Chapter 7
A Beleaguered Bargain
T he Zinferan assistant? He has five children back home?”
“He doesn’t look old enough to have one child, let alone five!”
“What about the rumor about Lord Tamlin Ashowan? That he weeps anytime he sees sunlight?”
Tam and Eli sat in the well-hidden shadows of the second-story window as they heard the excited discussions taking place between the laundry maids and the maids tasked with scrubbing the floors on their way to dump out their buckets. It was the day after the council meeting, and it hadn’t taken long for Tam’s supposed mischief to take root.
“See? Perfectly harmless,” Tam cited casually to his assistant.
“His Highness and your father know these rumors are fake.”
“Exactly. Most of these servants will also know they are fake, but they don’t want to quash them. They’ll want to keep the rumors going because people love gossip, so they’ll twist it using something they know to be true.”
“That’s irresponsible. What if they guess something that is true, or is hurtful?” Eli asked sternly.
“Lord Tamlin walks around in the daylight all the time! He’s probably just going blind! That’s why he doesn’t look up very much!” The fervid retort of one of the maids down below echoed up to the future duke and his assistant.
Eli stared at Tam flatly, as though expecting him to look regretful in the face of such a ridiculous farce.
Tam merely considered the maid’s theory while nodding. “It’s better than people thinking I see death hovering over those who are about to die.”
“Did you plant all the rumors that exist about you?” Eli risked a quick look down at the maids while craning her neck over the stone window ledge.
Tam shrugged. “Some. It was usually Kat who started things. I threw one out, here or there… But let’s be honest. I am quite strange. There’s power in no one knowing a clear thing about you. If they don’t know where certain gossip originated, they’ll assume there has to be a seed of truth to it. If you think the king and his council don’t listen to rumors with some measure of seriousness, I’ll be the first to tell you otherwise.”
Tam pushed himself away from the wall and made his way down the castle corridor, his hands casually stowed in his pockets.
Eli reluctantly followed, her expression exposing her thoughts that maybe her new employer wasn’t as serious and dour as she had heard. In a way, that was worse. Even his idea of mischief was surprisingly lackluster…
“Did His Highness really summon me on his own?” Eli wondered skeptically while eyeing Tam’s back.
“He did.”
Eli fidgeted with her pant leg before changing the subject. “By the way, the chest you packed with your books weighs too much for you to take with you to Zinfera.”
Tam didn’t say anything. “Did you try taking out the—”
“Yes.”
“You don’t know what I was going to say.” Tam stopped walking and waited for Eli to catch up to him.
She regarded her employer flatly and squared her torso to him. “You were going to ask if I had removed the texts about the fish that Zinferans serve, which can be poisonous if not prepared correctly.”
Tam stared back.
“Might I recommend removing the trilogy about the different soil types in Zinfera as well?” she prodded.
Sighing, Tam looked away. “Dammit… That means I have to read them this month before we leave.”
“Pardon me, my lord, but why do you need to know those things at all?”
“It’s worth knowing if what you are being served is capable of killing you, and it’s also worth knowing the types of soil so that if I learn about the various plights of the tenants and farmers under the concubines, I can tell if they are fabricating anything or are hiding funds.”
“My lord. That is the type of information an assistant could be learning for you.”
“And is my assistant coming with me on this trip?” Tam asked in a mildly sarcastic tone.
Eli’s fingers twitched as though wanting to curl into a fist. “It is an order from the soon-to-be king of Daxaria. Of course I will have to go.”
Tam scoffed. “I’m willing to bet you gold His Highness will offer you the chance to stay here in Daxaria.”
“That depends on his confidence in your ability to manage yourself in a foreign kingdom,” Eli returned evenly.
Tam crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow. “Believe it or not, despite my bit of fun with starting rumors, I am a reasonably capable person.”
“I never said otherwise, my lord.” Eli bowed her head.
“Besides, as rumors get twisted, people reveal their true perception of you. Sometimes it’s actually quite funny.” The future duke resumed his walk down the corridor.
Eli appeared to consider his words briefly before darting to catch up.
