My brother’s eyes shone, but he couldn’t seem to muster any words.
“Maddox has been a great guard,” I said quickly.
Father raised his brows. “Has he?”
Maddox remained wide-eyed and silent.
I coughed. “Bennett doubled his wages.”
Father’s brows rose even higher as he took in the coat around my shoulders. “Bennett?”
“Um...” I found myself tongue-tied. Luckily, I was saved from speaking when someone else approached, her blond hair barely concealed by a petal pink cloak.
“Mother!” Maddox’s voice returned. He ran forward to embrace her, laughing in delight. “What are you doing here?”
Lady Vanessa held his face between her hands. “I couldn’t resist coming to see you,” she said. She turned to me. “Narcissa! Are you well? I read about what happened at Vandil!”
Father grunted at the mention of the fire. I figured he was holding back on a scolding.
I fidgeted. “I-It turned out all right in the end,” I managed. “And you, Lady Vanessa?”
“Perfectly well, dear.” She smiled softly. A few months ago I would have looked away. But now, her presence felt welcome. Comforting, even.
The four of us managed to have a pleasant conversation without either Father or Maddox exploding. Eventually, the cold was too much to bear and Father didn’t dare to make His Majesty wait any longer. We joined King Maximus and Bennett inside the opera house before the grand steps.
“I haven’t step foot here since I was a boy,” King Maximus said, his voice echoing in the hall.
Lady Ruan smiled. “I’m sure much has changed, Your Majesty. Would you be interested in a tour?”
King Maximus nodded slowly. “I suppose there’s time. We can discuss kingdom matters tonight.”
A meow came from the left. Pippin strode out from beneath the stairs, his ginger fur disheveled, dragging a rat half his size along the marble floor.
Lady Ruan pressed a hand over her mouth.
“Are there strays roaming the opera house now?” His Majesty asked, looking down at the tabby in disgust. Bennett took a step back as Pippin laid the carcass at his feet.
Pippin! This is hardly the time,I thought to him.
What? Is a cat not allowed to bring his master food anymore?Pippin said, peering up innocently.
He’s the crown prince. He has plenty of food.I said, covering my nose when I caught a whiff of the rat.Where did you get that? The sewers?
Yes, in fact, I did,Pippin meowed.You should see them. They’re enormous.
“Lady Narcissa, is this your cat?” King Maximus asked.
I realized everyone was watching me having a silent conversation with Pippin. I cleared my throat. “He’s the crown prince’s.”
The king frowned. “Bennett does not have a cat.”
Bennett stiffened. “A recent acquisition,” he said, so quickly that his words slurred together. “Did Lady Ruan mention another tour?”
***
LADY RUAN ONCE AGAINshowed us the auditorium, the hallways, and the back rooms of the various singers and actors, and the third floor where the living quarters were. Eventually, after King Maximus expressed interest, Lady Ruan led us back down to the auditorium to take a closer look backstage.
“We just had our rigging system redone,” Lady Ruan said. “Hopefully it’ll be finished by tomorrow.” We craned our necks to see a few men above, standing on crisscrossing wooden beams and a myriad of wires.
