“Filip has informed me of your recent endeavors to uncover the murderer, whom you believe to be my attacker.”
My spine stiffened. “Did he now?” I said in a voice that was both sweet and sharp.
So much for keeping it between us. Although, based on how close they were, I should have known Filip would tell Hugo about our outing in the forest. The question was, how much did he divulge?
I shot Filip a look that said,Seriously?, but he only shrugged. “And what exactly did he tell you?”
“Everything,” Filip confirmed, wholly unconcerned.
“Noble as your efforts in the forest were, clearly you need all the help you can get. Especially if we are correct in our theory that this is the doing of a witch,” said Hugo.
I scoffed. “You try discovering a decapitated witch corpse and getting hunted by demon beast hounds in the same day and see how you fare.”
Ignoring me, he went on. “I am proposing that the three of us work together to find whoever did this to me so I can punish them and make them rue the day they crossed my path.”
I wasn’t so sure about that. It would require some degree of trust between us—something I didn’t give freely. Although, I had to admit that working with Filip hadn’t been completely terrible, and it had even forged some sort of kinship between us. I supposed that was what happened when two people evadeddeath together. Still, there was something about Hugo’s proposition that bothered me. “Why not let Captain Hansen take care of it?”
“The same reason Filip didn’t approach him directly,” Hugo said. “Hansen vehemently dismisses any notion of Hywell’s murder being related to witchcraft. However, after what the two ofyou uncovered in the forest, I’m all the more inclined to disagree with him. So, let’s allow the murderer to think Hansen is on their trail, while we conduct our own little investigation.”
I twisted a lock of hair around my finger, considering his words. “And how do you propose we do so?”
“Through my vast resources,” he said smugly.
I canted my head, my eyebrows raised in question.
“Books,” he said, gesturing to the bookshelves around his chamber. “If we can uncover the meaning of the symbol etched into Hywell, for a start, I believe it would offer some much-needed explanations.”
“Don’t forget about the notebook,” I said.
“Yes, that too,” he said impatiently. “Either way, you’d be wasting your time searching for anything related to witchcraft in the library. You’ll find that my collection is a little lessorthodox, but I have no doubt it’ll contain something useful to our cause.”
I worried at my bottom lip. He was right, I had no chance of uncovering anything meaningful in the castle library; I’d already tried and it had proved to be fruitless. And, up until now, I’d failed to find the witch on my own. Maybe working with them wasn’t the worst idea.
“Alright,” I finally agreed. “When do we start?”
“Immediately. Filip, bring me the texts from the oak cabinet next door,” Hugo ordered. “You know where I keep the key.”
“Easy now,” Filip said. “You’ve only just woken up. At least rest before you jump straight into solving murders.”
I was surprised that he disregarded the prince’s orders so blatantly, but Hugo only scoffed at his words, defiance painting his features. He reminded me of a naughty child getting scolded by his mother to go to bed, so much so that a laugh spilled out of me.
Before Hugo could retort, we were interrupted by a knock at the door.
“Enter,” he drawled.
Two members of the royal guard entered the room. “We’re sorry for the interruption, Your Highness,” one of them said. “We have been unable to locate the servant for questioning.”
“What do you mean?” Hugo asked with a sneer that made him sound more like his old self again.
“We’ve searched the castle and the grounds, Your Highness, but the servant hasn’t been seen since this morning.”
Hugo looked furious, and I didn’t envy the guards on the other side of his glare. “You cannot expect me to believe that a servant has simply disappeared without a trace. Look again and do not return empty-handed.” The command in his tone left no room for argument.
“Yes, Your Highness,” the guard replied. With a low bow, he and his companion hurried away.
Once the guards were safely gone, I spoke. “The servant could be hiding because they know something.”
“For once, we are in agreement,” Hugo responded.
