I was taken aback. “Why do you believe she’s responsible?” I asked.
She blinked at my question but, to her credit, didn’t break her professional demeanor. “She was alone in the room with the victim when it happened. There are no other suspects. She is the only one who could have done it. According to the kitchen staff, she was with the victim for more than an hour, and the page was perfectly healthy before then.”
“Did she explain why she was here?”
“She claims she was summoned to the palace by the victim. That a letter arrived at the apothecary, asking for urgent assistance.”
“Did she produce the letter?”
“According to the suspect, she left it behind in her haste.”
I shook my head atsuspect. “Althea had no reason to do this. And even if she did, why here, in such a public way? She could have done it some other time and been long gone.”
“Maybe that was part of her ruse. To make it appear so obvious that she wasn’t covering up, to confuse an investigation.”
“Maybe. It’s always possible,” I conceded. I didn’t have any concrete evidence, of course, but I just didn’t think Althea was responsible. Much the same way Nix just didn’t believe Lucas had anything to do with my father’s death.
“Regardless, Your Highness, I think the best course of action is to put the entire palace into lockdown immediately. I’ve already notified all stations.”
“If that’s what you think is best,” I told her. She was the security expert. Privately, though, I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of being locked inside with a possible assassin on the loose.
“And if you’re correct and Althea is not the culprit, all themore reason to institute a lockdown. The perpetrator could be anywhere.”
I nodded. She was right about that.
“I’ll escort you to your room personally, then,” she said.
Admittedly, I was relieved to leave that gory scene. As we headed out the door, another guard stepped alongside us with Lucas in tow. “So, are you being escorted to a ‘safe room,’ too?” I asked him as we walked.
“A bit flippant under the circumstances, no?” he replied.
He was insufferable. “If I took everything in my life too seriously, I wouldn’t be able to cope.”
“Being a princess isquitedemanding,” he muttered.
“For your information, Sir Lucas,” I hissed back at him, trying to keep my voice low so the guards ahead of us wouldn’t hear, “my life has been anything but regal, and I didn’t ask for any of this, nor did I particularly want it.”
He had the nerve to roll his eyes.
“Well, lucky for you, I’ll be locked up in my chambers until the killer is captured, so you won’t have to deal with me,” I told him. I looked around. “Where’s Nix?”
“I don’t know. I assume she went home while you were talking to the commander.”
I hoped Nix wasn’t too shaken by the scene and was able to get home safely. I’d have to ask her about why she was so afraid of encantos from Jade Mountain. We didn’t get many foreigners from other realms—a few Avalonians here and there once in a while, or someone lost on the way to El Dorado.
“Here we are,” the guard commander announced. I was so busy shooting daggers out of my eyes at Lucas that I nearly ran into theguard when he stopped in front of me. We were standing in front of one of the guest suites.
“I guess this is you,” I told Lucas.
The commander opened the doors and walked inside. Lucas and the guard followed. I was being left alone in the hall. The guard noticed I wasn’t with them and turned around. “Your Highness,” he said, indicating I should go with them. I wasn’t sure why I needed to be present for this, but I went along anyway.
It was one of the nicer suites, with a spacious sitting room but no balcony, making it harder to get in or out. A solid choice, I thought. After all, there was still a possibility that Lucas was the one behind all this, or at least had something to do with it.
“Hope this will suffice,” the commander said to me.
“I’m sure he’ll be very comfortable here,” I said, looking at Lucas. I couldn’t help but rejoice a tiny bit over his unfortunate circumstances.
The commander looked at me, confused. “And you as well, of course.”
