Thirty-Six - Isabel
???
The next morning, I approached the constables’ office where I had been stationed with a great deal of trepidation. I had been gone for nearly three weeks, but it wasn’t the status of my job that made me reluctant to enter the building. Discovering I had been fired would almost be a relief at this point. I wasn’t certain I could stomach working for Chief Nassan any longer.
I was ready to have my talents appreciated, not belittled. And between the wages Felix would pay me until he broke the curse and the emeralds, I could afford to walk away from a job that wasn’t what I wanted.
If it weren’t for Frederic, I wouldn’t have even bothered returning to the office. But my mentor deserved answers, though I couldn’t tell him everything. Unfortunately, even Sofia had seen through my misdirections, which meant Frederic would not be satisfied. I only hoped he didn’t figure out my feelings for Felix like my twin had. He wasn’t a romantic. He’d react even worse if he knew I was in love with the duke. It would be proof to him that Felix had manipulated me.
I sighed. At least my sister didn’t question my feelings. As soon as she realized, she had adjusted her own view of Felix, trusting that I wouldn’t fall for anyone unworthy. I wasn’t sure if that was due to her optimistic nature or her trust in me, but I appreciated the support. Especially given the rumors.
According to Sofia, the most popular rumor was that Felix had abused the power of the node to force me to the castle. And though that was actually true, the townsfolk’s’ lurid speculations on why he would do such a thing were enough to make my blood boil. I wished the rumors that had villainized me had taken off instead. At least then the worst that could be said about Felix was that he was too blinded by lust to recognize a mercenary social-climber when she lifted her skirts.
But Marc had twisted the truth brilliantly. Scandal was brewing, with a member of the royal family due to arrive and hear about this misuse of power within days.
I needed to convince Frederic that nothing sinister had occurred. If I couldn’t get him on my side, then I had no chance of getting the rest of the populace to consider a different view of the duke.
I squared my shoulders and marched inside. The building was relatively small, not being the main headquarters for the constabulary in Leort. We had our own block of holding cells in the back, a waiting room, an interrogation room, and a large space with desks for each of the constables assigned to this section of the city. In the waiting room, Miss Lapine gaped at me, but I was through to the main room before she said anything. Only a few desks were occupied. The constables spent more time walking the streets than filling out paperwork.
Frederic, however, always spent the first hour of the morning writing his reports from the day before. He claimed it was the most efficient use of his time, since most people were too sleepy to cause problems so early. He looked up, ingrained habit making him check who had come through the door. It was such an unconscious scan that he was already looking back at the paper on his desk before he realized that seeing me was a surprise.
He threw his pen down and leapt to his feet. “Isa! You’re all right. Where have you been?”
I glanced around the room. Better to satisfy curious ears now. Asking to speak to Frederic privately would only make more tongues wag. I prepared myself for the outburst certain to come. “Rose Castle.”
Sure enough, every person in the room reacted. Only a handful of people, and yet a storm of outrage. Some directed at Felix, some at me. I kept my attention on Frederic, whose face was purpling with rage. I spoke softly, knowing the constables would quiet in order not to miss a word. “He hired me to help with a project.”
“Don’t give me that bull. I know you, Isa. You’d never have disappeared without a word if you had a choice.”
I inclined my head, conceding his point. “There was an element of urgency and secrecy. Also, the initial job offer came through my father, which left me in a bit of a bind.”
The constables—of course—knew plenty about my father. I felt no guilt at leading them to blame him instead of Felix for my abrupt departure. It was Edwin’s fault, too, after all.
Frederic’s eyes narrowed. “The duke’s been holed up at his estate for going on three months now. What did he need your help for?”
I raised an eyebrow. “I already said it was a matter of secrecy. I can’t discuss it.”
“That’s not good enough. I went out to Rose Castle a few days ago. I didn’t see you or anyone there.”
“That’s because the duke and I were the only people at the estate. I was busy when you came, and you were gone by the time I learned of your visit.”
“Are you certain? I waited for hours, but some magic knocked me from the hillside, and I couldn’t get back up to the castle after that.”
I was momentarily distracted. “It knocked you down the hill? You didn’t just materialize there?”
The banishment Truth must have worked differently than the one used to summon people. I wondered what happened if someone was inside when they were banished from castle grounds.
Frederic looked at me like I had grown a second head. I pushed aside my speculations. “Sorry, I’m getting off topic. Yes, I am certain. I didn’t learn of your visit until hours had gone by, and I checked around the entire base of the hillside for you. Of course, if you had knocked, instead of attempting to break a window, perhaps the duke would have allowed you entry to the castle.”
