“Fine. Yes. I knew who you were. It’s just . . . with all the talk of rebellion, I just thought . . .” His expression grew serious.
“You thought what?” I demanded, my anger bubbling as I imagined the royal guard plotting this whole thing.
Esumi glanced back, meeting my gaze. “I thought you needed a little help, that’s all. You do tend to lose yourself in your cups, and places like the Crab aren’t exactly safe for royalty.”
“You think I’m in danger.”
It wasn’t a question.
“I think the empire feels troubled, and princes make valuable targets for those who would see it fall completely.” Esumi met my gaze steadily.
I felt suddenly, painfully sober. “And you think protecting me serves some purpose? Some great need in the days to come?” I laughed, a bitter sound, then muttered, “Like I could make a difference in anything.”
“I think,” Esumi said carefully, “that you’re the only prince who understands the streets as well as the palace. Iknowyou are the only one who moves freely among the people, the only one who reallyseesthem.” He paused. “And I think you’re not nearly as drunk or useless as you pretend to be.”
The words hung between us, a challenge and an offer.
In the distance, temple bells chimed the hour.
Dawn was still far off, but morning would bring fresh reports of plotting and scheming, of spies lurking in the darkness, of plans to topple the Jade Throne.
“Why?” I asked finally. “Why do you care what happens to a third prince?”
Esumi’s smile was soft, almost shy. “Because someone has to. And because . . .” He hesitated, then seemed to find his resolve. “Because the Empire is worth saving, even if we have to save it from itself.”
Esumi tossed his lion mask to the floor, then disappeared into the back of the shop for a few moments before returning with a bowl filled with water and a small rag. The cuts on his face had been cleaned of dried blood, though the bruises appearedeven angrier than before. He slumped onto the floor and leaned against a heavy wooden cabinet.
“Here, you have blood above your eye.” Esumi extended the rag toward me and pointed to a spot above his right brow.
“Thanks,” I said, wincing as I dabbed my forehead.
“I take it you snuck out of the palace?”
I laughed. “Yeah, not like the guards would just open the gates and let a prince roam freely.”
“Especially a young, willful prince.”
“Hey, you’re talking to royalty. Show a little respect,” I said, though my grin told Esumi all he needed to know about my love for pretense and protocol. “Besides, I’m nineteen, thank you very much. You can’t be that much older than me with that baby face.”
Esumi snorted. “Baby face. Myhahacalled me that.”
“Called?” I asked.
Esumi’s face fell.
“Yeah,” he said. “She died a few years ago. That’s why I came here to live with my grandmother.”
“What about your father?”
Esumi shook his head. “Never knew him.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay. It’s not like I even have a face to miss. He left my mother when she found out she carried a child. Guess he didn’t like the idea of being a father.”
“Huh. Guess so,” I said.
We sat in silence while I finished cleaning myself. Wringing the rag out, I looked up and asked, “Does the eye look better?”
