“I’m glad I’m not the only one thumbing my nose at tradition.”
That gave me pause. “Pardon? What do you mean?”
Sarosh grinned wickedly and whispered, “There’s a certain lord whose bed is always warm for him every night.”
“Oh, is there? And how do you know that?”
He winked. “I’m the one warming it.”
I laughed at him. What a dork. But then I sobered because here was someone who could answer the questions I didn’t really want to ask. I needed to, though.
“So I’m guessing your relationship has to be a secret then?”
Sarosh shrugged and fed another blade of grass to the unicorn, like sticking a dollar into a vending machine. “I’m sure plenty of people know, but they don’t care. He’s a minor lord, I suppose, but he is on the council. If we took our relationship public, married even, I would be expected to retire to his estate, while he served out his term on the council for the prince.” He made a nope face and shook his head. “I’d much rather be here with my horses and with him.”
“I mean, yeah, that makes sense. And gives me hope, so thanks for that. But I have to ask, it’s not Mannix, is it?”
“No! Ew no. It’s Ottokar. Mannix is rotten inside. Dynius is sunshine and laughter,” he said with a silly grin.
“I’m glad to hear that. Both about Lord Sunshine Giggles and how you?—”
A bark of laughter jumped out of Sarosh. “Lord Sunshine Giggles? I’m definitely telling him that.”
I smiled. “You can also tell him that Hydris considers him one of the good ones. Him and Lady Naunet are two people he knows have been actively trying to help him.”
“Bless him, His Highness is right. Dy’s been trying to help the prince gain self-confidence, but I’m not sure he’s going about it the right way. It’s all sword fighting and wrestling and hunting.”
“Oh, no, that’s not Hydris.” I couldn’t even imagine him doing any of that.
Sarosh nodded. “I agree.”
“I can tell you that Hydris is more confident now than he was yesterday.”
“Just needed a good dicking, did he?”
I laughed. “No, shut up. He just needs to know there are people who want him to succeed. Who believe in him. I think he feels like he made a replacement who’s better than him at everything.”
“Oh, that’s not true,” he said seriously. “Mannix is killing the court in the prince’s name.”
“That’s the other thing. The people by the barrier were pissed to the point of wanting to fight him over some new tax. Hydris didn’t know about it, and they didn’t know Hydris hadn’t done it.”
Sarosh was nodding. “They don’t see him, only what they think he’s doing to them.”
That another person knew what I’d learned made me feel right for everything I’d said to Hydris so far. “I’m going to work with him until he’s ready to tell Mannix to get the hell out.”
Sarosh’s chuckle was low and wicked. “Did you hear that, Silver Sparkle? We’re going to stage a coup to put your boy back in power.”
The unicorn nodded her head several times.
“She’s on board,” he said. “I do believe three constitutes a quorum, so I hereby call the first meeting of the committee to reinstate the prince concluded until tomorrow.”
I smiled at his antics and shook his hand.
“Now get to work,” he said and shooed me away. “I’m exhausted from covering for you while you’ve been playing with princes.”
I gave him a saucy salute. “Right away, sir.”
Feeling a little more emboldened to actually make some changes around here, I got to work taking the wheelbarrow around to the stable’s feed room.