My mentor crossed his arms. “Don’t go blaming this on me. Something odd is going on in Truthhold, and I want to know what.”
“I can’t tell you,” I repeated. “But Duke Felix is not the one to blame. He is coping with a situation not of his making to the best of his ability.”
Frederic still wasn’t satisfied. It didn’t surprise me, but I also wasn’t sure what else I could say that would satisfy him. What reassurance could I add that wouldn’t raise his suspicions about my relationship with Felix?
Before I could decide, the door to the front room opened, and Miss Lapine poked her head through. “There is a messenger here for Miss Cardh. He says it is urgent.”
I had no idea who would send me a message, but I appreciated the interruption all the same. Then I realized what the receptionist had called me. Miss Cardh. Not Constable Cardh. It might have been nothing more than her repeating the title the messenger had used, but I knew it wasn’t.
I signaled to Miss Lapine that I would be out in a moment, then turned back to Frederic. “Is it official, then? Not that I’m surprised, but the chief decided to fire me without waiting for an explanation?”
Frederic looked away.
“Right. I’d better see what this messenger wants then.”
“Isa—”
“It’s fine. Like I said, I’m not surprised.”
“We can still—”
“No.” I met my mentor’s eyes. “You know what the oddest thing was these last few weeks? It wasn’t the fact that the castle was practically deserted. It wasn’t the abundance of magic. It was the fact that my skills were respected, appreciated, and praised. I’m not going to beg Chief Nassan for another chance to be dismissed constantly.”
I walked away. Soon, I’d have to talk to Frederic again, but for now he could ponder what I had already told him.
In the front room, a man I didn’t know—though he looked vaguely familiar—waited for me in a chair along the wall. He stood when I came through the door. “Miss Cardh. Berklay requests your presence at the Truthhold offices.”
Ah. He was one of the secretaries I had seen the day before. I nodded and followed him to the door. “Do you know why he needs me?”
I hadn’t expected to have anything more to do with the castle’s staff after dropping off the documents from Felix. Perhaps Sofia and I were wrong, and the emeralds really had been meant for Berklay? There had been no mention of them in the note I had helped Felix revise, but he might have written others I hadn’t known about.
The secretary gave me a nervous smile. “I believe he would like your assistance with Her Highness, as you have had the most recent contact with His Grace.”
“The princess? Is she in Leort now? I thought she wasn’t due to arrive for a few more days.”
“As did we all, Miss Cardh.”
Tsy take it! I hadn’t had a chance to do anything to address the rumors yet. Nor had my spying session with Sofia the night before helped me figure out what Marc and Cecily hoped to achieve by ruining Felix’s reputation. They wanted the princess to be wary of him, at the least, but how did that help Cecily become the Duchess of Truthhold?
The only thing I knew at this point was that if she gained the title, Marc would be the one pulling her strings behind the scenes. But figuring out their plans would have to wait. I had a princess to meet.
???
Berklay met mein the room where I had first seen him the day before. The atmosphere was even more frenzied today, but this time everyone paid attention to me, giving me a clear path to the butler.
“Miss Cardh, thank goodness. Her Highness is waiting for you in the meeting room.”
“Why is Her Highness waiting for me?” I had never expected to meet her, hoping to disrupt the rumors before she ever arrived in Leort.
“She is not satisfied with the report I was able to give her about the status of His Grace. As you are the most recent visitor, she wishes to hear your impressions.”
My magic clanged wildly. Berklay wasn’t intentionally trying to misdirect me, he simply had a habit of speaking in a manner that reduced everything to innocuous terms. Though his duties differed from what most people would consider the role of a butler, he was still very much a butler in that regard.
The princess had likely already heard the rumors. She must have arrived in Leort the night before. A single night in town would be enough to bring the story to her ears, especially when the purpose of her visit was a trip to Rose Castle.
I swallowed. “What story did you give her?”
He must have said something more than he had told the general populace of Leort. He hadn’t told us anything, and I couldn’t imagine a princess accepting such an answer.
“I informed Her Highness that His Grace has been indisposed and without the energy to entertain visitors.”
“Right.” I nodded. “Show me to the meeting room.”
Berklay led me to a paneled door, holding it open and announcing me before stepping back and letting the door close.
I blinked at the door for a moment. Apparently, butlers didn’t do introductions like the rest of us. Then I remembered who he had announced me to and focused my attention.
