A deep ache wrapped around her heart.
The banging and angry expletives echoed against the wall, yet Alain lay peacefully on the thin mat. The illness often stole his strength away, especially during conversations, but as his chest rose and fell in jagged breaths, she glanced at the card Cedric had given her.
There were bound to be dangers and consequences to this absurd plan, but perhaps it would be worth it if she could ensure that her brother would be taken care of for the rest of his life.
Nin sighed. “All right… I’ll do it. Not for me, but forus.”
Chapter four
The last bell declaring midnight rang behind Cedric as he paced. Moonlight spilled over tangled ivy and crumbling stone, illuminating the rust over the iron bars of the Old Weaver’s Gate. Tree branches quivered against the wind, their songs echoing through the dark forest bordering the passage. Two decades ago, the gate served as a passageway for silk merchants for the royal family. However, the passageway had been abandoned to accommodate a more convenient entrance, built years later.
The damp ground flattened beneath Cedric’s polished boots as he paced back and forth, his dark cloak rippling behind him, hands clasped tightly at his back. The pocket watch chained to his coat ticked down the excruciating minutes.
“You’ll dig a hole at this rate, Cedric. You must be patient.”
Cedric snapped his head toward Princess Marianne, disguised under a deep blue cloak. Her long hair lay plaited around her head like a crown, but her dress was no more than a simple, woolen frock. Three of his trusted men stood around her like imposing sentinels, though instead of armor oruniform, they donned peasant garb. The small lantern swaying in her grasp betrayed the concern in her eyes.
“Forgive me, Your Highness, but I cannot, not when it concerns your safety,” Cedric said, his posture stiffening. “I don’t know if she’ll even come.”
“The hour isn’t even half over. We can wait a little longer,” she said gently.
Cedric continued to pace despite her reassurance. Three days had come and gone in a blur with frantic preparations for the princess’s potential departure. When he proposed the plan to the princess, she was initially skeptical, but he had anticipated her hesitation. When he explained what steps he would take to ensure both her and the thief’s safety, she relented.
No one else would know. The King and Queen would not know about his plan—the less they knew, the better. He knew they could punish him for this, but it was a gamble he was willing to risk if it meant protecting the princess.
Another twenty minutes passed, and unease curled in his stomach. Only ten minutes remained. The princess had abandoned standing, preferring to sit on the jutting stone while she continued knitting a scarf, as the guards shifted nervously around her. Perhaps all the work Cedric had obsessed over had been for nothing.
Two minutes were left. Cedric expelled a long, exhausted sigh as the minute hand inched toward his imminent failure.
Cedric turned to the princess. “I think we’ve waited long enough—”
The leaves rustled in the treetops. Cedric whirled around, his cloak snapping in the cold air with one hand on the pommelof his sword. A small squeak sounded as a lithe figure dropped from the branches, followed by a dullthud. Cedric took a hesitant step forward, his eyes narrowing on the small lump groaning on the ground.
The figure then sprang up in a tangle of leaves. Cedric startled, whipping his sword and aiming it at the person’s nose.
Their hands flew up in surrender. “It’s me!” the feminine voice yelped. “Please don’t skewer me!”
One of the guards rushed to his side with a lantern, and the flickering light revealed a very familiar face.
“I’m here!” Nin announced with a sheepish grin.
The two remaining guards lowered their weapons, and Princess Marianne exhaled a soft sigh. Cedric could only stare in disbelief, his pulse pounding a relieved but exasperated rhythm.
Nin brushed off the leaves and twigs clinging to her tattered clothes with an air of nonchalance. “I thought I took the shortcut, but it turns out going through the forest was a terrible idea.”
Cedric snapped out of his stunned stupor. “Could you have a little bit of decorum?” he half-hissed, half-whispered. “You are in the presence of royalty. And you’relate.”
Nin swung around, and her eyes widened when she caught sight of the cloaked princess. Cedric nearly groaned out loud as she bent into a low, clumsy bow.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize you would be here,” Nin sputtered.
Princess Marianne stepped forward with her lantern, her lips forming a tight line as she regarded Nin fromhead to toe. She circled around her, and Nin followed her movements, her head swinging to keep up with the princess.
“What? Do I smell that bad?” Nin asked.
“You will hold still,” Cedric said through clenched teeth. “Allow the princess to examine you.”
“I didn’t know I was here to be a show pony,” Nin said with a nervous-sounding chuckle, but thankfully, she obeyed.
