My heart thudded as I looked at the staircase. There must have been fifty steps separating us, with a shallow wall twirling around each one.
I’m glad I wore sturdier shoes than I chose last night.
With a nod to my guide, I started up the steps. The higher I got, the better the view of the sunset became. Though I had never been one to admire the sun or the scenery, this was different.
This place was different.
Neither Midgrave nor Scarlata saw sunsets like this. Hells, we were lucky if we saw the sun for a week straight.
Though my thighs burned from the climb, the sensation was easy to ignore. I was too distracted by the beauty ahead of me to feel the ache.
“Goddess above,” I mumbled.
A soft chuckle caught me off guard.
“It’s impressive, isn’t it?” Cornelius stood to my left, a bouquet of red flowers clasped in his hand. His skin gleamed in the evening light, his smile glowing just as much.
My stomach dropped.
Get it together, Rummy. You’re here to do a job. He might be attractive, but he’s just a man.
Just a damn man.
With really nice shoulders.
“Impressive?” I laughed. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.” The stairs had led me to a small tower that overlooked the kingdom. It was clear from this high that the castle sat on top of a hill, the rest of the domain surrounding the walls of the castle cascading downward from here.
But up here, I could not see the poverty. I could not see the starving children or the sickness or the famine.
I saw only beauty. Clusters of buildings, fields of green, streets of stone.
And Cornelius ruled it all.
When he didn’t respond, I turned, finding him watching me with an amused look on his face. “You are a stunning creature, Rummy. You fascinate me.”
The heat that flooded my cheeks did so without my permission. “You are too kind.”
He held out the red flowers. “For you. Roses. They’re rare around here, but for you, I insisted on the most beautiful flowers from the garden.”
The garden had been impressive enough, but these? Roses, he called them. “They’re perfect. Thank you.”
That was all I could come up with. This was… this was all too much.
I could only play the part of an unaffected badass for so long.
“Let’s sit. I’ve had dinner prepared.” He led me to a small circular iron table with two chairs that overlooked the sun-bathed kingdom. “I hope you enjoy seafood. We’ve brought in today’s fresh catch.”
My stomach rumbled as he pulled my chair out. “You really know how to charm a woman, you know that?”
With a soft smile, he slid into his own seat. “I wasn’t lying when I said that you fascinate me. I’m interested in learning more about your life, about you.”
I set the roses on the table, trading them for the large glass of wine. “Trust me, I’m not that interesting.”
Cornelius angled closer, his forearms resting on the table. “Impossible.”
I took a sip of the dark red wine, savoring the flavor. He clearly had no idea who he was talking to, but if he thought I was someone worth spending his valuable time with, who was I to argue? If I was showered with compliments while I worked for information, I wouldn’t complain.
“I hope everything was okay earlier,” I said, changing the subject. “It seemed important. King drama?”
