go. “Oh, and she doesn’t care for alcohol.”
The groan of despair echoing behind me was quite satisfying.
Yves was in his favorite kitchen, as I expected, but he was humming as he baked. Not stress baking, then. Not entirely, anyway. I pulled myself up onto the counter next to the door and waited until he turned around. His deep blue eyes widened with surprise, and he nearly dropped the dish in his toweled hands.
“Chevalier! If my soufflé falls because of you, I’ll never forgive you!” he exclaimed.
“If Ivetta had been hurt by Gilbert last night, I would never have forgiven you,” I replied, hopping down from the counter and walking toward him. “Chocolate, I see.”
He scowled at me and set the chocolate soufflé on the counter. “Have you ever tried to keep up with her when she’s working? She was practically a blur. I didn’t know she even ran into Gilbert.”
I chuckled. His description was believable.
“She slapped him.”
Yves laughed. “Good. Maybe thinking of that will keep me from killing him when I’m giving him a tour of Rhodolite.” He groaned. “Tomorrow. We leave first thing in the morning. I’m going to put on ten pounds before the night is through.”
“Then you don’t need a punishment, Yves,” I said, turning to go.
He gasped. “What?”
I chuckled. “That is your name, isn’t it?”
He was still speechless when I left.25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXeLaq6t4EA
