To Pel’s relief, after a week and a half of finding Prince Torex practically everywhere that he went, the encounters began to taper off. Pel practiced archery on his own, as was his custom. Yes, he still needed to deal with the man at dinner, but his determination not to have breakfast or lunch with the rest of his family was definitely bearing fruit now. He’d heard that the King had insisted that Bavil and Larexa have lunch with the Prince, and Pel had never been more grateful that he didn’t fall under that edict.
One meal was plenty, especially as it was enough to turn his stomach to have to deal with all the ways that his siblings were being thrown at Prince Torex’s head. Given the reputation of the man, it was only surprising that neither of them seemed to have stuck. Oh, not that he would have bonded with either of them, though that was clearly what Pel’s father had in mind, but he had a reputation for bedding pretty people.
Instead, the Prince was friendly with both of them, seemed to enjoy their company well enough… and that was it. Given what Bavil had gotten up to when he was supposed to be courting Marwila, given how often Larexa had said in recent years that she wanted someone to match her magic, Pel couldn’t really understand why the two of them weren’t leaping at the chance to try to capture—or at least bed—the High Prince.
Of course, it had been years since Pel had claimed to understand his siblings in more than the smallest degree. But if one of them married Prince Torex, so much the better. They clearly had values that were in alignment. Pel didn’t honestly think it would happen, not when Prince Torex had so many other options, but what did he know? Though it seemed inconceivable, maybe Princess Terila had sent him packing, just like she had Pel, and now Prince Torex was out of options.
He snorted to himself. It was impossible to imagine Princess Terila sending so eligible a suitor away, and there was still Marwila. If Prince Torex was willing to consider men, as the rumors indicated, then there was still Solil, Bavil—and in a few years, more royals would have grown up.
Andtechnically, there were Stronex and Nostex, both widowed, though Pel had to admit that it stretched credulity a little bit to consider either of them as candidates. His stomach lurched queasily as he realized his father was theoretically eligible.
No. Just no.
For a fleeting moment, Pel considered mentioning it, just to see how desperate his father really was—and because Prince Torex was really that annoying—but he pushed the urge aside. Pel was certain Prince Torex was uninterested, so if Forex took the idea in earnest and went at it with the single-minded disregard for everyone else for which he was famous, it could jeopardize the safety of everyone in Tond. No, Pel was definitely keeping that thought to himself.
Besides, extreme measures didn’t seem to be necessary anymore. There’d been several days where he’d seen Prince Torex only at dinner, and he’d actually felt some of the tension working its way out of his shoulders, leaving him aware of just how tightly he’d been holding them, anxious about where the man might appear next.
Discreet inquiries had provided him with the information that Prince Torex had switched his schedule. He was working with the guards or Forex and Bavil in the morning while Pel was out with the farms. And then in the afternoon, when Pel was with the guards, he was off riding.
They were long rides, and Pel found himself wondering where the man was going before he caught himself with a stern reminder that he was not wonderinganythingabout Prince Torex.
Only… Pel was a little surprised Torex was continuing his work with the guards. Contrary to what Pel had assumed, that foolish grandstanding had actually put most people at ease. They might not be treating Torex exactly as though he were just another one of the guards, but the awe with which they’d viewed him when they first met him seemed to have diminished.
It was frustrating to see that Prince Torex had perhaps had a reason for behaving as he had that wasn’t simply that he liked to show off all the time and wanted everyone to be impressed with him.
Pel grimaced to himself as he acknowledged that he’d still been looking for reasons to dislike the man. Pel hadn’t thought that he’d gotten quite that cynical, but maybe he had.
Still, though, being slightly more nuanced didn’t make you a good person. So the man knew how to put people at ease. Given the rumors Pel had heard about how many people the man liked to take to his bed, this shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Well, it wasn’t Pel’s problem. If he very occasionally caught a tiny bit of the practice if he came back early or if Prince Torex went a little long, that was neither here nor there. Yes, the man was rather fit, but it wasn’t as though that wasn’t a well-acknowledged fact. It still came up from time to time in Pel’s discussions with the farmers, though less frequently. Because as pretty or as magical as someone was, there was only so much you could talk about them when they weren’t actuallydoinganything significant.
Only then one of those far-flung farmers let slip the fact that they’dseenhim.
The High Prince had been going round to all the people, just as Pel did, and he’d been checking in with them whenever Pel wasn’t there.
Pel was so furious that he didn’t stay to hear any more, he just stormed back to the castle, stomped over to where the guards were training, and grabbed Prince Torex and dragged him off.
The man wasn’t wearing a tunic again. Ugh.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded.
Prince Torex looked rather confused. He raised an eyebrow. “Training?”
“Not that!” Pel said, savagely wiping away the thought with a wave of his arm. “I’m talking about visiting the farmers and the villagers!”
Prince Torex relaxed. “Oh, that. I would think it was self-explanatory.”
Pel crossed his arms over his chest. “I want an explanation anyway.”
Torex stared him down. He still seemed annoyingly at his ease, and given that Pel was nearly vibrating with suppressed emotion, this was infuriating.
Finally, Torex said, “It’s important that we hear from the people. I’m not here very often, so this seemed like an excellent opportunity to go and listen to them.”
“By circumventing my father?” Pel asked pointedly.
“Not at all,” Prince Torex answered, still like he didn’t have a care in the world. Pel realized his fists were clenched and made himself relax them. “Every mechanism for reporting to your father remains in place. But while I’m here, I’m also speaking to the people to see if there are wider concerns that impact the United Realms as a whole. One can gather a complete picture only if one has all the pieces of the puzzle.”
That was… annoyingly valid.
