“I’ll see you in the morning, okay?” she said, a bit more gently. I heard the door shut behind her.
Chapter 4
Lance
I stared at the chessboard in front of me.
I’d been purposely trying to give white the advantage and yet black was about to corner the king. My eyes wandered to the glass of whisky on the table next to the chessboard. Perhaps it wasn’t the wisest idea to be drinking while playing chess with myself.
Oh well.
Leaning back in my chair, I intertwined my fingers, inspecting the board and possible moves for white. I could always take the bishop with the white knight but that would leave the queen exposed.
The door to the library suddenly opened and I nearly jumped in my seat at the interruption. I was about to scold whatever servant didn’t knock before entering rooms when, to my surprise, Lady Gwen came into view.
Her eyes immediately landed on me and the chessboard, and I watched her cheeks flush as her expression settled into slight discomfort. “Oh,” she said, as if surprised to find me in my own home. “My apologies for intruding.”
“There’s no need to apologise.” I took a sip from my drink, the liquid burning all the way down my throat. Maybe I should have had breakfast before this and then perhaps everything would be clearer. “Are you looking for something, Lady Gwen?”
She didn’t move from her position at the door. “I was looking for His Majesty, actually. Have you seen him?”
“I believe Cai is still confined to his rooms.” Whatever the hell that was supposed to mean. At least that was the excuse Elara had been giving, but I could see the worry behind her eyes every time it was mentioned.
“Oh.”
“How long have you known Cai?” I tilted my head, swirling the ice in my glass.
“My whole life,” Gwen replied, brows furrowed as if I’d just asked the most idiotic question in the world.
“So why on earth do you refer to him as ‘His Majesty’?” I knew she was just trying to be respectful, but I couldn’t help myself from seeing if I could press her buttons.
“Because he is my king.” There was a tone of distaste in her voice.
“Well, thanks to your brother, we’re playing fast and loose with the termking.”
My response must have sparked something inside her because she stepped into the room and swung the door shut behind her, still keeping a considerable distance between us.
“Just because Cai isn’t currently sitting on his throne in Norrandale, doesn’t mean he’s not my king.” She wouldn’t take the bait. How unfortunate.
“You’re very loyal,” I said, and while it was intended as a partial compliment, Gwen looked as if I’d just insulted her.
“Why wouldn’t I be? Cai is like a brother to me.”
“Family can be tough sometimes, especially brothers.” I never did like Thatcher much. Was even relatively happy to see him go back to Norrandale, obviously without knowing what his intentions were. I mean,Icould be a prick, and though I couldn’t exactly put my finger on it, something about him just ticked me off.
“Well, Her Majesty would know.” She crossed her arms, her eyes daring a response out of me.
“Elara would know what?”
“What it’s like to have a brother with no regard for others.”
Though I was surprised by her blunt words, I forced my expression to stay neutral — perhaps even a little amused.Gwen’s lips pressed together, as if she too realised how inappropriate her comment was to someone of a much higher station than herself. For someone so eager to use titles, she certainly didn’t seem interested in using mine.
Gwen had changed in the years since I last saw her when Father and I had gone to visit Norrandale. We’d only met once but her face wasn’t the sort you were likely to forget. Gone were the traces of girlhood. Gone was the shyness and blushing cheeks. The young lady who stood before me might as well have been a stranger. Her light hair fell in slight curls over her shoulders. My eyes travelled to her collarbone that peeked out from the neckline of her dress and then back to her eyes, caught somewhere between the shades of blue and green.
“My, my, Lady Gwen. You’ve certainly grown bold since I’ve last seen you.”
“Would you prefer false flattery?” Few people made a habit of speaking their minds to me. Which was probably a wise thing in most cases. I didn’t appreciate being made to look foolish. But there was something refreshing about her honesty. She didn’t want anything from me. In fact, her expression appeared as though she’d rather be anywhere else in the world than talking to me in the library.
