Today, though, there was nothing going on for him to pay too much attention to; a car crash on one of the motorways, a fire in a factory on the west side of the city, and some celebrity who’d been caught cheating on his wife.
There were fifteen minutes to go until Ryu’s exam was over, and Kentario glanced over at the handful of other guards sitting nearby, looking equally as bored as they waited for the clock to count down. The school had an excellent reputation and was a popular place for noble families to send their children, which meant that the more prestigious students often had bodyguards assigned to them, just as Ryu did.
The school hall itself was guarded by two of the school’s security guards, suitable protection a necessary requirement when there were so many high profile students here. Roughly half the school’s population were descended from some branch of nobility or other, while most of the rest were the children of wealthy business owners or celebrities.
But a moment later, Kentario’s boredom vanished, replaced by a burst of alarm. The entrance door to the foyer was thrust open, and Captain Landis came striding in, accompanied by three of the Guard. Kentario leapt to his feet, stashing his phone in his pocket.
“Maro? What’s going on?”
Maro glanced at the other security staff in the room, then pulled Kentario over to a quiet corner. “Intelligence caught wind of a plot against Ryu’s life. We’re here to take him back to the palace.”
Kentario’s heart doubled its pace. “What threat? Why didn’t you call me? I could have had him out of here in minutes!” At the very least, he would have waited beside his charge inside the hall until a car arrived.
“I’ll fill you in back at the palace. Don’t worry, my guards and I will see to his safety from here. I need you to head out to the side gate. There’s a car waiting to take you home.”
Kentario ignored the dismissive statement. He followed Maro into the hall, immediately finding Ryu sitting amongst the rows of students. The prince looked up at him with a confused frown, but since he didn’t actually know any details about the threat, there wasn’t much Kentario could do until Maro had finished speaking to the supervising teacher at the front of the room. What he really wanted to be doing was demanding to know who had threatened Ryu and why the hell Maro hadn’t called to alert him earlier, but in front of a hundred students was certainly not the place for that sort of conversation. Nor would it be at all professional to be seen publicly arguing with the Captain of the Royal Guard.
With a nod from the teacher, Maro marched quickly down the row to Ryu’s seat, Kentario gritting his teeth at the knowledge that he was doing little more than tagging along like a lost puppy.
“Ryu, we need to leave,” Maro told his charge quietly, doing his best not to disturb the rest of the students. “Hand in your paper and get your things.”
Ryu knew what a security alert looked like, and he didn’t ask questions or make any protest. He simply gathered up his papers and stood up, following them both back to the front of the room. There were only ten minutes left on the exam, and hopefully that minor loss of time wouldn’t have a significant impact on his results. But as he followed him down the aisle, Kentario could easily pick up on Ryu’s slightly sour scent, a clear sign that he was feeling anxious about the interruption.
Outside, Kentario quickly scanned the surrounding buildings for any sign of a threat, then turned back to Maro. “What the hell is going on? Who threatened him? What do they want?”
“You are officially off duty,” Maro said. “Go back to the palace and wait for us there. That’s an order,” he added, when Kentario didn’t move.
“I am not leaving Ryu’s side.”
“You can either get out of my way or I can have you arrested,” Maro said. “West exit. Now. Your Highness, we’re leaving by the back gate. Intelligence picked up on a plan to kidnap you.”
“I am not leaving,” Kentario said again… and then paused when one of the burly guards who’d come with Maro put a firm hand on his shoulder.
Maro looked him in the eye. “There are exactly two people in the palace who have the right to overrule me, and you are not one of them.” It was true. When it came to matters of security, King Sou issued directives to Maro, and Danag, as the king’s personal bodyguard, held the authority to disregard Maro’s orders if he felt the king’s life was in danger. Kentario held no such authority, for all that he was assigned to protect the life of the crown prince.
“I am his bodyguard,” Kentario said, trying one last time, feeling baffled and offended, and though he’d love to deny it, he also felt a cold thrill offear at the idea that Ryu might be harmed. “My job is to protect him with my life.”
“And in this case, I am simply the better man for the job.” Not waiting for any further argument, Maro took Ryu by the arm and led him away, leaving Kentario gaping after them.
Goddess alive, what the hell was he supposed to do now? He could go after them, but there were two good reasons not to; one was that the guard who’d been ordered to escort him away looked like he was perfectly willing to make good on that threat to arrest him, and the second was that whatever this threat was, if Kentario interfered with Maro’s plans to get the prince to safety, he could well be putting Ryu’s life in danger far more than he would be by simply letting the Captain do his job.
But at the same time, it felt like a gaping black hole had just opened up in his chest, and he found himself utterly unable to get his feet to move, as Ryu disappeared around the far corner of the building.
“Mister Amagarda?” the guard prompted him, and it took all of Kentario’s considerable self control to not punch the man in the face. He was only doing his job, after all. “There’s a car waiting for us.”
“What the hell is this threat against Ryu?” Kentario demanded, still not moving.
“I’m afraid I don’t know the details, sir,” the guard said, and Kentario immediately knew it was a lie. Maro wouldn’t have brought a man with him who hadn’t been briefed on the situation. But it also meant the guard had been ordered not to talk, and that meant Kentario may as well have been trying to get blood from a stone. “We need to leave.”
Out of options, Kentario finally deigned to follow him to the far gate, vowing to get answers from Maro the instant he got back to the palace.
CHAPTER FOUR
When the car arrived back at the palace, Kentario was out of the vehicle before it had even stopped moving, and he marched directly to the guards’ station at the main gate. “Where’s Maro?” he snapped at the woman at the window.
She looked startled for a moment, both at his sharp demand and his snarling face, but as a well-trained soldier, she recovered quickly. “I’m sorry, sir, but he hasn’t arrived back yet.”
“Where’s King Sou?”
