“He said his birth was questioned,” I said.
Elías made a face.
“What?” I asked. “What purpose would he have?”
He said, “Ask him. Privately. Not with Ser Willoughby present or anyone else. Which may sound counterintuitive, as I don’t want you alone, but I know better. Besides, he might choose to revise his answer the next time you ask, should you eliminate the audience.”
That stumped me. “Why would someonelieabout his service? A soldier is an honorable role.”
Elías gave me alookand I took a strained,irritatedmental leap in an attempt to guess its point.
“You’ve been incredibly unhelpful, Ser.”
He nodded. “It’s honest work.”
My feet dangled off the bed. They were swollen inside my shoes and difficult to slip off—the result of rambling through the Capitol andrunningafter.
The adrenaline had worn away, and left my body shaking and tired. Even the act of holding onto my sole was enough to elicit a yawn. I glanced up as Josie entered the suite. She flew to my side and knelt by the bed.
“Miss Svana!” she begged, panicked. “Heavens, are you alright? Daniel told me you wereconfronted!”
I made a silly comment about the hour.
“Were you very scared?” she asked.
“I was,” I said, but then, I narrowed my brows in realization. “Actually, no. I wasn’t. I wasn’t scared at all.How strange.”
“At all?” She sat next to me. “Then you are remarkably brave, Your Highness. I would have been petrified.”
“Yes… I should have been.” I stood and for whatever reason, immediately twirled a distance deeper into the chamber. I caught my balance at the desk.
“Miss?” she asked.
Outside, I watched Cyrus close the barn and start down the path that led him off the grounds.
“I’mnotbrave, Miss Jocelyn. Not really. Once, I found a centipede in my room and I slept in the dining hall the next night. Butheis brave.”
“The centipede…?”
“Mr. Evergreen,” I breathed, watching him shrink against the horizon. “And I… I am brave with him.”
“Oh, I see,” she said. “I’m very happy he was there.”
“As am I,”I said.
The flame of my melody was quickly doused, remembering what Ser Elías had said about the War.
“Josie?”
“Yes, Miss?”
“Say, hypothetically, Ser Willoughby lied to you about something. Something important. Would you forgive him?” I asked.
“Daniel wouldn't lie to me,” she said.
I sighed. “But if hedid?”
“Well. Whatsortof lie?” she asked. “How important?”
