Is this what the prince wanted? Or who she thought he’d want? Beauty aside, he’d picked her for a reason, and she’d traveled all this way, being unable to keep any familiar comforts or personnel.
I flicked a final piece of ash from the end of her braid, and my hand lingered on her arm a beat too long, keeping her in the hallway. No, I had a job to do. Get in and get out. I didn’t need to be a pawn in someone else’s game. The magic thumped inside my head again, and I ushered her inside.
Prince Bellinor rose from his seat and gestured for her to sit beside him. He wore a grave-black velvet suit, with a matching waistcoat and bowtie. There were so many hidden layers to his clothing, he looked like one of the holes in the wall, where spying eyes could emerge at any moment. Chestnut brown hair and matching irises completed the perfect image. I tried my best to hate him, to paint him with the brush of thousands of crimes, but his smile at Lilyanna was so genuine, I couldn’t.
He even had dimples, for Goddess’s sake.
My stomach growled as my eyes roamed over the laden table in front of them. An entire suckling pig was skewered in the center, its crisped skin dripping with fat as the aroma of sweet pork melted into my pores. Oh, Goddess, what I would do to sit at that table and stuff my face right now.
I backed against the wall, slotting in beside a burning sconce and one of the prince’s guards. It looked like the first time Lilyanna and the prince had met in person. They kept the conversation neutral, discussing the weather and local trade, but there was an edge of flirtation in the lingering glances and the way the prince offered to pour her wine. He could have snapped his fingers, had me or another servant come and refill her glass, but he did it himself.
Lilyanna fumbled with her napkin, her attention dropping to her lap. In the pause of conversation, the prince glanced over at me with a coy smile that made my stomach drop. Oh my, was he beautiful and that was such a wicked, wicked glint in his eye.
If his ladies of the court were being murdered or ousted, perhaps there were other factors at play? A jealous woman? A hateful guard? Maybe the same person had arranged his bounty purely for revenge when their plan to have him arrested or dethroned for the murders failed. I mean, Goddess above, if he smiled at anyone else like he’d just done to me, I’d completely understand.
I shoved the thought away. I wasn’t supposed to care. It didn’t make a difference in what I had to do. Get in, get out. How many times did I need to repeat that until it stuck?
To remind me of my duty, the magic thrummed to life in my veins. My nails stretched, trying to elongate from my fisted hands. It knew the target was close.
I took a deep breath, willing my body to behave and filled my nose with the mouth-watering scent of the feast. My stomach grumbled once more.
“When do we eat?” I hissed at the guard standing next to me.
Prince Bellinor had two personal guards, both handpicked and both understood to be completely loyal. In other words, deadly.
“Who are you?”
“Miss Lilyanna’s humble servant.” I bobbed a subtle, and obviously insincere, curtsey.
His black eyes took the liberty of roaming up and down my body in response. Dark stubble peppered his chin and cheeks. My face warmed as I imagined it scratching my neck as his mouth meandered down my body the same way his eyes were.
What was wrong with me? Perhaps Siobhan had cursed me at our last meeting.
My hand fell to my hip, and I angled my body toward him. “I know, I too am most surprised by my prowess. But you know...” I waited for him to supply his name.
“Clement.” His attention returned to the dinner in front.
“Clement, I have many other talents as well.”
He choked, earning himself a glare from the other guard standing on his left. She pressed against the wall, her bodyweight tipped back upon it, but her hand remained glued to the hilt of the saber at her waist.
Prince Bellinor rose and strode round to the other side of the table, his polished boots echoing on the stone floor. Clement’s attention snapped back to him, and my muscles locked as the prince passed Lilyanna. He plucked a bottle of wine from a diamond-studded bucket. Ice clinked against the glass and droplets of condensation slid down the slides, sparkling in the flickering candlelight. Silence descended upon the dining room as he filled her glass with blood-red wine, each glug of liquid echoing up to the domed ceiling.
Clement cleared his throat again, fixing his gaze upon the prince who returned to his seat. “Don’t try that on anyone else or they’ll cut your head off. Distracting a guard is a crime.”
“Well, you shouldn’t be so easily distracted.”
He tsked, and I turned my attention back to the table with a sigh of relief. Lilyanna looked happy sitting there, barely nibbling at that mouth-wateringly delicious feast. No trace of the doubt or fear like she’d shown in the bathroom lingered on her radiant face. She’d probably just been nervous. Her hair looked quite good as well. If she were a pony at the fayre, she’d win first prize for that braid.
I leaned around Clement to speak to the other guard. “And who are you?”
“Bryn,” she said, without bothering to look at me.
Knowing when I certainly wasn’t wanted, and which of the two was marginally more accommodating to my presence, I focused back on Clement. “So, we’re probably going to be spending quite a lot of time together, and you're now my only friend here. We should get to know each other better.”
His cheek twitched as he bit the inside of his mouth. “You have no friends here. You should leave.”
“Can’t.” I forced my voice to be light, but the whisper rose in pitch. “Bound to my duty, I’m afraid. As you are, my friend.”
