Xi looked from Kentario, to Maro, then to Emica, perhaps to see if there was a sympathetic ear in the room, or someone who might fall for her innocent, wide-eyed expression.
Then, when it was clear that no help would be forthcoming, she said four words that made Kentario’s heart sing.
“I want a lawyer.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Ryu sat on the sofa in Oris’s living room, sipping a cup of tea as he watched the morning news report. Oris was sitting beside him, and from the dark circles under his eyes, it seemed the diplomat had got little sleep last night. He’d been up early, making a rudimentary breakfast, before they’d both migrated here, to see what the latest news from the palace was.
“It’s been a tense night here at the palace,” the reporter was saying, “with no further announcements regarding exactly how the attack was carried out. But this morning, the question on everyone’s lips is where on earth is Prince Ryu? There has been no sign of him anywhere inside the palace, and there is increasing concern among the citizens gathered outside the gate that the young prince may have been killed in the attack. The palace has neither confirmed nor denied the rumours, but it’s that very failure to make an announcement that has people wondering about the future of the Galandanish monarchy. The process of deciding on a new successor would be a complicated one, with King Sou’s brother, Prince Admos, the next in line to the throne. However, since it’s widely agreed among the nobility that Prince Admos is not fit for the role of king, there are fears a bitter feud could begin between the late king’s nieces and nephews, as they each vie for control of the throne. There are fervent hopes in the crowd this morning that Prince Ryu will indeed return, as the future stability of the Kingdom of Galandeen currently sits on very rocky ground.”
The shrill jangle of Oris’s phone ringing made both of them jump, and Oris grabbed the thing off the coffee table. “It’s Kentario,” he said, before answering the call, and Ryu felt his heart rate kick up a notch; not just because he was hoping for news on the attack, but because after a day apart from his bodyguard, he was desperate to know he was still safe.
“Uh huh,” Oris said into the phone, Kentario no doubt giving him a brief rundown of the situation, and then he muttered a heartfelt, “Praise Selene,” which gave Ryu hope that they’d finally made some progress. Then, he simply handed the phone to Ryu. “He wants to talk to you.”
Ryu all but snatched the phone out of Oris’s hand. “Hey,” he said, feeling suddenly breathless. “What’s going on?”
“Are you okay?” Kentario asked first, ignoring the question.
“I’m fine,” Ryu told him. “Oris is an absolute angel. It’s all fine at this end. What’s going on there?”
“We know how the raiders got into the palace,” Kentario said. “We’ve arrested a couple of people, and there are two kitchen staff in particular who have been charged with treason.”
“What about Maro?”
“As far as I can tell, he’s in the clear. As far as being charged with treason, at least. He’s made a small mountain of mistakes, and one of the Guard has been arrested as well. I’ll fill you in on the details later, but here’s the thing… I need you to come back to the palace. Everyone’s starting to lose their shit without knowing if you’re dead or alive, and there’s a lot of decisions we’re going to need you to make. I know it’s a hell of a lot of weight to be dumping on your shoulders,” he said apologetically, “but…”
“I know, I know. I’m the king, now,” Ryu said, suddenly feeling like he was trying to wade through thick toffee. “Well, you know, not officially, but that’s the way it’s going to end up.”
“I’m sorry,” Kentario said, and Ryu could imagine the expression on his face. His brow would be furrowed with deep lines. His eyes would have pinched creases at the corners. His lips would be…
With an effort, Ryu pulled himself together. “Sure, okay. I’ll come down.” But just as he said the words, his gaze once more landed on the television screen, the hoards of civilians crowded around the palace gates, the lines of police trying to maintain order, and the flock of journalists trying to prise information out of anyone who would stand still long enough. “There’s just one thing. To get into the palace, I’d have to get through that mob outside the gate.” Every other entrance to the palace would be sealed off for the moment, Maro not taking any risks whatsoever until Ryu was safely back home and the last of the criminals in police custody. “I can’t deal with that right now. I’m just… I’m still just trying to hold things together just for me. I can’t deal with…everything.”
He felt at once immensely tired and hopelessly foolish for admitting his fears. He was going to have to deal with the deaths of a dozen or more members of palace staff, the funeral for his parents, his own coronation, and Maro no doubt asking a thousand questions about what had happened in the past forty-eight hours, and the biggest worry he could come up with was that he didn’t want to deal with a bunch of journalists?
But an instant later, his fears all vanished, floating away in a puff of smoke as Kentario’s strong, confident voice came down the line at him. “Ryu, you are going to be asuperbking. You’re strong, you’re wise, you’re compassionate, and you will have the support of every noble in the kingdom behind you. You do not have to do this alone.”
“Yeah, okay,” Ryu said weakly. “Yeah. Sounds good.”
“And as far as getting inside goes, just ask Oris for a couple of ideas. He’s good that way. If there’s any way to bypass the raving hoards, he’ll find it.”
Automatically, Ryu glanced up at Oris. He was still sitting there, calm and collected, spry wisdom shining from his eyes, an encouraging half-smile on his lips. “Yeah,” Ryu agreed, more confidently this time. “You’ve got that bit right.”
“Oh, and one more thing,” Kentario added, just before he ended the call. “I know now’s probably not a great time, but I couldn’t stand the idea of you rubbing it in my face if you thought I’d forgotten. So… happy birthday.”
He hung up before Ryu could come up with a decent retort, so he settled for swearing at the phone, as he handed it back to Oris.
“What did he say?” the older man asked, though the gist of the conversation would have been apparent from Ryu’s half of it.
Ryu couldn’t help but smile, knowing that Kentario had only said that last bit to distract him from the rest. “He was just calling to wish me happy birthday,” he told Oris, to which the diplomat laughed.
“That’s right. It’s today. Well, I wish it were under better circumstances, but yes, happy birthday.”
“He also says we need to get back inside the palace,” Ryu went on, his tone losing all hints of humour. “But to do that, we need to get around the angry mob.” He nodded at the television, the screen displaying a crowd of upwards of two thousand people. “And he said you’d probably have some good ideas on how to do that.”
“Hmm… security’s going to be tight,” Oris mused, his expression turning thoughtful. “The main gate is the only real option, but… yes, I think there’s a way we could get you past the crowd. We’ll need to make a few preparations, and you’ll have to change back into your own clothes.. but yes, I think it could work.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
