Chapter 41
Instinct
Evelyn took another bath to clean the memory of Haydn off her skin.
I only feel guilty about Haydn because of my engagement to Leo. I don’t regret sleeping with Haydn. But I also wish it had never happened, if only to relieve the knots of shame in my gut.
What the hell did I get myself into? I shouldn’t have made the Bargain with Haydn. But he was going to tell Leo everything! He looked so… angry. I thought he looked scary, but he was just mad. He’s headed back to Lochmatten now and he will calm down.
He didn’t scare me. He was upset. He wasn’t scary.
But those eyes…
Evelyn forced herself to snap out of the downward spiral. She had been up for hours and was starving. It was too late for breakfast and too early for lunch, but maybe the kitchen staff would take pity on the future queen.
I’m going to be a queen! I’ve barely figured out how to be a princess, as Damien keeps reminding me. Umm… that’s a problem for Future Me to figure out. I have two days to get better at being a princess, which starts right now and not earlier when Haydn was inside me, physically and magically. Shit.
Evelyn entered the dining room, where a large bear that smelled vaguely of wine tackled her.
“Lord Robert!” she gasped.
The Lord of the Taste Court held Evelyn in such a forceful embrace that her feet lifted off the floor.
“My queen!” Lord Robert’s booming voice reverberated off the marble walls.
“If you don’t put her down,” Lord Grégory warned, “she won’t live long enough to become a queen!”
Lord Robert set Evelyn down but kept hold of her shoulders. “No offense to your sister, Princess,” he said in the loudest possible whisper, “but I was hoping it would be you!”
Evelyn laughed uncomfortably. “Thank you?”
“Congratulations, Your Highness,” Lord Grégory said with a smile and a short bow. “We are all very excited for you.”
“I appreciate that.”
I don’t have anything against Lord Grégory necessarily. But he didn’t seem to care about who Leo married, so long as he proposed to a princess.
“Yes.” Lord Stuart stepped forward. “What a beautiful bride you will be.”
She recoiled at his words, which wouldn’t have been creepy coming from any of the other lords.
Lord Nicolas came to Evelyn’s rescue, gently pulling her toward the dining table. “Come join us if you aren’t too excited to eat.”
The lords had been snacking on fruit, pastries, tea, and coffee.
None of that explains Lord Robert. Does he just perpetually smell like wine?
Nicolas chuckled when her stomach growled. Evelyn sat between him and Lord Robert, and they each piled food onto her plate.
“As happy as we all are,” Lord Grégory continued from across the table, “we may have also been a bit surprised by the news.”
“I was expecting an announcement for you and Councilor Ritter,” Lord Stuart said.
You and me both, asshole.
Evelyn plastered on a smile as Bargain magic burned in her throat. “Councilor Ritter and I will remain friends. But Alexander has my heart.”
“Sounds like he had Princess Hannah’s heart, as well,” Lord Stuart added.
“Oh hush, Fontaine,” Lord Robert scolded. “We’re moving forward! Let the girl enjoy her engagement. Don’t you remember what it’s like?”
“Not especially,” Lord Stuart sneered.
Lord Robert and Lord Grégory discussed the extensive guest list for the wedding, but Evelyn couldn’t keep track of the names. Nicolas used magic to fling blueberries at the back of Lord Stuart’s head while he wasn’t looking.
“Will you come outside with me, Princess?” Nicolas requested when she was done eating.
Evelyn agreed and they walked onto the patio, leaving the other lords behind.
“Damien told me you overheard our meeting with Alexander the other day,” Nicolas said.
“Enough of it, at least. I appreciated you throwing my name into the hat.”
“So you admit that I am solely responsible for you becoming a queen?”
Evelyn laughed. “Sure, let’s say that.”
His eyes shone with amusement. “Happy to help.”
“Do you know why my father was so against me? I know he said Hannah is better at everything, but…” Evelyn trailed off and fussed with her curls.
“I don’t know.” Nicolas rocked his head from side to side, making a decision. “Maybe I shouldn’t say this, but your father wasn’t in a great mood this morning. I thought he had received bad news until Alexander came in and announced the engagement.”
Evelyn groaned. “I don’t understand what I did wrong.”
“Not that this narrows it down, but I don’t think it’s about you.”
“Maybe.”
But I don’t want my father upset that I’m getting married.
Gods, how is Hannah going to feel? I need to talk to her.
“When was the last time you had a normal day, Princess?” Nicolas asked.
Evelyn considered it. “Let’s see… This morning, I got engaged. Yesterday, Councilor Ritter showed up at dinner.”
“Am I allowed to ask about that?”
“Nope. Before that was a funeral, a murder, fighting with Alexander, attending the ball, waking up in a hospital, surviving an explosion, and finding mutilated soldiers.”
“Is that all?”
Evelyn shrugged. “My first couple days here weren’t too bad.”
Nicolas touched her arm. “Can I ask a stupid question?”
“Go for it.”
“Are you okay?”
Tears filled Evelyn’s eyes before she had even consciously processed the question. She shook her head.
