I stood by what I’d told Ramsey. Prince James was a very weird person in some ways. But if the last week had shown me anything, he was sincere and knew how to get things done. I’d put up with a lot more than weirdness for his mindset. Ourcountry was on a very downward spiral. I could only hope he was the fresh wind of change we needed.
Somehow, I’d have to grow immune to his charm and beauty, though. He was a prince and my boss, so flirting back was out of the question. Perhaps after he’d driven me into the ground with work, I’d be less attracted to him.
One could hope, anyway.
Eight
James
I had apparently come on too strong with Edwin, because he’d put a very subtle but firm distance between us the rest of yesterday. Dammit, I’d been too enthusiastic having him back and had found it very, very hard to be hands-off with him.
Likely the peppermints had been too much. I hadn’t been able to stop my impulse for caring about him, but in retrospect, I shouldn’t have given the mints to him. Current me had no reason to know about his stomach issues, after all. Since then, Edwin had made sure to keep two feet between us at all times, which was just hurtful. He hid behind formality too, wouldn’t even crack a smile when I tried to joke with him.
It made me moody as hell.
Sleeping poorly the night before didn’t help my mood any, either.
Today, at least, he was safe from my well-intentioned flirting. We were on the road toward the demon portal. We’d left just after daybreak, as it was a good four-day trek north to Berengar. Nowadays, a small town nearby had become something of atourist spot for anyone passing through the area, and they used the money from the tourists coming to see the portal to support the town.
If we were truly in a hurry, we’d have taken a ship—it would be far faster—but I wanted to inspect the roads going up here as well. If memory served, they were dreadful, and I needed the excuse of having traveled them myself in order to fix them.
It was a beautiful spring day, warm without being sticky, lazy white clouds in the sky. I’d chosen to ride horseback rather than travel by carriage because I’d always felt carriages to be too confining. I only chose them if the weather was perfectly foul, as who wanted to ride in a snowstorm? Not I.
I nudged my stallion to fall more into step with Captain Rowan. This particular stallion was a loan from the palace stables. My horse soulmate, Titan, wasn’t due to show up for another couple of years, sadly.
“Captain,” I said, putting on my interested face. “Tell me more about my knights. Who’s married? Who has children or elderly parents to care for?”
I already knew all of this, of course, but I had to ask in order to “know” it again. Sometimes it exhausted me, having to remember what I shouldn’t know yet. Plus, I had serious regrets from my previous life. I had befriended my knights and secretaries but hadn’t truly gotten to know them. I’d naively thought I would have time, but I’d lost almost half my knights in the first forays of the war, and their deaths still haunted me.
Time and people were precious. I would not take them for granted a second time.
“Most of the knights are single,” Captain Rowan replied. “Only Osbourne is married, and he doesn’t have kids yet. Why do you ask?”
“I try not to keep people past their working hours unless there’s a dire emergency,” I explained easily, “but if anyone haskids or elderly parents to take care of, I always send those people home first. It’s a ripple effect otherwise for them and hardly fair. I’ve got my secretarial staff more or less figured out, but I had to ask about the knights.”
Captain Rowan gave me the exact same face this time as he had the first time I’d asked him this. Like he couldn’t believe his ears. “You’re accommodatingourschedules?”
I wagged a finger. “People do not quit jobs, Captain. They quit bad bosses. I watched my uncle, who was a horrible boss and couldn’t keep staff on hand for more than three months, and learned from his mistakes.”
“Huh. Well, this was an enlightening talk.” Captain Rowan eyed me for another second before blurting out, “Lanslet, Remfrey, and Abel are all from the northern territory. I know you want to assign some of the knights to guard the demon portal. If you assign those three, they’ll embrace the task. They want to be near their families.”
Now that I had not known. Then again, I hadn’t posted sentries around the portal in my first life, so this topic had never come up before. “I was going to ask for volunteers…and send them after I got back to the palace. But if you’re sure of this?”
“I heard them wistfully talking about volunteering, but they weren’t sure how you’d take it, as we only just started guarding you last week.”
“Ha, I suppose it could be taken the wrong way.” I could see both sides, but if these three wanted to stay and guard a portal so they could go home to their families every night, I would be all for it. “I’ll ask them once we stop for lunch.”
Captain Rowan intensely studied me again, his brown eyes narrowed on my face like he was doing some high-level math. “Your Highness, do you mind if I ask you an impertinent question?”
“I adore the rude questions. Shoot.”
“What do you actually want?”
I want you to not die this time, Captain Rowan. I want to see you actually live to retirement. I want the teamwork of my knights to be so tight, so well formed, that I don’t lose any of you this time. I don’t know if my heart can take it, burying you once more.
I shook off the melancholy and kept my tone light as I answered aloud, “You’re asking because I don’t act like royalty.” I nodded, agreeing with my own assessment. “What I need you all to understand is, I’m not. Royalty, I mean. Sure, I bear the name, but I wasn’t raised to be royal. I don’t agree with how the reigning family treats others, and I won’t conform to their expectations of behavior. As for what I want, it’s quite simple. There’re people in this country I love dearly, and I cannot protect them unless I’m in a higher position of power. I took the title of prince to safeguard those precious to me. Frank enough, Captain Rowan?”
He finally relaxed some, his mouth teasing up into an almost smile. “Yes, Your Highness. Frank enough for me. Is setting up extra precautions around the demon portal one of your methods of protecting those people?”
