Chapter 25
Sebastian: The Final Task
Sebastian’s mind was racing faster than his feet as Lady Soto hurried him down the hallways. Lucy knew someone who used obsidian weapons, that was quite certain. But who was it?
It might have been a member of her family, he supposed, but he doubted it. Neither of her brothers nor her father favored human weapons, preferring tooth and claw to steel, and her sisters and mother weren’t warriors, as far as he knew.
Did she have any friends who were fighters? He wasn’t sure. When they were courting, most of their friends were servants at Farraday, and very few of them were proficient with weaponry. Even if they were, none of them could afford a high-quality weapon like an arrow made up of obsidian.
That left someone from her pack, which lined up with her claim that the person no longer had access to it after leaving the pack.
He realized that the only person he knew from her pack was Thaddeus Wilde.
Could he have been the owner of the obsidian arrow?
It was a nice, tidy answer, one he much preferred to the alternatives, but then, why hadn’t Lucy wanted to share her suspicions?
He couldn’t come up with an answer, and he hated that. He needed to talk to her soon, if only so that he could set his mind at ease.
Sebastian could only wonder for a few more moments, because all too soon, they were back in the throne room, facing a very perturbed emperor and two teams of extremely irritated designers.
The emperor scowled and grumbled something Sebastian couldn’t understand.
Lady Soto didn’t bother to translate, so Sebastian could only imagine that the man was threatening him.
He mumbled an apology, which, thankfully, Lady Soto deigned to translate, though, from the lengthiness of her speech, he suspected that her apology involved a lot more groveling.
Eventually, the emperor held up a hand to stop Lady Soto’s barrage of words and clapped his hands.
Immediately, Han stepped forward. He pontificated for several minutes, complete with elaborate hand gestures.
Even so, Lady Soto didn’t translate. Irritation coursed through Sebastian’s veins.
He leaned over to her and whispered, “What’s he saying? ”
“Nothing of import. He’s congratulating today’s winner,” Lady Soto whispered.
Sebastian resisted the urge to roll his eyes. At least he’d already gotten this information from Robin. He caught sight of the young prince in the room’s corner, studying the competitors. As if he felt Sebastian’s gaze, his eyes wandered in his direction.
A frown crossed the prince’s face, but a cry from Mai and Aiako distracted Sebastian from wondering about it.
The two women were crying and shouting at the emperor, who, for his part, seemed completely unaffected.
A cruel smile played along Lady Soto’s face, but she merely clapped her hands.
Immediately, two guards appeared in the throne room and practically dragged the Umberian designers from the room.
The silence that they’d left behind was palpable.
Sebastian snuck a look at the Zaffyrian designers.
Pride made both their chests puff out and cast him smug looks.
Sebastian returned his focus to the front, where the emperor was once again speaking.
The unintelligible words flowed over Sebastian.
Yet still, Lady Soto didn’t give him an inkling of what he should be doing.
At last, Emperor Zoun clapped his hand and made shooing motions with his hands.
“He says you should go prepare for the parade,” Lady Soto said, translating at last.
“Perfect. I’ll be right back,” Sebastian said, jogging over to where the prince was still lurking.
“Ah, good morning, again, Mr. Doyle,” Robin said. “Where is your lovely partner?”
Sebastian looked around to ensure they were alone. “Lady Soto suggested she stay behind in the studio. She has some…rather visible bruises.” He blanched as he remembered the unmistakable handprints on her neck.
Robin frowned. “Visible bruises? Did something happen that I wasn’t aware of?”
Sebastian bit his lip. “I believe so; it was her knife that was sticking out of that brutish werewolf last night and some things she’s told me about Thaddeus Wilde make me think…
but she was in no shape to talk about what happened last night.
And I haven’t had the chance to ask her about it this morning. ”
“Well, I’ll accompany you back to the studio, then. I’d like to see the damage myself.”
The barely repressed anger in the prince’s words startled Sebastian. He studied the young man. “I’m not bringing you with me if you’re just going to berate her.”
“I have no intention of berating her. I just want to know exactly how much effort I need to put into hunting down Thaddeus Wilde,” Robin said.
“Even if she were not under my protection, I have a score to settle with the man, and I realized last night that if we let him go, he’s free to do it to someone else. I intend to see justice done.”
Sebastian nodded. “Fine. But on our way, can you please tell me what the schedule and task is for today? I speak very little Umberian and Lady Soto was less than helpful.”
Robin shook his head as they headed out of the throne room. “Ah, yes. Ms. Soto is acutely concerned with appearances, and your lateness has, it seems, reflected poorly upon her. Why, I don’t know. The woman is infuriating.”
“Well, you only have to put up with it for a few more days. I’m sure after the ball, you’ll be free to go back to your…investment.” Sebastian winked at the prince.
“I wish. My brother’s disappearance requires me to go back to Hopka as soon as the competition is over.
It may be some time before I can come back to Moyar.
” For a moment, Robin’s mask of neutrality dropped and concern shone from his blue eyes.
“I am worried. Kit’s never disappeared like this before.
And for it to happen just after he visited Queen Snow White to end their courtship… something about it doesn’t sit right.”
Sebastian stared at him. “He ended the courtship? I hadn’t heard that.”
“Both kingdoms are trying to avoid a scandal. But Kit refused to marry her on the grounds of some disturbing reports we got from our scouts of brutality along our borders. A patrol accidentally wandered into Coleur, and they were sent back to us in pieces.” Robin scowled.
