“I–It’s just–” I took a sharper breath. He was so fit. “It’s just that it would really help me to have a companion here, I mean, an advisor, I suppose, and-” I waited for an answer. “And you seem…very knowledgable.”
He said, “I have to go. Good day, Your Highn-” but a clatter of scrapingclingsmanifested beside us, severing the farewell in half.
My knight broke through the last defense of townsfolk between us. He was out of breath, yet happy.Stillsmiling.
“Your Highness,” he said. “I almost lost you there.”
“Ser Willoughby,” I said. I served my palm to introduce the other. “This is Lord–”
After quite the pause, the man said, “Evergreen,” hastily. “My name is Evergreen.”
“Evergreen,” I said. The name was terribly fitting and made me giggle to recall his comment on my height. “Like the pine.”
Willoughby offered a polite nod. “Ser Willoughby, at your service, sir.” Neither man cared much for the other. “Are you hurt?” he asked.
“Of course not. And thanks to my new fri–”
“I must leave,” Lord Evergreen said.
“Oh,” I nodded. “Yes. Of course. It was–”
“Yes,” he said. He bowed, and then he departed before I could even finish my sentence. In fact, Lord Evergreen vanished into the crowd so quickly that I wasn’t sure in which direction he had dissipated. “He’s in a hurry,” I explained to Ser Willoughby.
He watched the crowd a second longer. “Do you have your coin?”
“My coin?” I patted my purse. “Yes, why?”
“Just a question.”
“You think Lord Evergreen wasa thief?”I asked.“Thatman?”
“Yes,” he said.
“No. No, he dresses far too clamorously to be missed. What a poor thief he would make. No, based upon his absolute desire to withhold his name and house, I think the problem is that he hates my father.”
“I see. Then he is a fool, Your Highness,” he replied.
“Is he, though?”I asked. “I don’t know; I thought he was sort of… charming.”
Willoughby’s face soured. “That guy? ...Respectfully, no,” he said.
“No? You– Oh! No! Good lord, Ser Willoughby! No! No, I meant, like, as a person!” I still blushed. “Charming asa lord.A friendly sort of lord. Honestly, Ser. Lords can be and should be charming to be lords. Do you not– Ugh. Don’t humiliate yourself by accusing me of such….”
“My mistake, Your Highness. We should head back,” he said.
“Yes. Immediately. Please!”
By the time Ser Willoughby and I had found our way back to the carriage, Elías was tapping his foot impatiently next to my very concerned maid.
“Ten minutes,” he uttered.“Thatwas the deal. I nearly came after you.”
“Relax, we’re on time,” I said.
“Jocelyn?” Elías commanded.
She wrung her hands. “...Miss Svana, we were late before. With this, we are set to be over an hour into the midday, which will no doubt interrupt the social structure of the Palace.” She displayed a letter from her pocket. “I’m afraid it won’t go unnoticed.”
“What are you saying?” I asked.
