Chapter 25
Twenty-Five
To my surprise, Caiden is waiting at the door with Juliette and the earl. The earl is even older than I thought he’d be. His wrinkled face is dotted with dark spots, and his white hair is combed over a nearly bald head in thin wisps.
With any luck, he’ll die shortly after the wedding and Juliette can live the rest of her life as a mourning widow.
I want to tell her that, but she’s standing near him, a fake smile plastered on her face.
“I thought I would join you all on your excursion,” Caiden says as he walks over to greet me. He kisses my cheek, the touch making my skin crawl. At least it’s brief.
“What a pleasant surprise,” I say.
“I’ve ordered two carriages. The ladies can take the larger so they can gossip,” Caiden says playfully.
Where is this coming from? It’s making me uncomfortable. It’s one thing for him to be kind to me in private but showing it in front of others makes it seem more genuine.
“Your Highness,” Brevan says. “I think we should divide the ladies and ensure they have someone who can fight in each carriage.”
“Nonsense,” Caiden says. “We’ll follow right behind them. If something happens, we’ll see.”
“Of course.” Brevan nods.
I give him a cheeky smile. “Enjoy your man carriage.”
He shakes his head.
We pile into the larger carriage. It’s a tight fit, especially with our full skirts, but we all manage to have a place to sit. The carriage is luxurious, and the benches are about twice as long as they were in the carriage I arrived in.
The ladies share stories about the market. Apparently, in the summer, there are so many flowers that artisans weave them into sculptures. In the deepest part of winter, they turn ice into the shapes of animals or people.
It’s not a long journey, and when we arrive, we’re escorted out of the carriage by Caiden, Brevan, and the earl. Though, the latter mostly just stands there nodding along as the other two help each woman down the stairs.
The scents of cinnamon and pine are almost overwhelming as soon as I leave the carriage.
We’re at one end of the marketplace, and people fill the streets.
They dart in and out of shops and stop by little tables set up with vendors selling food or goods.
It’s not unlike the shops on Silk Row, but none of the tables block the permanent structures behind them.
There are people everywhere. All of them dressed in their finest clothes.
Some of the women wear bonnets to cover their hair.
I don’t see a single scarf used for that purpose.
Before now, I’ve only ever seen a bonnet once before, and I thought it looked rather silly.
Now, they’re on half the women walking down this street.
Some carry parasols while they hold up their heavy skirts to avoid puddles.
The men are dressed in suits, similar to how Caiden and the earl are dressed.
Brevan stands out in his leather armor. He and Caiden are taller than most of the men, including the earl.
The old man is taller than me, but only by an inch or two.
When he walks next to the other men, it makes him look shorter than he is.
I’m bombarded by more scents and sounds the closer we get. I smell herbs and spices I can’t place mingling with cooking meat and fried dough.
“We should go to the soapery,” Charlotte says. “I want to see if they made any more jasmine soap.”
“I love the bath salts they sell. The kind with the roses,” Genevieve adds.
“Follow your friends, my dear, and show me what you want,” the earl says to Juliette. “I’ll purchase anything your heart desires.”
She smiles, but it looks more like a grimace. The earl either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care.
We pass stalls selling fruit I didn’t even know you could get this time of year. A winery has a table in front of it selling cups of steaming mulled wine.
“That’s what I want,” the earl says. “Anyone else?”
I decline, as do Brevan and Caiden, but the earl purchases a mug for everyone else.
At first, nobody notices us. They’re going about their business, flitting in and out of shops with bags full of their treasures. Until someone stops and gasps, then bows. People begin to stare.
Others bow, too, and some ladies curtsy. I hear whispers in our wake, but nobody stops us, so we continue along.
After purchasing soap, I stroll with the other ladies, going wherever they choose. It’s all new to me, and I look the part of a foreigner even though I’ve spent most of my life living not too far from here.
As we walk, I scan for any familiar faces or rebellion stars on buildings. I know it’s not likely, but I don’t want to miss someone if they happened to be here.
It’s nearing lunchtime, and we’ve still only visited about half of the offerings. It’s much larger than the marketplace on Silk Row.
A pair of legionnaires rushes toward us, shoving past people who don’t move out of their way quickly enough, completely focused on reaching us.
I know before they arrive that something is wrong.
Caiden and Brevan step aside, and while I can’t hear their whispered conversation, I watch as their faces darken, their expressions turning to scowls, and their eyes dart to our group on occasion.
My pulse races. They found out. They know who I am. I’m so close but not close enough. All this time for nothing.
“Try this,” Charlotte says, handing me a date. I take it from her and try not to look like I’m watching the men too intently.
I don’t even taste the fruit when I eat it.
Finally, they return to us, and Caiden sets his hand on my upper arm. “I hate to do this, but something’s come up and I have to return.”
“Alright, do you want me to go with you?” I offer, because I expect it’s the polite thing to do.