“The men carried few weapons, and it was an accident. Coleur and Hopka are allies. There was no reason for any violence.”
“I can see why that would sour a courtship,” Sebastian said. “Unless it happened without the Queen’s knowledge.”
“Even if it didn’t, we’d have to reevaluate our relationship with the kingdom.
And, besides, she's considerably older than my brother. Kit always does his duties...even if he doesn't want to, but all the same, he was grateful for an excuse to break the engagement,” Robin said. He lapsed into silence for a moment. “But that doesn’t matter at the moment. You asked about today’s schedule. ”
“Yes,” Sebastian said, relieved at the change of subject.
“The parade starts in roughly an hour. You have until then to prepare today’s designs. After the parade, you’ll have seven hours to prepare an outfit for the emperor’s appearance at the royal ball tomorrow night. You won’t know who won the competition until he appears at the ball tomorrow night.”
Sebastian shook his head. “Nothing like keeping us on the edge of our seats,” he grumbled.
Robin shrugged. “I think it’s ensuring everyone sticks around for the ball.
Though, in hindsight, I don’t think the emperor was expecting quite the vehement reaction from the Umberian designers.
He might not want them to make an appearance.
” He shot Sebastian a sly glance. “Besides, would it be so bad for you to attend a ball with Lady Lucy?”
Sebastian’s heart dropped to his stomach. “Oh galloping gryphons. I hadn’t thought about that. I knew she’d attend, but I never thought about me.”
Robin laughed. “I never thought I’d see a man so afraid to attend a ball. Honestly, they’re not that scary.” He thought for a moment. “Well, unless you count the marriage-minded mamas and desperate dilatants. But I don’t think you need to worry about that.”
“Oh, thanks ever so much,” Sebastian muttered.
“You’re very welcome,” Robin grinned. “No, you’ll be fine. And you might even make the night manageable for me. It’s been a long time since I attended any balls with a friend.”
“I’m glad I may be of help,” Sebastian said. “Now, then, is there anything I should know about today’s task?”
“You’re creating an outfit fit for a royal ball that reflects something about the kingdom. How you do that, I’m not entirely sure, but you’re the designer.” Robin pushed the door to the studio open.
Lucy was sitting at her worktable, hunched over a new set of paintings.
She didn’t seem to notice their entry, focusing entirely on her brush strokes.
Sebastian leaned against the door, watching her.
He loved the way her brow furrowed in concentration, the dabs of paint she had on her face and tunic.
It was utterly enchanting, making her imminently more beautiful than the stuck-up women he’d seen parading through any of the courts he’d visited.
He snuck a glance at Robin. The prince’s jaw was clenched so hard that Sebastian feared he might crack a tooth.
His eyes lingered on the ugly purple blotches around her neck and the scratches on her arms that she’d revealed by rolling up her sleeves.
“I will kill him for this,” he muttered under his breath.
“Please don’t. I don’t want you to stoop to his level.” Lucy didn’t look up from her paintings. “You could come in, you know, instead of lurking in doorways.”
“We could,” Sebastian said. “But I wouldn’t want to distract you.”
“You wouldn’t distract me.” Now Lucy looked up from her paintings. “Actually, I was going to come looking for you if you didn’t show up soon. Did the announcements run longer than normal?”
“No, but I had to go talk to Robin to find out what our task was. Lady Soto’s translation skills leave something to be desired,” Sebastian said, crossing the room.
As he got closer, he tried to see what she was working on, but Lucy quickly covered them. When he frowned at her, she smiled apologetically. “Sorry. These aren’t for the competition.”
“I’d still like to see them,” Sebastian said, lowering his voice.
Lucy hesitated. “Not…not right now. Maybe another time.”
Sebastian nodded. He would not push. Instead, he turned to Robin, who was still standing in the doorway. “Are you going to be at the parade?”
The prince’s gaze remained fastened upon Lucy’s injuries. “What?”
“The parade. Will you be at the parade?” Lucy asked. “I don’t know if I should go. I’m not sure I’m exactly…presentable.”
“You’re coming,” Sebastian said. “I don’t care what Lady Soto says. If you’re self-conscious, you could wear your cloak. It should cover up the worst of the wounds.”
Lucy hesitated. “Well…I don’t know.”
“You will come as my guest. Someone has to keep this reprobate in check. Plus, I trust you to keep a weather-eye out for trouble,” Robin said, forcing a smile. “Please come, Lady Lucy.”
Lucy sighed, but put aside her brushes. “Very well. But you, of all people, should know that I’m not a lady.”
Robin shot Sebastian a warning glance as he bowed and said, “I most emphatically disagree, my lady, but I will not press the issue.”
Lucy studied the faces of both the men warily but didn’t speak. She simply grabbed her cloak, which she’d left on a nearby bench. “Very well. I’ll accompany you to the parade. But only because I’m curious to see the emperor’s reaction to discovering that the other designers tricked him.”
“You think he’s going to figure that out today?” Robin asked.
“Oh, I’m quite certain of it. The only question is whether he’s going to live over his stupidity.” She shook her head as she lifted the hood over her wild curls. “I have a terrible feeling about all of this, that’s all.”
“It’s probably well warranted,” Sebastian conceded. “But we’ll be there to make sure whatever they have planned fails.”