Terena ignored him and placed a hand atop the cloth covered box she held under her right arm. “Wonderful. I think he’ll be pleased with our visit.”
“Indeed,” Danilos murmured, his greedy eyes narrowed on the box she cradled. He gestured with a grand sweep of his too-thin arm and Terena preceded him into a cavernous hall where courtiers mingled, occasionally sending them dismissive glances that had Croak blowing kisses at them around his middle finger.
They didn’t have any time to look at the castle, which was a shame—this was the first time they’d been inside. They weaved their way through the idle nobles, which wasn’t difficult as three of the duke’s personal guard showed up to escort them into a receiving room.
As the large gilded doors opened, Croak glimpsed the duke, the young royal strutting forward with a stupid grin on his face to greet them.
Or rather, to greet Terena. Croak was pretty sure the duke hadn’t noticed his presence.
He wore a long velvet jacket in yellow with a dark blue sash across his chest and a silk shirt beneath, the long lace cuffs peeking through the sleeves of the jacket. The Aurorans favored short silk or satin breeches ending at the knee with silk stockings and ornate shoes with more jewels on them than the emperor’s crown. Even after being conquered, they refused the fashion of the Heylisian Empire.
He stopped in front of Terena and held out his arms.
“The gorgeous tracker returns triumphant!” Duke Aurora remarked as he rubbed his hands together. He dropped kisses on either side of Terena’s face, then lifted a dark blond eyebrow at her and added, “She does, doesn’t she?”
“She does indeed,” Terena said with a smirk. She made to hand thebox to Danilos, who had snuck up to the duke’s side, but Aurora swatted at the man’s hands and took the box himself.
He let the cloth covering the box fall onto the floor without a care; the steward dropped swiftly to pick it up as Aurora ran a hand reverently over the gold, his dark eyes round as saucers.
No one spoke as the duke turned and strode toward a large mahogany table near the back windows, papers and maps strewn atop ignored when he placed the box down gently.
He made to lift the lid but paused and said, “Are you certain?—”
Before he could finish, Terena stepped to his side and said in a low voice, “Not only am I certain, but when you see the shroud, you’ll know.”
Croak rolled his eyes at the duke’s barely contained excitement. His hands trembled as he reached for the lid, lifting it back slowly. His mouth fell open, and he put a hand to cover it, shooting a look at Terena before he reached inside and lifted the cloth as delicately as if he handled the emperor’s balls.
The room was silent while everyone beheld the cloth—ordinary, if you asked him—but Croak knew these idiots would never say so. Duke Aurora let it unfold as he held it aloft, his dark blue eyes sparkling when he saw what Terena had meant. The shroud had a barely visible outline—a face or something. Croak couldn’t tell, nor did he care to.
With a snap of his fingers, Duke Aurora summoned one of his lackeys to clear a space on the table. The duke laid the shroud across the cleared space and ran his long fingers over it, closing his eyes.
“I can feel its power,” he muttered, his blond head tipped back.
Croak sniggered.
Terena jabbed an elbow into his side. He snapped his head to her, surprised she was even there. When had she moved?
“I apologize I don’t have a formal letter of authenticity drawn up yet, Your Grace,” Terena said, idling closer to the royal as she clasped her hands behind her back. “We came straight here upon finding the shroud in the ruins at Agraboda. But I’m happy to sign it if your steward will do the honor of creating the document.”
Danilos practically went boneless as he bowed and scrapped his willingness to do so. Duke Aurora nodded dumbly, still transfixed by the shroud.
“Wonderful,” Danilos simpered. “I shall get it completed momentarily. In the meantime, might I suggest refreshments for Mistress Luca in the solarium while she waits? They are being laid out as we speak.”
Again, the dismissive nod from Duke Aurora and Terena thanked the steward, turning back to Croak and gesturing with her head. He fell into step beside her and tossed over his shoulder, “The Mistress’s brother also appreciates your hospitality, Your Grace.” He shot a look at the steward. “Looking forward to those refreshments, Danny.”
Terena followeda servant down the large hallway to the solarium. She’d never been to Castle Surraine before, having only been in Aurora a handful of times and only seeing the duke and his steward when they visited the duke’s sister or the emperor in Metilai.
Marveling at the decadent beauty, Terena openly gawked. She glanced back, a smile lifting a corner of her mouth at her brother’s gaping face, his eyes huge while his head swiveled.
Aurora had only been under the empire’s rule for the last ten years, so many of the trappings of the once-independent kingdom were everywhere, from the extravagant decor to how the servants treated the duke. Henri du Surraine, the second Duke Aurora, inherited the title after his father died from injuries sustained during the Battle of Coloin, a failed rebellion to take back his throne and kingdom from Emperor Solon.
“Not to sound… completely gauche,” Croak said to the servant’s back, “but what does it cost to clean this place?”
Terena grinned.
Ahead of them, a group of men rounded the corner, and Terena’s grin faded. She narrowed her eyes at them as she slowed. One of the duke’s guard was escorting a tall, broad-shouldered man—a warrior—so out of place amongst the foppish courtiers around them. Terena told herself that’s why she was staring at him.
It wasn’t at all to do with the graceful way he moved or the way others turned their heads to look at him as he strode past.
