Chapter Ten

The castle had finally settled down after two weeks of mourning and anxiety. It wasn’t exactly peaceful, but the guards had stopped jumping out of their skins at every noise. Kasib still resided in the castle, saying that Titus wasn’t fully healed yet. Part of me thought that the physician was simply scared to leave.

Now, as I sat in the study room with Clarice, I was enjoying the silence while she scribbled tirelessly in her worksheet. The sky outside the window was clear and beautiful. It was like the world had forgotten everything about Fallon De Luca’s assassination. I desperately wished that I could forget him as well, but that was impossible. I would never forget the look on his face as he took that fatal wound to his chest.

“I’m done.”

I started at the triumphant sound of Clarice’s voice. She handed me the worksheet. “All twenty-four questions are completed.”

“Good job,” I told her, checking the paper. She had answered every question correctly. It was no surprise to me, since Clarice was forbidden from leaving the castle grounds. All she could do was stay inside and study the materials I had given her. At first it was fine—Clarice was too scared to leave. Now she was stir-crazy and annoying the life out of me.

Clarice took a pin from her bun, causing her auburn locks to cascade over her shoulders. With a “Hrmph!” the duchess’ daughter laid her cheek on the table, gazing at me with steadfast grey eyes. “Lannie, I want to go outside and stuff.”

I sighed. For the past several days, she had expressed her desire to go outside every day without fail. “You can’t go outside ‘,’” I said, making it a point to correct the unnecessary addition to her sentence, “so stop asking.”

“Please, Lady Brackenbury?”

“Honorifics mean nothing to me. Stop sucking up.” I gathered my textbooks into my messenger bag. “Why don’t you go have lunch with Titus? I’m sure that would raise your spirits. And it would allow Odelia to focus on something else, I suppose.”

“” I looked up to see Clarice gaping at me. She was clearly insulted. “I’d rather die than have lunch with that pathetic excuse for a prince!”

I stared at her for a moment before I was forced to cover the laugh that escaped my mouth.

“Why are you laughing?” Clarice became red in the face and clenched her fists on the table. “It’s not funny! My mother wants something completely other than what I want, if you haven’t already noticed. Apparently, you noticed,” she added, noting my chuckling.

“No,” I said, wiping my eyes, “it’s just that your mother is so…confident of your relationship with Titus. Serves her right to be contradicted by her own daughter.”

Clarice sat back in surprise. “I wouldn’t go that far.” Her uncomfortable look made me wonder if what I said upset her. “I just don’t want to be stuck with that prince for the rest of my life.” The way she said was filled with evident distaste.

“He’s not bad,” I objected. I didn’t dislike Titus because he wasn’t arrogant like many other Royals I had heard about (Odelia, for example). But no one said that Titus wasn’t annoying.

“You don’t know him like I do.” Her lips were set into a firm line, her face a mask of barely concealed fury. “He’s dangerous.”

I blinked. Of all the things for her to say, I didn’t expect for her to say . Her serious expression kept me from laughing. “What do you mean by ‘dangerous’?”

Clarice paused, biting her lip. “He, er— I mean his cowardice rubs off on me, and it’s dangerous. You should stay away from him.”

It was obvious that she was hiding something. Clarice Faretra was the worst liar in Aria (second only to me), yet she somehow remained an expert snoop. I refrained from speaking my thoughts out loud. I wasn’t ready to start another war with my fiery pupil. “We both have our opinions.” I stuffed the rest of my things into my bag and stood to leave. “I’ll see you tomorrow for the next lesson.”

The girl in front of me crossed her arms and harrumphed as she turned her head to the window. I rolled my eyes as I exited the study room.

                                                ————————

I couldn’t keep myself from sighing as I wandered through the castle halls. Just getting out of the castle was tiring. I didn’t understand how all of this gloom could affect me.

A tall man with dark skin rounded the corner. I raised my eyebrows. It was Kasib Tierce. He was apparently in the middle of speaking to himself as he checked off things on his fingers one by one. I fully intended to walk past him without speaking, but his head jerked up in surprise as I passed. “Ms. Brackenbury! How nice it is to see you.”

I tried to smile. “Yes, Mr. Tierce, it is. Will you be leaving for Balua again?”

“No, actually…” Kasib paused, giving me a jittery smile. “I am going to Nor. There is a family there who requests my assistance.”

I nodded. It was kind of him to offer aid where needed. That was Balua in a nutshell—it was a kingdom that was filled with gentle, hardworking people. “Is Titus fully healed, then?”

Kasib made a so-so gesture, causing the elegant jeweled bangle around his wrist to jingle. It was unusual for a Baluan to wear such finery; it was Arian-made, so he probably picked it up here. “He will be okay if he does not exert himself. But do not let him practice swordsmanship, Ms. Brackenbury,” he told me firmly. “I would be forced to travel back to Aria in that case.”

I snorted. “I’ll make sure to keep an eye on him.”

He tipped his head, his brown eyes sparkling. “What is your relationship with the Crown Prince?” The man stopped, suddenly awkward. “I mean, if that is not an intrusive question! It’s just that for you to risk your life for him was incredible…”

How did he know about that? Titus didn’t want me to tell anyone, for fear that I would be blamed somehow. Philippa and Clarice were the only ones who knew. “How did you know—”

“Oh, pardon me!” He smiled. “I heard from the grapevine.”

I refrained from telling him that the saying was “ the grapevine.” But what grapevine did he hear that from? I shook my head. It didn’t matter. “I’m just Clarice’s tutor. Titus bugs me. End of story.”

“Ah, I see.”

I could see that he, in fact, did not “see” from the skeptical look on his face. “I will talk to you later then, Mr. Tierce.”

“I’m afraid not, since I will be leaving this evening.” He raised a hand in farewell. “But you will undoubtedly see me soon.”

I waved as he disappeared down the hall. What did he mean about seeing him soon?

                                                ————————

I was perfectly ready to exit the castle and sit down to some well-deserved writing in my comfortable home when Queen Philippa stopped me right before I walked through the castle doors.