Disappointed as I was that I couldn’t share the news with Runa, I didn’t let it ruin my good mood.
Faced with the prospect of free time, I made my way down to the kennels to visit the dogs. I hadn’t seen them since Tarben went away and I felt guilty for neglecting them.
The kennels were comprised of a rectangular stone building with several compartments to house each dog and an enclosed, outdoor area. When I entered the enclosure through the wooden gate, they greeted me with a hero’s welcome, rushing towards me with excited yelps. Sensing they missed me as much as I missed them, I embraced their affectionate licks and wet noses with laughter.
They not-so-subtly brought me a stick, which I tossed for them to fight over and retrieve. I hadn’t been playing with them for long before I retreated back into the castle. As much as I wanted to stay, the day was too cold to linger outdoors.
I’d barely stepped foot inside the entrance hall when I ran into Filip, looking out of breath and wild-eyed. Although I couldn’t see them, I could make out the bulk of bandages on his arm underneath his uniform. His injury couldn’t be too bad if he was permitted to resume his duties. I hadn’t seen him since our nightmare in the woods, but there was something different about his energy that stopped me in my tracks.
“What’s wrong?”
He looked around to make sure we were alone, then said, “Prince Hugo’s awake.”
My body froze. Shit. Now that he was awake, was he going to turn me in to his father? Should I be preparing to flee?
I had a barrage of questions for him but, in the end, I settled on: “How is he?”
“The healers are with him now. The king and Amalie are the only ones who have been allowed to see him but, from what I’ve gathered, he’s barely conscious.”
If he was barely conscious, chances were he hadn’t said anything about me to anyone. Not yet, anyway.
Breathe.Remember to breathe.I couldn’t panic. Not when there was still a chance that he might be so grateful to me for saving his life that he decided not to ruin mine.
Whatever Filip saw on my face prompted him to say, “Don’t worry, the healers expect him to make a full recovery. It may take some time though. I thought you should know.”
Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I glanced over his shoulder. A maid was descending one of the stone staircases. Had she heard us? Not that it really mattered. News about Hugo’s recovery would be circulating around the castle soon enough.
I could only pray to the goddesses that Hugo would want to put our differences behind him. That or, the injury to his head caused him to conveniently forget our altercation. Either way, I’d never hoped the goddesses were listening to me more.
***
That evening, I was finishing my dinner of wild boar and vegetables when a knock came at the door. When I opened it, I was surprised to find Filip on the other side. His forehead was slightly furrowed, and his mouth was set in a straight line.
“Come with me,” he said.
“Good evening, Filip,” I said, leaning against the doorframe and crossing my arms. “It’s nice to see you again, too. Do I have any plans for the evening? Why no, I do not.”
He raised his eyebrows but said nothing, as if he didn’t deem my mockery worthy of a response.
I sighed. “Where to?”
“To see Prince Hugo. He wants to speak to you,” he said, his tone indicating that it was not a request.
I swallowed a lump in my throat. Did this mean Hugo wanted to pick up where he left off and banish me from the castle?
“What about?” I asked. If he was leading me to my downfall, I wasn’t about to step over the edge with a blindfold.
He crossed his arms and looked impatient. “Just come. Now.”
Unease crawled through my insides, but I knew there was no chance of him telling me anything more. His loyalty lay with Hugo above all else.
Sensing my hesitancy, he raised his eyebrows at me again. In the end, curiosity outweighed my apprehension and pulled me out of my bedchamber and into step with him.
He said nothing more as we walked, and I refrained from asking questions, wary of potential eavesdroppers. Instead, I focused on quieting the storm within me. As far as anyone else was concerned, I was as calm as a lake on a windless day.
Once we reached Hugo’s quarters, we were met with two burly guards stationed outside the door. With a simple incline of Filip’s chin, they let us pass without a word.
I shot a sidelong glance at him in an attempt to gage his emotions. His body language revealed nothing as we entered Hugo’s bedchamber—he may as well have been a fortified stone wall.