She didn’t have much time to respond, as the two of them reached the prince’s office once they rounded the next corner. Tam wasted no time in knocking on the dark wood of the rounded door.
“Come in.”
Giving one final glance down at Eli, Tam noted that she had already smoothed her expression to one of neutral submissiveness, her eyes fixed on the floor. A tiny half smile tugged at his mouth for a lone breath of time before he opened the door and entered the office. At least she had stopped wearing such a look around him when they were alone.
Three narrow steps wound up from the door into the tower where the office was located. The room was stone, but the ceiling, while not at the peak of the tower, had wooden support beams above. A fire that had been lit hours earlier kept the space toasty warm, and the many books that filled the shelves around the perimeter—save for the fireplace—helped insulate it.
“Ah, Lord Tam. My summons was more for a private word with Eli.”
Eric was seated behind an ornate oak desk that was remarkably tidy with his paperwork, quills, and inkpot—most likely thanks to the prince’s new assistant.
“I understand, Your Highness, but prior to you two speaking alone I want to say again that I strongly disapprove of forcing Eli to return to Zinfera. Sh—He can stay back with my father as I suggested, and I can complete this journey on my own.”
“Your input is noted,” Eric returned.
Silence rested over the trio for a beat.
“Well then, I will wait for you to finish.” Tam addressed Eli politely, though he caught the flash of annoyance in her face, and knew it was because for the hundredth time since he had learned she was a woman, he had almost revealed the fact.
◆◆◆
Once Eli and the prince were alone, Eric stood from his desk with a warm smile. “Have a seat. I already have tea brewed for you.”
Eli inclined herself politely and obeyed, already wishing she were alone in her room back at the Ashowans’ keep. Even if she technically didn’t want to live in the same household as the duke’s family, having a quiet space to herself was significantly more attractive than spending her time around Tamlin Ashowan or Eric Reyes.
Eli accepted the porcelain cup that the prince handed to her, her nose twitching at the musty smell. The drink should have had a sweet, mellow scent from the fine, matured leaves the prince most certainly had access to. He really had brewed it himself… and as an avid tea drinker, Eli knew she wouldn’t be able to sip it without making a look of disgust.
She put the cup down.
Eric watched her and laughed. “Damn. Thought I’d improved.”
“I should return to the Ashowans’ keep soon so that I can continue helping Lord Tam pack for the voyage.”
The prince’s humorous expression shifted as he glanced down at the cup of tea in his own hands. It was rare for him to look so sheepish. “I’m sorry I made that request and didn’t tell you about it sooner,” he began without looking at Eli.
“As I said to Lord Tam, I understand I am in no position to make demands.”
“That’s a different attitude compared with when I found you enslaved at Duke Icarus’s estate,” Eric pointed out, his eyebrows twitching toward a frown.
Eli found herself regretting putting the teacup down. Without the delicate porcelain occupying her hands, she started to fidget, then forced herself to stop. “I had nothing to lose then and figured I’d be killed soon anyway. Hope is a dangerous weapon that hovers over someone powerless like myself.”
Eric’s frown of uncertainty turned to one of concern. “Eli, I really think you are in a much better position than you realize. The Ashowan family will protect you no matter what. I can’t tell you everything about the type of challenges and battles they’ve faced, but there are very few threats they can’t manage. With them as your employers, you’ll be safe even in Zinfera.”
Eli bit her tongue. She didn’t want to tell her old friend he knew nothing about what she was afraid of, or how her life had been controlled by influential people when she herself technically should have been powerful as well. Just because he knew she was a part of the Zinferan royal family didn’t mean he understood everything that had happened since she’d been abducted from the palace…
“I won’t send you if you’re going to hate me.”
Eli’s brown eyes snapped up.
Eric stared back at her intently. “I had honestly hoped that because you’ve been away from Zinfera for close to a decade, you’d feel a bit safer—especially because I’m not sending Tam to the capital. He’ll be landing at the Ori harbor and traveling to Haeson from there.”
Eli jolted in alarm. “The land between the Ori harbor and Haeson city is almost as deadly as the palace itself! Why are you sending him there?”
