“I’ve come to give Lady Lilyanna and yourself a tour of the castle. I heard there was some trouble finding the dining chamber last night?” the prince said.
That must have been what they were laughing about at dinner. “Yes, the layout is a little confusing.”
“The castle knows where you need to go. Sometimes when I find myself quite lost in an unexplored section, I just ask the walls for guidance and a passageway simply opens up before me, squirreling me back to the start.”
Was he messing with me? Clement had been adamant I’d been seeing things, but the prince was now insinuating the castle was magical? Surely that went against every law in the queendom. I wanted to call him on it but also didn’t want to offend him at the same time. This was not a problem I usually had.
“That’s useful,” I said. Goddess strike me down, what was wrong with me?
He gave a noncommittal reply, and Clement widened his eyes, subtly shaking his head. I ignored him.
“I’ll go and get Lady Lilyanna ready.” I dashed inside without knocking and shut the door. I pressed myself up against it, nothing holding me there but confusion.
“Where did you go? It doesn’t take that long to find tea.” Lilyanna paced the floor, leaving a large gap between herself and the hearth every time she passed.
“I got lost. Again. But the prince found me, he’s outside and wants you to join him.” I tugged on the neck of my sweater, still hot and flustered. He was unnervingly handsome up close.
“You were alone with the prince?” She stopped circling.
“Well, not alone. The guards were there, obviously. Although there would be nothing wrong with that surely. It’s not like I sought him out while your back was turned.”
She pursed her lips.
“Well, you’re dressed, so shall we go?” I waved at a half dozen discarded boxes scattered over the floor. Hats, furs, shoes, all manner of finery pawed through and left. I didn’t know what she was looking for, but it’d fall to me to tidy it all up later.
She huffed. “It’s Lady Lilyanna. You need to address me properly when we’re in company.”
I groaned, not bothering to hide my eye roll.
She twirled to face the door, her skirts buffeting my legs and pointedly waited. I groaned again, stepped around her and opened the door. I was halfway into a mock curtsey when I remembered who was standing on the other side.
The prince raised his brows, lips quirking as I stood to the side, and he reached for Lilyanna’s hand.
“You look beautiful as ever.” He kissed her hand gently and then wrapped it around his arm. “I hope you’ve found something amongst the gifts I left to please you.”
“Of course. I’m happy with everything you’ve chosen.”
I shook my head, knowing he had to have seen the mess in the room she left behind. I would’ve been happy with even one of the silken wraps or cashmere lined gloves. At least he was trying to make her feel comfortable.
They fell into step down the corridor with Clement and Bryn slotted in behind them. Without enough space between their bodies, I was forced to trudge along behind.
If only I could take the prince’s arm as well. How easy it would be to stumble and dig my extended nails through the sleeve of his jacket. Maybe I would enjoy walking beside him first though. It wouldn’t hurt to take at least one lap around the castle. It wasn’t every day that I was allowed this close to royalty, even if he didn’t act like it.
Lost in thought, I tripped over my own feet and almost crashed into Clement’s back. He gave me his now familiar irked expression and continued walking.
“I hope your maid is working out for you,” the prince said to Lilyanna. “She was highly recommended. Royal postings, tenured service, it really was quite an impressive list of credentials.”
Lilyanna didn’t answer right away. My body clenched. I needed to do a better job of distancing myself from her. She was already suspicious that I’d spent a second of time alone with the prince without her knowledge, despite my protestations it was an accident. If she didn’t see me as a friend, she wouldn’t see me as a threat. Although that idea was ridiculous. I needed to start weaving some lies about these fabricated credentials in case Lilyanna questioned me later when deciding whether to have me fired for her misplaced jealousy.
“Yes, we get on rather well. It was a perfect decision, my prince.”
I rolled my eyes at her sycophantic tone. Had I sounded like that?
“Good,” he replied. “I wish for you to be comfortable and at home here while we get to know each other. You are free to wander around the castle or the gardens. It is a luxury that even now I sometimes take for granted. My mothers kept me on a tight leash as I was growing up. You probably never heard a single word uttered about me and it was not because I was a model child.” He gave a rich laugh.
“As soon as I turned eighteen, I left the South and claimed our ancestral home. Over the past ten years, this town has gone from a tiny trading post to the richest municipality in the queendom. But the best part is escaping those chains, also known as my so-called royal duty.”
I nodded along behind them. Why was I listening so intently? And why was I smiling? Goddess no, I needed to get a grip. This is not what I was supposed to be doing. I hadn’t noted a single corridor or which direction a window faced this entire time.
