“Um. That’s … all I really know.”
The corner of his mouth lifted as he scoffed. “Truly?Thatis what you think of us?”
“You are all mysterious.” She shifted in her seat; she wasn’t even sure why she was sitting here with him, conversing like it was normal. And she had no idea why they were even talking about the Peccata. He knew more than she did on the matter. “That’s all I really know.”
“You must know more than that, princess.”
She knew that he liked to glare at her. That he was skilled with a blade. That he was a murderer. That he had no qualms about torturing, hurting, skinning someone alive. She knew that his body was more muscular when pressed against hers, and that he was surprisingly gentle when he held her, that his ruthless grin made something flutter in the pit of her belly—and it wasn’t entirely from fear.
Biyu blinked at the last line of thought. What the hell was she thinking?
“That’s all I know,” she said, a bit more forcefully than before.
“We share a special bond with His Majesty and a few of his generals,” he said. “He saved us in Sanguis and raised us. Asa result, we all have an unwavering loyalty toward him. It also means we are granted special privileges. I am given power in this palace, in the empire, because I serve directly beneath him. If I wish to kill all your guards, I can do so. Though, His Majesty will likely not be pleased, he will only punish me lightly if he decides I went too far. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”
That he had power because His Majesty …raisedhim?
His Majesty wasn’t old enough to have raised anyone. But … but Nikator wouldn’t lie about something like this, would he? It was true that he and the rest of the Peccata were loyal to Drakkon Muyang.
“What did he save you from?” she asked hesitantly.
A hard look entered his eyes. “That’s none of your concern. The fact of the matter is that I have power here, and I think you’re planning something.”
“I’m not?—”
“Deny it all you want; I know to trust my suspicions.”
Biyu couldn’t help but frown at him, and then glare. He was right on the nose that she was planning something, but she didn’t understand him in the least bit. “If you truly have power, and you suspect me of something malicious, then why not toss me in a dungeon and let me rot there so I can’t do anything? Why go through all of this? Why murder three men who were planning on assaulting me? Why bring me in this room and … and …” She waved to the food in front of them. “Whyfeedme? I don’t understand why you won’t just get rid of me if you think I’ve done something! You clearly have the power to do so and His Majesty will believe your word over mine. Sowhy?”
“Because I need to know for certain.”
“That doesn’t even make sense! You’re not supposed to care whether or not you’re making a mistake and persecuting the wrong person! If someone poses a threat, aseriousthreat, thenyou need to take them out.You know that. So I’ll ask again—why go through all of this trouble? What do you want from me?”
Her chest seized painfully and she continued to glare at him, hoping to find answers that would quell the confusion swirling in her belly. He was a trained killer. An assassin. A ruthless warrior. A spy. A perfect tool for the wicked emperor. So why? It didn’t make sense; what did he want from her? Why would he go through all of this if he suspected her?
Nikator blinked slowly. “Are you planning something?”
“No, I’m not!”
“Then you should be grateful that I’m being generous enough to give you a chance,” he said. “You should be happy that I wish to be thorough in my investigation. Unless you would prefer for me to toss you in the dungeons to rot?”
Biyu released a frustrated breath. “Of course I don’t want that! Who, in their right mind, would want to be thrown in the dungeons and be executed? But I’m sure you don’t actually want to do that, either, because then you wouldn’t have gone through all the trouble to … to do all of this.” She picked at the end of her sleeve, though there was no loose thread to pull and fiddle with, so she only thumbed the embroidered design on the edge. “You … you confuse me.”
The last thing she expected from him was the amused expression on his face, and that only further infuriated her, so she stared at her feet instead. She didn’t want to snap at him and make him change his methods; what if he decided itwasthe best option to toss her in the dungeons? She kept her mouth shut on the matter; maybe it was better to be quiet. She didn’t understand why he was doing all of this, but it was likely for the best.
“Are you done eating?” he asked.
She bobbed her head. Truthfully, she could have tasted a few more of the delicious entrées, but she was full, and she didn’twant to amuse him further by eating more than her fill. It had been a long time since she’d been given such a spread; normally, her meals came on a tray with a set amount of food. When she went to feasts or celebrations, she couldn’t stomach any of the meals, so this was the first time she had comfortably eaten so much variety. Which was … surprising, considering it was withhim, of all people.
“Are you sure? You look like you could eat more.”
She shot him a glare. “What is that supposed to mean?”
He pushed one of the plates holding a stack of pan-fried sticky rice cakes with the center darkened with the red bean paste filling.
She licked her lips. “What … what are you doing.”
“You’ve been eyeing it for a while.”
