“Then something else?” His roguish smile returned, a shade more somber than usual, but I could tell he was trying to lighten the mood. “Shall I coax the truth out of you? Perhaps a serum would help—”
I couldn’t take it anymore. “Lady Sarnai asked me to spy on you,” I blurted.
A beat. Then, curse him, he burst out laughing.
“What’s so funny?” I put my hands on my hips. “You don’t believe me?”
“When did she ask this of you?” Edan said between laughs.
Already I was regretting my decision to tell him. “This morning.”
“Then she’s even more of a fool than I suspected.”
“Why is that? She has good reason to distrust you.”
“She does,” he agreed. “But you? You’d be the worst spy in the world, Maia Tamarin, given your complete inability to tell a lie.” Still bemused, he said, “Why’d you decide to tell me? Dare I believe you’ve finally softened toward me?”
I flashed him my most irritated scowl. Edan had a way of making my temper flare. “My loyalty is to the emperor. You are his loyal servant. That’s why I told you.”
“And here I thought it was because of our growing friendship, and my affection for you.”
I muttered, “I liked you better when I thought you were a eunuch.”
Edan looked half offended, half amused. “You thought I was a eunuch?”
“A tall one,” I said, turning up my nose. “And one who dressed far above his station.”
“I’m far too good-looking to be a eunuch,” Edan protested.
“I would disagree. Some are quite handsome, and you…” I searched for the right insult. “Emperor Khanujin’s better-looking than you.”
The quirk that tugged at his lips was completely unreadable to me. I couldn’t tell whether I’d stung him—or amused him.
“Is it true that the shansen called upon demons to murder the emperor’s father?”
The quirk in Edan’s lips vanished. “Who told you that?”
“Lady Sarnai. She said her father had to pay a steep price for dealing with demons.”
“It’s true the shansen has dealt with demons,” said Edan carefully. “Whether he called upon them to kill Khanujin’s family is a different story. But it’s strange that you should hear it from Lady Sarnai.”
“I think she despises her father for using magic. And you, for being an enchanter.”
“She despises everyone,” Edan said, more cheerfully.
I frowned at how casually he took my news. “She told me demons are fallen enchanters.”
“Are you worried about me now, Maia?” Edan laughed. “There’s nothing to fear. I’m in no danger of becoming a demon, I can assure you. And I’m far more powerful than any demon the shansen could recruit.”
For once, I took heart in his arrogance. I wanted to believe him, so I did.
“Be careful, Maia,” he said quietly. The sudden change in his tone startled me. “Lady Sarnai will know you’ve betrayed her trust. I’d care if something happened to you.”
I didn’t like how tongue-tied I suddenly became. I raised a brow and echoed, “You’d care?”
Edan drew back. “Yes,” he said, airily now. “Girl or not, you’re a very talented tailor. And you have some aptitude for magic. Enough that I feel somewhat responsible for you.”
I rolled my eyes. “You know, she reminds me of you.”
