Kaid slipped the hood of his cloak up over his head so he wouldn’t be recognized by anyone. He was now realizing how dangerous and stupid it had been to take off after this person while he was unarmed and alone. He was to be the next prince of Salendron in a few weeks and was sure there was some small group of locals that didn’t agree with that, as there always was with any royal marriage.
Shaking off his nerves, Kaid dismounted the gelding and tied him to a post outside of a pub before walking down the main stretch of village.
Orntali was quaint, but had everything a town could need. A pub, a church, a marketplace. There were some buildings tucked back from the main road that Kaid easily recognized, though he never utilized their services. Brothels, opium dens, black market dealers. Kaid knew these businesses were normal occurrences in any kingdom, but he hadn’t expected to find any quite so close to the castle.
As he searched the streets, weaving between the carts selling everything from flowers to fish to dried herbs, he spotted the black horse. The tack was too expensive to belong to common villagers in a fishing town, so he knew this was the horse he had seen escaping the royal stables. The dark mare was tied to a post outside of a building with no signs on it to indicate what it was.
Kaid remained in the shadows across the street, casually leaning against a wall. There was only a sliver of the sun over the horizon now, and soon the dark would hide him completely.
“Looking for some company?” A voice like honey slithered across Kaid’s skin.
He startled, turning to see a black-haired woman behind him. She reached out and gently stroked a hand down Kaid’s arm.
He shook his head. “Not tonight, I’m afraid.”
She held him in place with her nearly white irises as they bore into him. The courtesan brushed her fingertips along the deep vee of her blue velvet dress. “Honey, you look stressed. Let me help you. I know all sorts of tricks to release—”
“You’ll find no business here, miss. You’re wasting your working hours on me,” Kaid snapped.
Something about her was… off. It wasn’t simply her stunning beauty. Something about her felt wrong, like her existence clashed with his. Even if he did choose to pay for a courtesan, it certainly wouldn’t be this one despite her preternatural beauty.
She huffed. “Suit yourself, Bright Eyes. Come find me if you change your mind.” She pointed to the brothel down the alley before winking and sauntering back toward it, the hips of her hourglass figure swaying side-to-side as she walked.
From what Kaid could guess, another thirty minutes passed and the sun had set completely, leaving the town in a darkshadow aside from the lanterns in shop windows that were still open for business.
Kaid’s attention was drawn to the mysterious building when he saw a person in a dark cloak exit and mount the horse he had been watching. What was the business within? Why was someone from the castle sneaking out to go to an unmarked shop?
His mind raced as worry took over. Were they making dark dealings? Was the royal family somehow involved in nefarious businesses? He worried that maybe he made the wrong choice to marry a woman he had never met, but then he remembered his father. Duke Aerik, the most genuine and respectable man he had ever met. Kaid could endure whatever this was if it meant Haalberg would be saved and his father could know peace.
Kaid followed the slow walking horse down the road, making sure to stay several feet away so he blended in with the crowd. The person atop the mare steered toward another unmarked establishment and hopped off, leading the horse around the back of the building. When the person came back around the side, he could see that they were cracking their knuckles.
He had seen this habit before. But that person would certainly have no need to sneak out of the castle in the dark, would they?
They approached an angled basement entrance and heaved the dense metal door open, stepping down into the ground. Kaid made a run for it, hoping to catch a glimpse inside before the door closed. He poked the top of his head over the angled door enough to see the person tap the door frame before stepping into the well-lit basement, then the solid door at the bottom of the stairs slammed shut behind them. Now, he most certainly knew who this cloaked figure was.
Asta. But what in the world was she doing?
Kaid needed to learn more. He was desperate to. He circled the building and saw a whisper of light behind a large stack of grass at the base of the building. Ah, a window. Exactly what he needed.
He dove down and spread the fronds enough to see what was happening within when he heard a sound behind him. When he turned, he found the dark-haired courtesan from earlier guiding two men down a forest path and out of sight.Guess she doesn’t mind dirt and bugs, Kaid concluded.
He faced back to the basement window and his heart thumped so strongly that he could feel it in his fingertips as he watched a blonde-haired, sage-eyed princess duel with a full-grown man, wielding a sword with such familiarity that she could be mistaken for a warrior.
Chapter 8
Sweat slid down Asta’s back as she hoisted her leg up over the windowsill and climbed into the art room of the north wing. Linnea was there, nervously rubbing at her scar on her wrist.
“I made it, Linnea. I’m fine. I’m okay.” Asta reassured her cousin, patting her on the shoulder.
Linnea nodded. “Let’s get back to your suite. I have a bad feeling about tonight.”
Asta wasn’t going to argue with that. Linnea was usually quiet and didn’t have an assertive bone in her body, so if she was giving Asta an order, the princess knew to obey it.
When they got to the suite, Asta stripped off the black pants and tunic she was wearing and slipped into a purple nightgown. She knew she should bathe, but she was just so tired. Her trips to the village always left her exhausted between the climbing, the riding, and the training.
Gyrial had worked her hard tonight. Her arms and legs felt like jelly. But she hadn’t been to training in over a week and had to make up for it, so she embraced the pain. She walked out of this session without a scratch or bruise, even after she fought three opponents simultaneously during her final match. Asta smiled. She was getting better.
Her doofus of a dog came barreling in, ducking into a play bow. Asta stomped at him to taunt him and he ran off in a flash. She could hear him knocking down various items throughout the rest of the suite and she laughed. Dyri was a bull in an antique shop.
