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The silence stretches long enough for my skin to prickle.

Then he sets down the knife and faces me fully, his eyes searching mine with an intensity I don’t merit. Under his scrutinizing gaze, I hunch my shoulders to make myself smaller. “You want to tell him you’re King Edric’s daughter?”

I realize that I do.

When Veradin said to treat Agnar as a guest, something in me shifted, carving out room for the possibility of having the man in my life. I want to introduce myself properly.

I want Agnar to know I’m not just some failed Warden trainee who stumbled into disaster. I am⁠—

What? A princess so disappointing that her own father, the king, refuses to acknowledge her existence because a royal family member can’t be without magic?

The growing lump in my throat chokes me. My entire life, shame has been my ever-present companion. I have no way to get out from under its thumb because that would require becoming a completely different person, and that’s simply not possible.

Veradin holds my gaze for another long moment. In that look, he conveys that he believes I’m behaving foolishly, but he won’t say it out loud because he loves me too much. He’ll simply subject me to this until I self-correct.

The silence extends for too long.

I want to defend myself and explain that withholding information from someone who repeatedly saved my life feels dishonorable, but I don’t say any of that because Veradin is way more worldly than I’ll ever be.

Finally, Veradin returns his attention to the food, picking up the knife to resume his work as if this conversation never happened. “He will assist us or not based on the information we deign to provide. He doesn’t need all the facts. The less he knows of such things, the safer we are.”

I already disappointed Veradin once in this discussion. I can’t bear to do so again. Nodding, I accept the platter he hands me and follow him back into the main cavern where Agnar waits.

Agnar stops staring at the crystals to drool over the food as Veradin and I set it out. The meal is simple but generous, the kind you serve to unexpected guests.

I sit across from Agnar, and Veradin takes the seat at the head of the table, mediating the space by placing himself between us.

I don’t realize how hungry I am until the first bite of fresh bread hits my tongue.

Then my stomach wakes up and demands more. Trail rations nourish the body but not the soul. I eat like I haven’t seen food in days.

Agnar, on the other hand, eats with the prim efficiency of a man familiar with social etiquette. He only consumes what I consume, avoiding the more expensive fruit preserves that are a luxury dish at this time of year.

Veradin’s soft cough reminds me that I’m supposed to report on my mission.

He sips his tea while I struggle to swallow down the bread that has become paste in my mouth. “Esme, tell me what happened. Start on the night you reached Edgehallow.”

Picking up my own cup, which has stopped steaming, I rinse my mouth. Then I explain everything that happened in chronological order. I ignore Agnar as I mention finding Rook’s symbol on the paper, but I can tell he’s smirking at me.

Yes, that proves he was right about me concealing things from him. The pit of secrets I’m still hiding opens up in my stomach, transforming the half-digested bread into lead. However, being correct doesn’t give him the right to belittle me in front of my mentor.

“Rook.” Veradin sighs heavily before setting down his cup. “We suspected as much. This chaos had their signature all over it.”

My head jerks up. “You knew?”

“I received a few reports after you were meant to leave Edgehallow. The pattern fit.” His mouth presses into a thin line. “I’m sorry, child. I would have warned you if I had known sooner.”

I startle. I came here expecting condemnation. Instead, he’s apologizing for not providing information he didn’t even have.

Relief rises in me so quickly, my hands shake. He’s not blaming me. The failure isn’t entirely mine. Rook was always going to get to the room in that gambling den first because Rook always knows things we don’t.

I go on to detail the rest of that night, including the Graywatch, the civilians we saw, and leaving the city. I exclude the kiss and simplify by saying we hid in a doorway.

Neither Veradin nor Agnar flinches when I relay how Agnar took me captive and planned to haul me to his home to interrogate me.

I describe the next few days, including the Withered fields and villages we came across, the refugees, the unnatural monster, Mira and Stark, and the alicorn. The only thing I don’t share is the fact that Agnar used earth magic to battle the bandits and the brutal ways he killed them. When I mention rescuing the dire wolf, Veradin’s mouth pinches, but he doesn’t say a word.

Agnar continues to eat, his eyes wandering around the cave while I talk. Not once does he interfere or correct me. He also doesn’t act innocent about what he did or try to downplay it. I appreciate that.