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“She is welcome at court with me. She’s my squire.”

“Your what?” Beric looked at me as if I must have lost my mind.

Albert cringed. “Well this will be interesting.” And yet his expression said it would become a little too interesting and he’d rather not stay to see it as he excused himself to enter the large double doors.

“Does anyone speak plainly around here?” I asked. “Or am I to decipher the meaning of every sentence uttered by everyone for the rest of my existence?”

But I should have known better—I’d only known Beric for less than a day, and already I was familiar with his tendency to avoid answering direct questions with direct answers. “You know as much as I that she’s no squire.” His disdain was clear.

I hadn’t accounted for him recognizing her—I hadn’t had time to account for much of anything, with the way Anise had bullied her way in. Of course he would recognize her—he’d only just seen her a few hours ago at the very audition that had secured me this position. And if I knew my cousin—and God, did I—Anise had most likely done everything in her power to make herself memorable.

“She is my squire,” I insisted, and I knew it sounded like a flimsy lie. “But she wanted to audition to see if she could. I allowed it.”

“Forgive me, my lady,” he said, but his tone suggested he’d said it out of duty rather than meaning it. “But you allowed it, knowing what she sounds like? I’ve heard gulls with better voices.”

I tightened my lips, fighting back a laugh. This wasn’t the time or place to agree with him. And it wasn’t even our family connection. It was that I knew Anise too well, and not at least upholding the illusion that I was going to throw her a bone would result in embarrassing consequences. If only on my part.

I cleared my throat to get rid of my impending laugh. “You’re quite the music snob.”

“Having perfect pitch in our profession is life or death,” he said. “And by the way, if she has knight magic, she can’t also have been born with the ability to amplify and dampen magic at will.”

“I’m sure there are rare cases,” I tried.

“With all due respect, my lady, this position is far too dangerous to insist on family loyalty. We are facing The Dark, not some common army.”

“Just because she can’t be a knight doesn’t mean she won’t make a great squire.”

“That remains to be seen. And the king is very selective on whom he allows into his inner sanctum.” He stepped closer, and my heart ran wild as he leaned over me, lowering his voice to say, “I trust Queen Kat told you why.”

I suddenly felt foolish. Of course she had, and of course it was ridiculous to bring my cousin along. But she was already here, and there was nothing to be done but to follow through—find her a husband so there was a valid excuse as to why she was no longer my squire. Because if anyone found out I wasn’t who I said I was, that I wasn’t from some great house, but a family bathed in scandal, I would lose my position. And knowing the king’s secret as I did, I would also lose my head.

“At least allow her to stay until the king transfers me to his adjoining room,” I said. “She so longs to be welcomed at court.”

“Yes, well.” Beric shrugged, heartlessly. “When I was a child, I wondered why I couldn’t be an owl. Longings have nothing to do with reality.”

I forced myself not to grin, the corners of my mouth twitching with the effort. An owl? My God, did he have to say the cutest thing I’d ever heard from a boy when I was in the middle of serious negotiations? “I am a knight. My requests to the king will hold more sway than yours.”

“I have been Royal Squire since I was ten years old. The king thinks highly of my opinion. He will not agree to this.”

My gut ached with nerves. Beric was a lord and the Royal Squire? Just one more piece of important information delivered to me far too late for me to make use of it.

“He won’t agree?” I asked, my frustration showing through my voice, “or you won’t allow him to?”

We were quiet for a moment, glaring at one another. And to think, I had asked to see him at court, as if he was the only familiar one to cling to. But that was a flaw of mine, wasn’t it? Trying to see the best in things, to the point that I had fabricated some sort of warmth in him that had never been there to begin with.

Well, I had Albert, Eliza, and Faline. I didn’t need Beric, with his beautiful voice, and deep brown eyes, and childhood dreams of owls.

I felt myself blushing.

Name something bad about him, Cali.

His severe expression. His cold glare. His lack of empathy.

Now I could properly dislike him.

“Well, I’m his Royal Knight,” I countered. “And as long as I’m doing my job, I don’t think the king could spare the time to care whom I keep as a squire. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” I walked by him, striding toward the door. My heart pounded. I was wholly relieved I’d managed to lie my way through the interaction, but equally annoyed I’d needed to.

Albert joined me at the door, and we entered together.