Princess Charmina Devaoile was a few years my junior, with silvery blond hair, hazel eyes, and features that straddled the line between fragile and sharp. She was standing, so I easily could tell that she was taller than me, though most people were.
I dropped into a hasty curtsey. “Your Highness.”
She nodded her head. “Miss Cardh. Please sit with me a moment.”
We took seats on opposite sides of the long table filling the room. It occurred to me only as I settled into place that the princess was alone, which surprised me. Shouldn’t she have guards hovering at her sides?
I bit my tongue and didn’t ask.
Princess Charmina smiled, and the expression wasn’t calculated. It was good-natured and friendly. “No questions?”
I cleared my throat. “I was under the impression you had questions for me, Your Highness. Did you wish for me to question you instead?”
“Well, it looked like you were wondering something.”
This was not how I had expected my interview with the princess to go, but there was no deceit in her prompts. She wasn’t setting me up, planning to ensnare me and use my words against me later. With a mental shrug, I decided to ask. I wasn’t one to overlook a chance to question anyone, even a princess. “I was wondering where your guards are.”
“Outside. While I do have a contingent of the royal guard traveling with me, they are not fastened to my side like bodyguards. There is no need for such paranoia in the heart of Nemya. Unless you know something I don’t?”
“It seems likely there are things I know that you don’t, but no threats to you. I still expected guards, though.”
“It took a few years to convince them to allow me this much freedom. But I cannot get to know the people of the kingdom if guards always stand between me and them.”
I remembered the reason Princess Charmina was here, the contract she would sign promising to uphold the cycle of consorts law. She must marry a commoner within a few years. For that reason, she had spent much more of her time around the regular citizens of Nemya than a princess normally would. If her aim had been to make her future subjects—and possible future spouse—comfortable around her, a bodyguard would have made things difficult.
I suspected she would have persevered, even with such an obstacle though. There was something artless about Her Highness. It wasn’t just her age, and she wasn’t na?ve. Rather, she was earnest. I met her eyes. “You want to know about Duke Felix.”
She nodded. “I knew Rose Castle had closed to visitors, but I was surprised to learn that His Grace had not made an exception for me. My business here does not require a negotiation or a lengthy stay. Indeed, the contract is already written out. I signed it back in Haiwella with my parents as witnesses. I need only visit the castle long enough to watch His Grace witness the contract and bind it with the power of the Truthhold node.”
I could tell that no excuse would be enough to make the princess stray from her set course, but I tried anyway. Perhaps I could at least delay her a few more days. Felix had said his experiments the day before hadn’t been a waste. Maybe he had discovered enough that he was transforming himself back into a human even now.
“As I’m sure Berklay informed you, His Grace is indisposed. He is capable of witnessing contracts and passing them through the node, and will gladly fulfill his duties in that regard for you, but he insists that visitors not come to the castle at present.”
“And yet, you have recently been his guest, have you not?” There was speculation in the princess’s remark, but not outright suspicion. Either she hadn’t heard the worst of the rumors, or she knew enough about gossip to withhold judgment.
I spoke slowly, testing my words against the limitations of the contract binding me to secrecy. “I’m afraid His Grace’s indisposition is the result of magic. The castle swarms with power at present. I am a truth-reader myself and have been helping the duke with experiments meant to solve the issue. For someone without truth-magic of their own, it would be uncomfortable at best currently. It would certainly be inadvisable for the heir to the throne to expose herself to such a situation.”
I tried to stick as close to the truth as possible as I explained the situation. Not because I felt that bending the truth was any better than outright lying to Her Highness, but because lies were harder to track. They led to questions the liar had never considered and required a careful memory of everything said.
“Was there not a secretary at the castle, too? I do not believe he was a mage?”
I bit back a grimace. “He was not a mage, but he also had to leave shortly after I arrived.”
The princess’s eyes narrowed. “I see. Well, I did arrive ahead of schedule and wouldn’t object to spending a few days exploring the town. Hopefully, His Grace can solve the magical issue quickly. While I trust him to do his duty, I cannot in good conscience fail to witness my contract being bound by the node. I will wait until the end of the week to ride out to Rose Castle.”
Not letting out a sigh of relief taxed my control, but I managed. We still had a few days. There was still a chance Felix wouldn’t have to let the world know what had happened to him.
As it turned out, my sigh would have been premature. Felix might have been granted a few days’ grace, but I wasn’t.
“Will you do me the honor of guiding me around town today, Miss Cardh?”