“Why do you want to know?” he responded, his voice laced with suspicion.
“Just making conversation. If I’m to spend the day with you, I may as well get to know you.”
“I’d prefer you didn’t,” he said dryly.
Undeterred, I continued. “You’re clearly of noble birth, yet you choose to be a personal guard for Prince Hugo. Is there a story behind that?”
He abruptly stopped, causing me to collide into his back. Turning to me with narrowed eyes, he said, “Firstly, how do you know I’m of noble birth? Secondly, my reasons for joining the Royal Guard are none of your concern.” Without waiting for my response, he resumed walking.
“I know you’re of noble birth because it’s obvious by the way you talk. And the weapons on your back are fine. Much finer than the ones the other guards carry. Not to mention the onyx ring you wear on your finger.” He said nothing as he continued ahead of me. I took that as confirmation I was right.
We continued in silence for a while. The forest grew darker and denser the further we walked. Eventually, we came across a stream emerging from the bottom of a narrow ravine paved in grass, weeds, ferns and roots. We made our way down slowly until we reached the mossy rocks at the water’s edge.
I cupped my hands into the bitingly cold stream and admired the clear water, so pure that I could see my own reflection in its surface. For a moment, I longed to dive in. To feel its currents against my skin, against my tail. Instead, I drank, savoring its unspoiled sweetness.
After filling our flasks with water and eating an early lunch of the bread and cheese I had snuck into my pack, we continued our venture into the dark forest.
It didn’t take long for the boredom to settle in. I would have to find ways to amuse myself on this never-ending trek. “You and Prince Hugo are obviously very close.” My voice cut into the eerie silence.
Filip’s back stiffened. Without looking at me he asked, “Why do you say that?”
“Because you’re working with me to find his attempted killer. You wouldn’t resort to such desperate measures unless you cared for him.”
When he didn’t respond, I filled the silence. “You’re a man of few words, aren’t you?”
“And you’re a woman of many. Is Prince Tarben aware that the current jewel of his affection is such a busybody?”
The current jewel of his affection?I wasn’t just some jewel; I was the crown. Ignoring his little jibe, I said, “I was only taking a polite interest in the man who owes me his life—”
“A debt.”
I continued as if I hadn’t heard him. “But, if it bothers you so much, I’ll stop talking.”
“That suits me perfectly fine,” he sneered.
I grinned to myself. Who knew getting under his skin would be such sport? “If you answer one question.”
He clenched his fists. He was losing patience. “What?”
I may as well address the whale in the fishpond. “Why doesn’t Hugo like me?”
“He doesn’t trust you,” he responded tersely.
“Yes, but why? He disliked me from the moment I stepped foot into the castle, and I want to know why. What did I ever do to make him distrust me?”
We continued into the forest and, for a long moment, all I could hear was the crackle of dried twigs and leaves under our footsteps.
“Prince Hugo is wildly protective of his family. He regards all newcomers with varying degrees of wariness, until they prove themselves to be trustworthy.”
“I see. I’m glad to know it’s nothing personal,” I joked.
“Oh, there is definitely something about you that’s off. Prince Hugo has a knack for sensing these things. He believed you weren’t being completely honest, and, based on my own experience, I’d say he was probably right.” Over his shoulder, he raised an eyebrow at me.
I fixed him with a flat look. To steer the conversation away from myself, I asked, “How did you gain his trust?”
“I didn’t have to. I’ve known him since we were boys. We grew up together.”
This surprised me for some reason. Try as I might, I couldn’t picture Hugo as a little boy, playing happily with the other children. “Has he always been so prickly?”
