He pulled his hand away and stepped back, shaking his head. “Was there a reason you were at my door?”
Right.
“I need to send for a few things from the Royal Alchemists’ Academy. I have research there that I believe will help me identify the rot. It’s familiar to me, but I haven’t been able to place it. It’s imperative.”
He frowned. “And the one who would be overseeing that would be Palladia?”
“Yes, this would mean sending a letter addressing her.” Hellebore also wanted an excuse to write her aunt since she’d never actually gotten to say goodbye, and maybe when her things were sent, she’d receive a response explaining a few things. “I have no intention of saying what I want my research for. I have been studying rot and decay for a long time. There should be nothing suspicious about it.”
Taiyo scoffed and started pacing, but the color still hadn’t returned to his face. He didn’t look perfectly steady on his feet. Since the medicine had been out, he probably still had that migraine.
He seemed to be weighing it though, instead of dismissing it out of hand. Maybe he was semi-intelligent. He went to all the trouble of getting her to do this, so he’d better listen to her when she told him what she needed.
“It would be only your research, correct? Nothing of your aunt’s? No other books?”
Paranoia was not a good look for him. If the secret didn’t have to do with the painkiller, then it was obviously about whatever had happened that had caused him and her aunt to hate each other.
“That was my intention. I can make it clear that’s all I expect.”
Taiyo nodded. “Alright. Send for it.”
Hellebore said, “I’ll have my letter first thing in the morning for you to approve.”
She then started to turn for the door when a hand caught hers. She looked back at Taiyo.
“I’m sorry.”
“What?”
Taiyo dropped her hand, pulling his back to rest at his side. “That you can’t write without my approval. It’s a horrifically invasive thing.”
“It is, but you’re not the one who would destroy any letter I might send without your seal. Was it your idea or my father’s?”
Taiyo immediately lowered his gaze.
Oh. She took a deep breath. “Well… What’s done is done. Logically, I understand the reasoning. You’d never even laid eyes on me. You didn’t know if you could trust me. Frankly, given what I heard, you still don’t. Having you read my letters is a measure of trust, that you know I’m not trying to run off.”
Taiyo’s head snapped up. “That doesn’t make it right.”
“So? You’ve proven you have no qualms doing whatever it takes to save your kingdom. Now you’re worried about being righteous?”
“I…” Taiyo took a step toward her. “I’ve had a lot of qualms about this whole affair.”
“And it’s far too late for them now. You’ve made your decisions. Now we all live with them.”
“I—” Taiyo cut himself off. His voice came out softer. “Do you want to write to someone else? Your brother, perhaps?”
Hellebore had been doing an excellent job not missing Callahan or wallowing in the truth of what her brother really thought of her as an alchemist. Focusing on her work and dealing with her strange elf husband were perfect distractions. If only one of those distractions wasn’t trying to now push her toward the very subject she wanted nothing to do with anymore.
At her stony silence, Taiyo stepped forward, voice picking up speed. “I won’t read it, if that’s what you’re afraid of. I’ll sign the page before you write and give you my seal.”
“It’s just my communication with my aunt you want to monitor, then.” She gave him a split second to object, and he stayed silent. “Well, your offer is appreciated, but unnecessary. I have nothing to say to my brother.”
“And what if he had something to say to you?”
“Considering how long I’ve been here and haven’t seen a single letter from him apologizing or attempting to explain himself, I doubt that.”
Taiyo reached for her hand again. “Hellebore—”
