Karwyn pushed the door closed before turning to Blue. “This is who I have been hiding,” he said matter-of-factly.
The surprise in Blue’s eyes turned to mischief. “Well, what a—” he started, but Lora quickly interfered.
“Nice to meet you,” she said, the words mixing together in her rush. She strode forward, holding out her hand. Lora wasn’t sure he remembered her, but if he did, he couldn’t admit as much in front of Karwyn. The last thing she needed was for Karwyn to know anything else about her. Or her relation to Eyden, who had been with her the night she’d met Blue. The night Eyden had stolen his crystal.
Blue raised a dark eyebrow, glancing at Karwyn, who was staring at her outstretched hand as if he wanted to rip it from her body. Realisation dawned on her, and she quickly dropped her arm. She’d tried to greet him the human way.Idiot.
Lora sought out Blue’s eyes, willing him not to give her away. Something like intrigue flickered in his gaze, and then a playful smile took over his face.
“Well, hello there, love,” Blue said before addressing Karwyn. “I must admit, Karwyn, I’m confused. Why are you keeping her hidden? Are you considering replacing Amira as your bride?”
Lora almost threw up in her mouth.
Karwyn chuckled darkly. “Do you not see the resemblance, Rhay?” Blue, orRhay,looked between them. “I do think the court would frown upon me marrying my cousin.”
“Cousin?How?” Blue asked, detailing her features. She herself didn’t see the resemblance. Karwyn was pale, she was tan like her mother. His hair was blond, but a few shades lighter than hers. His sharp cheekbones contrasted her rounder face.
“Lozlan had an illegitimate daughter. Naturally, he never deemed her worthy to visit,” Karwyn said, subtly telling her to go along with his lies. She was too distracted by the mention of her father’s name to feel his threat.Lozlan.Had her mother known his first initial was L? Had his nickname started with L as well? Had she named her Loraine because of him?
Karwyn cleared his throat loudly. “She grew up with her mother, a low-level fae who left her with less than a silver note to her name. Before she died, she told Lora the truth about her heritage. She came looking for me, and after Saydren confirmed that we do indeed share blood, I was kind enough to take her in.” Lora had to force a smile on her face.Kind.He didn’t even know the meaning of the word.
Blue looked around the room, his gaze lingering on the broken chair. “That still doesn’t explain why you’re hiding her.” Lora’s smile grew. She couldn’t point out the flaws in Karwyn’s lies, but Blue sure could.Ask him.Demand the truth.Lora had no idea what Blue’s—Rhay’s—role here was, but maybe he would challenge Karwyn’s lies.
“She has recently lost her mother. She needed time to grieve in peace before being thrown at the mercy of court rumours,” Karwyn replied. He gestured to the fallen chair. “Clearly, she has been a bit unstable. But you are feeling better now, little cousin, are you not?”
Lora pressed her lips shut, feeling the fire intensify in her veins. The heat was overwhelming. She nodded forcefully.
“Well, that’s good,” Rhay said, his expression still showing confusion. What was Karwyn’s plan here? Make the court believe he’d saved her from poverty?
“I brought you here for a reason,” Karwyn said, drawing closer to him. “Loraine is untrained. Her mother forbade her from using her fire power. It is not good for our image. I have tried to teach her—”
“You tried to teach?” Rhay asked, a laugh escaping him. “I’m sure that went swimmingly.”
Karwyn scowled. “It would be perfectly fine, but I have more important matters to attend to than playing teacher to an uncontrolled fae.Youwill teach her.”
“Me?”
“Yes. This is your chance to prove you are useful. You cannot be my pretend advisor forever. Our friendship can only make up for so much.” His eyes locked on Rhay, and she could almost see him flinch. They werefriends?Lora couldn’t grasp that piece of information.
Rhay stared at him for a moment, something like irritation flickering over his face. “Great, I’ll teach your cousin. It’ll be fun. Plus, it’ll get my father off my back,” he said, his tone a mix of sarcasm and hurt.
Karwyn put his hand on Rhay’s shoulder. “This is not a game. She has to learn. I demand you start straight away.” He dropped his arm and turned to Lora. “Tomorrow, I will officially introduce you to the courts at the Turosian contest dinner. Show them you deserve to be an Adelway.” The threat was clear, making his tone as sharp as a blade.
Lora stood rooted in place, stunned. She hadn’t expected to get tangled up in court business. After all, her purpose was to die, not to be aprincess.
Karwyn strode out the door, casting one last demanding look at Rhay.
As soon as the door closed, Rhay’s lips turned up. “Well, this day just became more interesting.” He reached into his pocket, taking out a rainbow-coloured flask and taking a few sips before offering it to Lora. She shook her head. “Shall we get started, then?” Rhay leaned against the wardrobe behind him, crossing his arms once the flask was back in his pocket. “Show me what you got, love.”
Was he not going to ask her about that night in Caligo? It seemed Karwyn had no idea they had met before. Which meant he didn’t know about Eyden. But Rhay did. Unless he had forgotten. Lora bit her lip, curling her arms around her stomach. If he told on her, Karwyn might go looking for Eyden to use as leverage.
She had been staring at the ground, but the creaking of the floor made her look up. Rhay was in front of her, one corner of his mouth raised in a smirk. “You look exhausted, love. Been on too many crime trips lately?” Her panic skyrocketed, her heart jumping into her throat. Before she could figure out a reply, he chuckled, and the tension eased. “I’m guessing Karwyn doesn’t know about your past hobbies?”
“No, and I’d rather it stays that way,” Lora answered, unfolding her arms.
He mimicked sewing his lips shut. “It’ll be our dirty little secret.” His eyes settled on the broken chair again. “You don’t seem all that happy to be here. You’re not planning on robbing the crown, are you?”
The corner of her mouth pulled up. “It would be like stealing from myself, wouldn’t it?” The thought was frightening. Technically, she was an Adelway, so she must have access to part of the crown’s fortune—or she would have if she had grown up here.
