When the lunch was over, Kaid stood and took Maren’s hand, placing his lips to her gloved fingertips and let the kiss linger. He knew it would have had more of an effect if Maren hadn’t been wearing gloves, but the princess had always covered herself in layers of fabric no matter the occasion or weather. Likely something to do with her mystery ailment.
Maren left with Svanhild at her heels, the pair always running off together after every date. Was he really that awful that Maren needed to hide away in her room after every encounter? He supposed she would have said something to King Botmar if it was that bad, seeing as their wedding was in four days.
Kaid looked to Asta, who was once again staring at her book intently. He nodded to Halsten, who found an excuse to bring Linnea away from the terrace. The quiet lady-in-waiting made no effort to object, likely understanding that Kaid was asking for a moment alone.
As he strode over to the reading princess, he could see that the fair skin on her ears and cheeks was bright red, and a rash was spreading on her chest. The kiss to Maren’s hand must have made him the winner, her anguish displayed for all to see.
But it didn’t feel like a victory. No, it felt much the opposite.
“Jealous, are we?” Kaid crooned with his best attempt to lighten the mood.
Asta’s gaze whipped toward him as she clapped her book shut. Kaid could see her emotions battling on her face, trying to think of which approach she would like to take in this exchange.
Instead, she smacked him in the chest with her book. Hard.
Oof. The air whooshed from him, the blow far more impactful than Kaid had anticipated it would be.
He rubbed his chest. “I deserved that, I’m sure,” he said through a raspy breath, “but if you would just talk to me, at least I would knowwhyI’m being beaten.”
“Are you daft?” she blurted. “You seriously don’t know why I’m this angry with you?”
“I’m sure I could make some guesses, but I don’t want to remind you of any extra reasons to resent me, in case they weren’t already on your list.”
A corner of her mouth feathered, but she quickly hid it. “You kiss me a week away from your wedding to my sister, and can’t figure out why I’m angry?”
“And you tell me to forget it right away, even though I know you felt something between us. Don’t you thinkI’mangry?” Kaid waved his arms. “Don’t you think it’s drivenmemad, not being able to even find you and talk about it?”
The unspoken questions rang through him.Don’t you think I’m angry that I must marry the sister I do not love? Do you not see that I’m being torn apart from the inside, with no rightful solution?
Asta stared at him breathlessly for multiple agonizing heartbeats. She placed her book on the edge of the fountain and curled her hands into fists. Kaid could tell that she was resisting cracking her bones.
Maybe she was right. Maybe they should forget the entire thing. Maybe, just maybe, Knud had made a mistake. Had his cherub aim his arrow at the wrong sister, entrapping Kaid in eternal misery.
Asta bit her lip, deep in thought. He wished she hadn’t grazed her teeth on her supple lip, the same way she had the night they kissed. There was an ache in his chest at the sight.
Finally, she said, “I’ve been thinking about what you said, about someone else sneaking in and out of the castle. We need to find them. For my sister and father’s safety. It may have something to do with the missing villagers and increasing number of orphans, like the courtesan did.”
Kaid knew her change of subject meant that she was done talking about what had happened between them. That was her method, ignore it until it went away. He had known that for a while now, but it had never infuriated him until this moment.
If she wanted to forget, he would forget. But he couldn’t get her to say the words. To say shewantedto forget, not only that theyshould.
“What’s the next step?” he asked.
Asta planned for the two of them to meet on the terrace that night for a watch. With the wedding approaching quickly now, and the castle filled with so many extra bodies, she had a feeling that the figure would choose tonight, during the welcoming dinner, to slip in and out of the castle once more.
Kaid insisted that they would never be able to miss the dinner without being noticed, but Asta had an answer for that, too. She had already planted the seed two days ago, telling everyone who would listen that she hadn’t been feeling herself and must have an impending ailment brewing. Now all Kaid had to do was mention to a few people that he had the same symptoms as the princess and needed a night to rest before the big day. They both could excuse themselves from the dinner and no one would think twice about it.
Clever. She was so gods damned clever.
Asta had told him once that she wanted to be more than a sit-still-look-pretty princess, and in this moment, he knew shewould. She could do whatever she desired, and no one would be able to stop her. The heart collector, adding his own to the top of her list.
Chapter 18
Linnea stood in front of Asta tucking stray strands of hair up into the princess’s black hood.
Asta gently placed a hand on her cousin’s scarred wrist. “I’ll be okay, Linnea. There will be plenty of guards around to hear us should anything happen. Plus, Kaid might not be heavily trained in fighting, but the sheer size of him will likely prevent any type of physical attack.” Asta threw a thumb toward Dyri, who was lounging on the fur carpet in front of the fire. “He’s like Dyri, all bark, no bite. But the bark will be enough to scare them away.”
Asta allowed her mind to indulge in the mental image of Kaid for a heartbeat. His deep red—nearly black—hair, histurquoise eyes, his severe facial features, the perfect cut of his tall, muscular body. And the things he could do with that body…