“No, you stay with Brevan and the ladies. Have fun,” he says. “Anything you want you can charge to the emperor’s accounts.”
“That’s very generous,” I reply.
“I’ll see you at dinner,” Caiden says.
I glance over at Brevan, my brow furrowed in silent question. He shakes his head, then turns his attention to the crowd, avoiding looking at me.
I spend the rest of the afternoon terrified about what I might find when we return. Have I left anything in my room that might give me away? Did someone reveal my secret? Has a rebel who knows of our plan been captured and confessed?
My ears buzz, and I do my best to be happy with the others, but the joy is gone. I needed that reminder, though. Even if this isn’t about me, I need to refocus. I should be reading the books in my room, not out here shopping like an aristocrat.
Brevan hands me a flatbread filled with some kind of meat. “You need to eat. You look like a ghost.”
I take it from him. “What happened back there? Why did he leave?”
“There’s always something,” he says. “But it’s nothing you need to worry about.”
I hate that his words actually loosen the knot in my stomach. If it were about me, I think he’d give me a hint. Then again, why should he? He’d be the first to turn on me if the truth came out.
I look over at him, remembering that he could be in my head right now. “Do you listen to people while you’re out like this?”
“Only if I have to,” he says. “There’s so much noise. So many thoughts. If I try to listen, it’s overwhelming. It’s better to ignore it unless I have a reason.”
I take a bite of the food. It’s warm and flavorful. I don’t recognize any of the spices, but they’re delicious. I eat every bite.
“Do you know who I am?” the earl shouts at a vendor. “I could have you killed. Or I could kill you myself and nobody would say anything.”
Brevan and I exchange a glance, then we both hurry toward the disturbance.
In the middle of the street, a woman is cowering in front of the earl. She’s hugging herself while she bites her lip and tries not to break down completely.
A crowd has gathered to watch, all of them silent, none of them approaching.
“You need to be taught a lesson.” The earl slaps the woman across the face twice.
She gasps, then puts her hand to her red cheek.
I push my way through the crowd and dart in front of her just as the earl lowers his hand to slap her again. He hits me instead.
He recoils. “Your Highness, I didn’t mean…Where did you come from?”
My cheek burns, but I don’t dare show him how badly that slap hurt. I glare at him. “Turn around. Walk away. Now.”
Brevan moves in front of me, his back to me, and I can imagine the look of disdain he must be giving the earl.
“Return to your carriage,” Brevan says. “Your visit here is complete.”
“I was well within my right to retaliate,” the earl says. “Just look at what she did to me.”
“It was an accident,” the woman behind me whimpers.
I peer around Brevan just enough to see that the earl is pointing to his shirt. It’s doused in mulled wine.
“I didn’t see him,” she says. “I didn’t mean to bump into him.”
“This is because someone bumped into you?” I march toward the earl. “You cowardly, terrible excuse for a human being.”
Brevan grabs me and pulls me to his chest. “He’s not worth it.”
“I will be telling the emperor about your behavior, Princess. Here in Pendralia, women know their place.”
I grunt as I try to break out of Brevan’s hold. “You piece of dung. You’re a worthless waste of air.”
The earl smirks, then his eyes go up, probably meeting Brevan’s. “You really need to put her in her place. Before she gets herself killed.”
“Did you just threaten the princess?” Brevan asks.
He loosens his grip just enough that I can get out, and I charge the earl, knocking him to the ground. I lift my fist, but Brevan has me in his arms again, pulling me off the asshole before I can complete the punch.
“Get him out of here, now,” Brevan demands. “In fact, trip is over. Everyone to the carriages.” He turns to the crowd, arms still wrapped around me, so I’m pinned against him. “Show’s over, everyone return to your business.”
Once he lets go of me, I move around him and see that the earl and my ladies are moving quickly, already several shops away as they head toward the carriages. I turn to the woman who is still trembling behind me. “Are you alright?”
She nods, then gingerly touches her cheek. “I’ll be fine. Probably won’t even leave a mark.”
“He had no right.” I bite out the words, furious at the earl.
“I offended him,” she whispers. “I should have been more careful. I should have seen him, and then I wouldn’t have run into him.”
“It was an accident,” I tell her. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
She makes the sign of the gods, then curtsies. “May the gods bless you, Princess. May they keep you just as you are. Our people could use someone who fights for us.”
“I will,” I assure her. “I always will.”
It is a good reminder about what I am doing. Why I am in this dress, why I am in the castle. “Take me back, Brevan.”
He nods, then walks alongside me. He’s so close our bodies brush against one another. I think he’s worried after what just happened. I shove down the flutters in my chest.
He didn’t kill my brothers, and I get the sense that he’s just as trapped as I am—as we all are.
But that doesn’t change the fact that he works for the emperor.
Even if his loyalty is forced with a relic, he’s still loyal.
Which means he’s my enemy. And you aren’t supposed to feel flutters in your chest for your enemy.