“Should we slip Lord Stuart a sleeping potion so he can’t attend the wedding?” Nicolas suggested.
“We absolutely should!” Evelyn hugged him.
“Hands off the Princess!” Damien shouted at them.
Evelyn pulled away and wiped at her eyes. Damien jogged over to them.
“Drat!” Nicolas complained with mock irritation. “I had nearly convinced her to run away with me.”
“You don’t even know how not funny that is this week,” Damien grumbled.
“Shut up, Damien,” Evelyn barked.
“We’re going to need to work on your attitude once you’re a queen.”
“Bite me.”
“Don’t tempt him,” Nicolas warned, making Damien smile.
“I actually came out here for a reason,” Damien remembered. “Evelyn, Moeller wants to see you.”
“Moeller? Why?” Evelyn asked.
“He didn’t say. He’s in one of the second floor offices.”
“Do I have to?”
“Oh, do you not like High Councilors anymore?”
“I should have you fired once I’m the queen.”
“I dare you.”
Nicolas put a hand on Damien’s shoulder. “Can you go five minutes without bothering the princess?”
Damien grinned at him. “Do I get to bother you instead?”
“Run while you can, Evelyn,” Nicolas advised without breaking eye contact with Damien.
Councilor Moeller had several open books spread out on the desk in front of him.
Evelyn tapped a heel to get his attention. “You wanted to see me?”
He glanced up with his usual expression of mild distaste. “Have a seat.”
Feeling slightly trapped, she sat in an armchair facing him.
“That’s a lovely necklace,” Moeller commented. “My wife on the Legislative Council has one just like it.”
“What a coincidence,” Evelyn said dryly.
“Did your father give it to you?”
Damien asked me the same thing.
“No, he didn’t. Why would you think it was my father?” Evelyn asked.
“Ah, so it was Ritter.”
“Is that important?”
“What kind of magic do you have?”
“Are you going to answer any of my questions?”
“Unlikely. What power can you access?”
“Fire,” Evelyn said defiantly.
Moeller raised a brow expectantly. “And?”
Evelyn double-checked that the door was closed. “Energy.”
“Hmm. I suppose that isn’t surprising.”
“Why not?”
“Do you want me to show you how to use it?”
“I know how to use it!”
Moeller leaned back in his chair. “Can you do anything other than make some pretty light appear between your fingers?”
She blushed. “Not yet.”
He smirked. “I’ll ask you again. Do you want me to teach you?”
“Why would you do that?”
“First, because it’s my job to train fae of Lochmatten how to use their magic correctly.”
“I’m not from Lochmatten.”
“Second, because you are more likely to hurt yourself if you don’t understand how your power works.”
Evelyn had read a similar warning in her book about Energy magic. “What do you want in return?”
Moeller rolled his eyes. “I’m not Ritter. Not everything has to be a Bargain. I’ll settle for knowing you won’t accidentally blow up your own palace.”
His words triggered a connection in Evelyn’s mind. “Is it possible… Could Energy magic be what caused the explosion in the city?”
Moeller gazed at her curiously. “Theoretically, yes. But so could Fire magic and several other abilities or accidents.”
“Have you been to the bar where it happened?”
“I have. The most notable thing is the absence of any evidence one way or the other.”
“Would Energy leave a trace?”
“Not necessarily. Someone talented could probably even cast it quickly enough to account for the lack of witnesses among the survivors.”
“So it could have been someone from Lochmatten?” Evelyn asked.
Moeller frowned. “That’s a dangerous accusation to make, Princess.”
“I’m not accusing anyone! It’s just a question.”
“It’s possible. The problem is how the person responsible was able to leave fast enough to avoid killing themself. Unless they didn’t, or they are among the injured. Ending up in the hospital would be an excellent alibi.”
Damien was the only person I saw leave after the explosion, and Haydn was already gone.
“Is there anything you can tell me about that night?” Moeller asked. “I don’t agree with Alexander’s decision to prevent General Savatier from interviewing you.”
Evelyn scowled. “You think I had something to do with it?”
“No. I just don’t like that everyone here seems to pick and choose when you are allowed to be useful. You saved dozens of lives, but you weren’t given the chance to talk about it?”
She felt a surge of pride at his words.
That’s what I tried to tell General Savatier the night of the ball. I didn’t know then that Leo was involved.
“Alexander was with me the whole time,” Evelyn said. “He saw everything I did.”
“Just because you are marrying him doesn’t mean you are the same person. Give your own instincts a little credit.”
“I didn’t see anything unusual. I don’t know what happened.”
Moeller looked skeptical but didn’t push it. “Come back to this office after dinner and I’ll show you how to use your magic.”
“I don’t remember agreeing to that,” Evelyn argued.
“You’ll be here, or I’ll ask Fontaine to fetch you. I assume he doesn’t know yet what you’ve been up to.”
Dammit.
“After dinner,” she agreed.
Moeller inclined his head. “Have a pleasant afternoon, Princess. Do let me know if you remember anything important.”