I keep my mouth shut. This is a trap.
“Can you tell me exactly why this man is here?” Caiden gives me a look that’s pure warning. There’s danger simmering in his expression. “He says he was traveling with you and got separated. But why would he be alone, on horseback, with all the supplies he needed while you were already safely in my castle?”
My heart races and I struggle to come up with a response that won’t implicate me. I turn to the man behind bars as if he’ll give me an answer. He’s watching me, as if waiting for me to take the lead.
“Go ahead, Sabina. You can tell me,” Caiden coaxes with a gentleness I know he’s not actually capable of. His brow is slightly furrowed as if he’s concerned. The way he changes tactics so quickly is masterful.
I look up at the prince, then back at the man. His face is just as blank as the prince’s. But it’s not cold. It’s just observant. Patient.
“I’m actually not sure who he is.” I take a step closer, removing my hand from Caiden’s elbow. “You say we’ve met?”
“I’ve known you since you were a child, Princess,” he says.
“There are a lot of people who have known me since I was a child,” I say. “I was surrounded by people constantly. That doesn’t mean I know them.”
“How very interesting,” Caiden says. “One of you is lying. The question is, which one?”
“I’m telling you the truth. I am an ambassador sent with the princess. We were attacked and got separated. I thought she was dead.”
I might kill this man myself if he keeps talking. “If that were true, it would mean you failed at your job. And that you continued to travel around Pendralia looking for a dead woman.”
“I had to know if you were alive or not,” he says. “Just tell him I’m not a spy so I can return to your father. He’ll want to know you made it safely.”
“I don’t remember you,” I say, sticking to my story.
“Don’t you think my bride would have told me if she’d been attacked?” Caiden places a possessive hand on my lower back, then looks at me.
“I was never attacked. I don’t know what he wants with me,” I’m careful to keep my expression neutral. Detached. The same way Caiden looks at most people.
“She’s telling the truth,” Brevan says.
I start, forgetting he was behind me.
“How very interesting,” Caiden lowers his hand from my back and moves closer to the bars. “It seems we have a spy in our midst.”
“No! I am not a spy. I came with the princess. I was sent with the treaty. Look in my bags. You’ll find it there.”
“I didn’t see any sort of treaty in your bags,” Caiden says. “Though, I did find it odd that Princess Sabina didn’t bring it with her as her father promised.”
“That’s because he had me carry it. It’s in my things,” he insists. “Go look, you’ll find it.”
“You didn’t see a treaty in those bags, did you?” Caiden asks Brevan.
The enforcer shakes his head. “I did find a relic.”
“It was a gift!” The man grabs the bars, each word from his lips coming out with more desperation. “An offering from her father, the king. For you, for your betrothal.”
My heart aches. My denial has condemned him, but if not him, it would be me.
“He also seems to believe what he’s saying,” Brevan says. “One of them is a very good liar.”
“Are you calling my bride-to-be a liar?” Caiden asks.
“Of course not, Your Highness.”
“Because lying to me would be very, very bad.” Caiden glances over at me.
“I wish I could help,” I say, looking at Caiden, but aiming my words at the man. Though, I don’t think feeling guilty clears my soul in any way. I’m still damning him to save myself.
