I cut her off, mortified. “No one is in trouble,” I manifested.“We’re just late for dinner. Lucas, you’re coming with, because I’m not done questioning you.” There was no reason he couldn’t just take off, so I added, “It’s not optional. If you don’t comply, I’m sending the Royal Guard to arrest you for attempted regicide!” He needed to understand I wasn’t playing around.
Nix shifted uncomfortably. “Um, Princess—”
I shot her a look that silenced her immediately.
Lucas folded his arms across his chest. “Attempted regicide? What in the great blue sky are you talking about?”
“Spying on the Court of Sirena and being at the palace without permission,” I snapped.
He stepped toward me. I fell back. “For your information,” he said, jaw clenched and face red, “I’ve always had permission to be here—from your father, in fact. But I guess you don’t know that, since you don’t know anything at all about Biringan except that you want to rule it.”
“Both of you, please!” Nix was desperate now. “Enough! We have to go!” She pleaded with Lucas, “Just come with us.”
“Fine,” he said. He pulled his boots on and shrugged on his coat. “I wouldn’t want Her Royal Highness to sic her goons on me.”
The three of us walked the rest of the way to the palace, Lucas in front so I could keep my eye on him. All the way I battled with worrying about what he was up to and whether I was about to lose all my freedom on top of it.
***
As we walkedthrough the gate and up the path to the palace, we saw there were people swarming everywhere: guards, staff, and a crowd of onlookers. The front doors were wide open, which wasnever the case once the sun went down. Whatever was happening seemed like a lot more than Jinky discovering that I was missing for dinner.
“What’s going on?” I asked out loud, even though I knew neither Nix nor Lucas could answer.
Both of them were silent. Suddenly, Lucas held his arm out to block me.
“What are you doing?” I asked, indignant.
“Wait,” he said. “We don’t know what this is about.”
“I’m about to be queen,” I said. “I have every right to—”
“Shhh.”Lucas held his finger to his lips.
“How dare—” But I didn’t get to finish.
“Stay here,” Lucas said, darting off back into the woods. As much as I didn’t like him telling me what to do, I had to admit to myself that he was right. I had no idea what I was walking into.
“Did he just use that as an excuse to take off?” I asked Nix.
“I don’t think so,” she said. “I kind of believe him.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t think he’s lying to us. I think he did just want to swim. And I think he meant his apology.”
“Nix.” I closed my eyes and rubbed my face with my hands. “I saw him in my father’s chamber. Then I caught him outside my door. He might not be lying about wanting a swim, and maybe he feels bad about insulting me at the council meeting, but I’m pretty sure he hasn’t told us the truth about why he’s always around here. Unless you think I’m the one who’s lying?”
“No, of course not. I believe that you saw him there. But I don’t think he was doing anything to hurt you.”
“Then what was he doing?”
She shrugged. She wrapped her arms around herself and shifted her feet. “I don’t know. I thought he sounded sincere. Like, really surprised you accused him of trying to kill you. I mean, when you think about it, why would he want to do that? It seems a little far-fetched, don’t you think? He is a knight, after all, and made his vows. All I know is, I’ve been going to school with him for a year, and, yeah, he’s way too into himself, and his girlfriend is a stuck-up brat, but...”
“But I’m not a killer,” Lucas said.
Both Nix and I jumped about a mile into the air. “You scared me!” she shouted. I didn’t say anything, but my heart was racing. I wondered how much he’d heard.
“And by the way, Amador’s not my girlfriend. She just wants everyone to think she is,” he added.
