“No, no,” he protested, “we’re going to have to go back and look. I’ll never be satisfied now unless I see it for myself.”
When she saw that he was serious, although she looked bemused, she nevertheless changed directions and led him back to the tapestry. He stared at it, squinting and tilting his head this way and that, trying to make sense of it.
And then she pointed. “Those are the foundations.”
He shifted his head again, and suddenly, it was like the image sprang into place.
“Ooh!” he said triumphantly. “Of course. What an odd angle.”
Now that he knew what he was looking at, he could see it all the time, but from straight on, it still looked more like a table than the beginnings of a building. He blinked, stepped back a few steps, and scrutinized it carefully.
“You should bring all the guests by this one,” he told her. “It’s fascinating.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, Your Highness.”
Her expression was neutral, but her eyes were dancing, and Tor felt certain she was laughing on the inside, which was good enough for him.
He liked it when the people around him were happy, but he didn’t want to mess with the standard of behavior she was expected to adhere to here.
And for all Tor knew, the servants all led very happy, very fulfilled lives that simply included hours at work where there wasn’t a lot of smiling and laughing. Or maybe she was on her best behavior for a High Prince. Tor shouldn’t presume that he knew anything about their lives just from these little snippets.
Except that she had laughing eyes, and Tor suspected that she would be happier if she were laughing more frequently.
“We’re almost there,” she finally announced.
“How lovely,” Tor said. “How long do you think it will take me to get down to dinner? Just so I have an idea of how much time I need to dedicate to the endeavor. An hour? Two?”
She let out something that was distinctly a snort of amusement, but she covered it with a cough. Tor tried not to smirk, absurdly pleased with himself.
“Oh, I think you’d better plan for two hours, Your Highness. It seems to me that you don’t do anything quickly.”
She looked almost as surprised as he was that the words had come out of her mouth. Pink rushed to her cheeks, but he only grinned at her.
“You have siblings.”
She still looked altogether embarrassed. “Yes.”
He nodded. That was exactly the sort of sass he expected from a sibling. “I bet they have to work to keep up with you.”
She looked like she didn’t know how to respond to this. Tor had definitely meant it as a compliment.
“As for me, I don’t see the value of rushing when it would be more fun to take my time. But I’ve also rushed off half-cocked,” he confessed ruefully. “It all depends on my mood and what I’m trying to accomplish. I’ll do my best for dinner.”
She smiled back at him tentatively. He was pretty sure he was shattering the notions of how a prince should act.
“I’m Torex, by the way.”
She gave him a look that said, “Obviously,” as clearly as if she’d spoken the words, but she smiled faintly.
“I’m Lashuna, Your Highness. Someone will show you the way tonight.” Her lips twitched. “And I daresay they might even use the direct route.”
“Our scenic route has been quite epic in scope,” he agreed.
Once she peered at him and ascertained that he wasn’t upset, she allowed another little grin to peek out. “All of the best tapestries, Your Highness. And a number of the choicest staircases.”
Tor laughed outright. “Oh, I hadn’t realized there was much to choose from in staircases. You should have pointed them out.”
“I beg your pardon, Your Highness,” she responded with just a little bit of sass. “I’ll be certain to do that next time.”
