“There are more than thirty staff who work in the kitchens,” Kentario pointed out. “How are we going to get them all here?”
“The entire Azrahn police force is at your service,” Maro said. “Maybe it’s escaped your attention, but with your father dead – Odin keep his soul – and until or unless Ryu returns, you now have control of the whole of the Royal Guard, the Azrahn police force and the entire Galandanish military. Whatever you ask, they will provide.”
In all the confusion, that detail had indeed slipped Kentario’s notice. It explained a lot, however, not least of all Maro’s odd deference to him throughout the day. But what he’d said was true; as the king’s bodyguard, albeit that Ryu had yet to be crowned, Kentario was now able to overrule even Maro’s authority on any issue of national security.
Oddly, the knowledge brought no satisfaction.
“I’m going to speak to the police,” he said, feeling a sudden wave of exhaustion as a whole new weight settled on his shoulders. “And then I’m going to take a walk. I need some air.”
◊◊◊
Half an hour later, a fleet of police cars had been sent out to round up the stray kitchen staff, and there was little more progress to be made until they started pouring in. But that didn’t mean Kentario had nothing to do. Out in the palace gardens, he found a secluded spot away from the lingering guards and the paramedics still clearing away the last of the bodies. The police had been going over the scene all day, and with the number of people killed, it had taken them until now to get everything cleaned up.
Glancing around to make sure he was alone, he pulled out his phone. Though they didn’t have a clear answer yet, the current indication was that Maro wasn’t to blame – not directly, at least – and if he didn’t check in with Ryu soon, the kid was going to be panicking. If he wasn’t already, of course.
In truth, Kentario was absolutely desperate to get back to Ryu. As much as he trusted Oris, he’d never feel completely settled for as long as he had to keep delegating the prince’s safety to someone else. He pulled up Oris’s number and pressed call. Oris answered on the first ring.
“We’re still working on it,” Kentario reported shortly, not wanting to risk being interrupted or overheard. “Sit tight.”
“Understood,” Oris replied.
And then, because he couldn’t quite resist, Kentario asked, “How’s everything going there?”
“No change,” Oris said, mindful of the possibility of anyone listening in on the conversation. “Continue as planned, and keep me up to date.”Me, notus. Damn, Oris was good. He’d said not a single word that could be misconstrued by a third party.
“Will do.” Kentario hung up. He took a deep breath, tilting his head back to look up at the stars. Why would the Goddess allow this to happen? Why would she pour so many blessings out on this country, and receive such adoration from its people, and then curse them with such devastation? And most of all, why would she put two people in each other’s paths, to fall in love, to be so damn perfect for each other, when there was zero chance of them ever being allowed to share that love publicly? Because Kentario knew that for all Ryu’s naïve promises, the public were going to have a fit if they found out their prince had committed himself to someone other than his soulmate.
Sadly, no answers were forthcoming from the clear night’s sky.
Kentario turned and headed back to the main courtyard where Maro was waiting for the police to bring in the staff. For all that he was completely exhausted, the night was far from over.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“Ryu? Dinner’s nearly ready.” Oris’s voice drifted up the stairs, filling Ryu with an odd sort of dread. He was in the bedroom, staring in the mirror after taking a shower and trying to come to terms with the monumental mistake he’d just made.
Kentario’s going to kill me, he thought blackly. It had started innocently enough. Oris had offered to wash his clothes and to loan him a spare set while they dried. Ryu had still been wearing the set he’d fled the palace in, now both muddy and sweaty, after a night of running and a day of sitting around in those same clothes.
So, of course, he’d eagerly agreed to having them cleaned.
And Oris, with every good intention, had left a replacement set of clothes in his room while he’d showered. He’d warned Ryu that the t-shirt and shorts would probably be too big, but given that they weren’t planning on leaving the house, the poor fashion statement shouldn’t cause any problems.
And Ryu had agreed. Until he’d put on the t-shirt, taken one look in the mirror, and damn near had a heart attack.
Unlike his sweater, with its high neck and thick collar, the t-shirt hung low against his collarbone, leaving the newly reddened bite mark at the base of his neck sorely exposed.
He could try covering it up, he supposed, but there was no make-up in the bathroom cabinet – the fact that he’d actually checked was a sign of his own desperation – and the only likely item of clothing in the closet was a scarf. Wearing it to cover the mark would look just as odd as leaving it exposed and do nothing to maintain the secret.
So he was left with two choices; hide in the bedroom for the rest of the evening, or go downstairs and face the music. And given that he’d been feeling perfectly fine not half an hour ago, suddenly pleading a headache orsome other phantom illness would only make Oris suspicious. He was a rather observant sort of man, after all, and lame excuses were not going to wash.
“Ryu?” Oris called again, and Ryu winced, knowing he was out of options. But Kentario had insisted that Oris was trustworthy, so maybe, just maybe, his bodyguard wouldn’t betoopissed off that their secret was about to be let out?
“Coming,” Ryu called back, taking one last look in the mirror. Maybe he should just go down there and hold his head high. There were going to be plenty of objections to his marrying Kentario further down the track, so perhaps this was just good practice for facing the flood of questions that would come once he was back at the palace?
Either way, he didn’t have a lot of choice.
Downstairs, Oris was stirring something in a saucepan, his back to Ryu as he came into the kitchen. “I’ve made rice and dumplings with plum sauce. I hope that’s okay.”
“It’s great,” Ryu said, taking a seat at the table.