“Because Concubine Soo Hebin owns most of the towns in that stretch of land.”
Eli involuntarily broke out in a cold sweat at the name. She swallowed back the telltale mouthful of saliva that rose as a warning that she was about to vomit.
“She is the most powerful concubine in Zinfera right now. And other than myself, the only family that is powerful enough to keep her in check is the Ashowans. I thought that you might want to help take away some of her influence, given that she was the one who arranged to have you sold, with the help of her cousin Lord Yangban.”
Despite barely being able to think straight, Eli numbly realized that the prince either had learned something new about her past or was taking an educated guess at what had happened to her all those years ago.
“I’ll stay here in Daxaria,” she said.
Eric blinked in surprise. “Are you feeling alright?”
“Fine. Your tea just has an unpleasant odor. Is that everything for today, Your Highness?” Eli forced herself to wait for the prince to dismiss her. She desperately wanted to rush outside to be sick in private.
“You don’t have to go to Zinfera,” Eric reassured slowly.
Eli did her best to stand and bow in a calm fashion. The prince stood to walk her to the door.
“I admit, I was kind of hoping you’d stay a bit longer today and share your opinion on Tam… He’s hard to read, and I’ve been trying to make heads or tails of him since resuming duties here in Daxaria.” Eric glided into the new topic smoothly, his tone more jesting than serious.
“He is a nobleman who has isolated himself and occasionally gets bored as a result,” Eli threw out without thinking.
Eric stopped in surprise at her blunt retort.
She bit her tongue, forcing herself to get a hold of her chaotic thoughts. “My apologies. I… I must still be recovering from the long journey from Troivack.”
While the prince nodded vaguely, he didn’t look entirely convinced. “It’s alright. Though if you think Tam acts out, just wait until you meet Duke Oscar Harris of the Iones household. His wife isn’t much better, either… They stay with the Ashowans whenever they come to visit, but the amount of repairs the Ashowans have to do to their keep after their every stay is alarming. You’ll meet them soon.”
Eli’s hands curled into fists as Eric opened the door painstakingly slowly.
“Fingers crossed for you.” The prince waved her toward the door with a grin.
As if her day wasn’t bad enough. Eli stared stonily at Eric, and seeing this, his smile dropped.
“You’re still superstitious about that? Alright, I take it back! Fingers are uncrossed!” He lifted his hands into the air in surrender.
Eli reached through the wretched anxiety that was storming her being. She knew this request from the prince held all kinds of opportunities, even if she was scared beyond reason. The timing would even work out for the better so she may as well just get it all over with. Bracing before she could stop herself she said, “You know, Your Highness, if you promise me Lord Tam and I won’t have to go to the capital, Gondol, I’ll go. But afterward? I want to be finished serving the Ashowans, finished with Troivack, and I want to go wherever I please in Daxaria and not be involved in royal politics ever again.”
Eric’s gaze turned imperial. “I see you’ve found your motivation to negotiate.”
She held out her hand. “Do we have a deal?” Holding the prince’s eyes, she waited, her heart in her throat.
After a moment of him scrupulously eyeing her expression as though trying to glean what had inspired this sudden shift in her, Eric grasped her hand and shook it. “You have my word. I’ll deal with the coven while you’re gone and work with Lord Finlay to make sure you don’t have to wait the full year before being freed from your duties.”
Eli bobbed her head as she fled the office into the bright corridor, relieved to hear the door close behind her.
However, she was a little surprised to see Tamlin Ashowan leaning against the wall with his arms folded. She had expected him to wait somewhere more comfortable.
They locked eyes.
Eli could tell he had heard everything she had just demanded.
Her right hand finally did close into a fist.
Well, so what if he heard? This is better for the both of us. I’ll stop him from being murdered in Zinfera, and then we can both go our separate ways without owing each other anything.
She wondered if Tam would take offense to anything he’d heard, or pressure her for details about her discussion with the prince… She steeled herself for either reaction.
Instead, he pushed off the wall and turned away, looking completely disinterested.
“Come on, we might as well have lunch here before heading back to the keep.”