“Members of the other courts should go, too, for diplomacy. It’s a sign of respect. The bigger the trip, the more serious you seem. It proves that you really care. And you need the full support of the kingdom to have any leverage, MJ.”
I let out a huff. This was just getting worse and worse. I chewed on the inside of my cheek and glared at Elias, but he only gave me a single raised eyebrow, as if to say,Be nice.
I took a deep, measured breath and glanced at Nix, whose cheeks had turned a bright red upon seeing Amador. The promise of a relaxing trip was crumbling down. But it was too late now. Amador was here. Not even a minute had gone by before she was already annoying me.
“Don’t tell me we’ll have to ridehorsesall the way there.” Amador scoffed, scowling at the dirt trail that would lead the way through the mountain.
Something horrible rose up my throat, a vicious and biting anger that made my blood boil, but I swallowed it down and forced myself to take a breath. I would not give in to this ugliness inside me, even if it tried to claw its way out and tore me apart in doing so. Those iron shackles Romulo gave me had better work.“You can ride in the calesa,” I said. Anything to make sure she was as far away from me as possible. “Or you can be dragged behind it. Your call.”
Amador’s eyes darted to Nix, still standing in the doorway of the covered calesa. Of course she would want to be in a comfortable carriage for such a long trip. I shouldn’t have subjected Nix to that kind of torture, being with Amador for a whole day, but surprisingly, Nix didn’t put up a fight.
Nix blinked, the color deepening on her cheeks, as she and Amador stared at each other. Finally, Nix mumbled, “She can ride with me if she wants. Or whatever.” She ducked inside. She must be so angry with me for offering it to Amador, but I’d make it up to her somehow.
Amador let out a haughtyhuhand inspected me with a pinched expression. “That will be acceptable, I suppose.”
She instructed her valets to arrange a mountain’s worth of luggage into the back of the calesa, and I was relieved to walk away from her.
Nearby, I found Lucas adjusting the stirrups on my saddle for me. He didn’t look at me while he worked, but I got the sense that he was forcing himself not to do so. His gaze was flat, like he wasn’t seeing anything at all.
“I can do it,” I told him.
“I know you can.” His hands kept moving the straps through the golden loops.
“So let me.”
“I’m making sure it’s secure.” His jaw muscles were as tight as his shoulders.
“It’s secure.”
“I’m just doing my job.”
“I will tell you when I need help,” I said coldly.
Finally, Lucas’s gold-flecked eyes met mine briefly before he held up his hands in surrender. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
A part of me wanted him to fight with me, to argue for a little while longer. I ached for a reason to talk with him, even if it hurt, and instead, he had given up so easily. Somehow that hurt even more.
I adjusted my stirrups while Lucas tended to his own, and we worked back-to-back in silence, readying ourselves for the journey. I could feel him behind me the whole time, and his presence burned like a bonfire. I was drawn to his heat, always aware of where he was and how close he stood to me. I had hoped this trip would be a way I could be rid of him, but of course I couldn’t escape Lucas. He was my head of security, after all—my loyal datu, above all else.
I noticed he cinched his weapons into holsters on the horse’s saddle, and my breath hitched. I knew it was a precaution, to protect me. But would he kill a monster even if the monster was his queen?
He noticed where my attention was, and our eyes met once more before I hauled myself onto my horse and took off without him.
We were nothing more than a sovereign and a knight. What we’d had couldn’t interfere with our respective duties. There was too much at stake now. Nix relied on me; my kingdom relied on me.
At the front, Qian was waiting for me, hunched casually atophis gelding, his arms crossed lazily on his saddle horn. “I didn’t expect you would ride with us,” he said.
“Then I’m full of surprises.” I meant to sound flippant, but my words didn’t have any heat behind them. I realized it was because I actually meant it. Having been raised in the human world, I wasn’t going to act like any other queen he had ever encountered.
Seemingly impressed, Qian smiled, and together, we led the way down the trail. Lucas and General Heng rode behind us, and the rest followed after, with Nix and Amador taking up the rear.
It was going to be a long day’s ride, and the whole time, I could feel Lucas’s eyes on me. I never looked back.
10
The greathousewas nestled near the summit of Mount Makiling, tucked away inside the verdant green jungle of the Paulanan Mountains. The path there was narrow and overgrown, curtained in vines and orchids, and the wildlife didn’t seem frightened by us moving through the trees. Macaques and great colorful cuckoos watched us from branches overhead, curious about where we were going. Bugs buzzed and frogs croaked from invisible spots in the dense jungle, which made the mountain feel alive as we made our way two by two.
After a few hours, when we turned down one of the narrow ledges spiraling its way up the mountainside, we got our first glimpse of the manor. It jutted out from the treetops, like a large salakot, on the highest peak. A waterfall cascaded below it, curtaining the summit in a white mist that billowed in the wind, making it appear as if the manor were floating on a cloud.
