I couldn’t stop thinking about that. All night, there was that question at the back of my mind: Who had paid the bill? More to the point, why? I kept seeing a picture in my mind from a few days ago, Prince Chevalier’s quill poised over blank parchment. He didn’t write a word while I was there in his office in the few minutes before my lunch, but later, when I came back from lunch, he was writing constantly without regard to my presence. Was he about to write the letter that morning, and he didn’t want me to see it? Why would he do that? Why would he bother himself with my problems?
Should I ask him about it?
I lay perfectly still next to Mother that night, listening to her steady breathing, but I just couldn’t relax. This wasn’t doing me any good. Maybe if I went out for a short walk, I’d be able to clear my head and get some sleep. I slipped quietly out of bed, got dressed, and headed out into the night.
I walked through the village toward the city, intending to turn around and go back home when I reached the countryside, but the city was brightly lit up in the distance. Tomorrow would be Rhodolite Foundation Day, and there was always a big festival. Preparations must be going on. I decided it wouldn’t do any harm to check it out, but I took a detour around the red-light district. Things got rowdy there during festivals.
I followed the lights and, eventually, music, to the city square. Roses were everywhere, decorating shopfronts, stalls that were being set up, the fountain, the streetlights, even people’s hats. Preparations were indeed underway, and it looked like the celebrations were starting early. Sometimes, even the aristocracy came down from the palace to participate in the festivities. I wondered if any of the princes would be there tomorrow. Probably not Prince Chevalier.
“Hey, Ivetta, what are you doing up so late?”
I looked around, startled to hear a familiar voice calling my name, and saw Prince Leon walking up to me. He wore a plain black shirt and black pants, with no sword at his hip.
“Pr-”
“Sh,” he said, putting a finger to his lips. “Just Leon.” He winked and patted me on the head.
“Oh, okay. Leon,” I stammered nervously. “What are you doing here?”
“I asked first,” he said, grinning.
I considered asking him about the bill. It definitely seemed like it would be more up his alley to take care of it than it would be for Prince Chevalier to do so. But Prince Leon didn’t even know about my mother.
“I couldn’t sleep,” I said simply, shrugging. “And I noticed the lights, so I came to check it out.”
His amber eyes searched my face, but he continued to smile. “Guess it’s my turn. I like to sneak out every so often, and what better time to do that than a festival? Let’s grab some drinks.”
“Are they open yet?” I asked, following him to a stall.
“The shopkeeper’s here and the drinks are here. Why wouldn’t they be open?” He pounded on the wooden counter. “Hey, how ‘bout a couple of drinks here?” he called jovially.
The shopkeeper was adjusting some decorations, and he spun around with a frown.
“We’re not-” he started angrily, but his face lit up as soon as he saw Prince Leon. “Leon! You’re a bit early for the party, but the bar is always open for you. What’ll you have?”
“Whatever you’ve got ready is fine for me. How about you, Ivetta?” he asked, steering me up to the counter with a hand on my shoulder.
“I don’t really know. What would you recommend?” I asked, still trying to wrap my head around Prince Leon’s incognito role as a commoner. He must do this pretty frequently, too, for people to be on such friendly terms with him.
“You look like an apple cider girl,” the shopkeeper said. “Two drinks, coming right up.” He turned away from us to grab a couple of mugs.
“Do you want something to eat, too?” Prince Leon asked me while the shopkeeper prepared our drinks.
“Um, no, but thanks. How much do I owe you for this?”
Prince Leon laughed, a big, booming sound that brought smiles to the faces of everybody who heard it. “This is on me, Ivetta. Get whatever you want.”
“Here you are, one ale and one apple cider,” the shopkeeper said, setting the mugs on the counter in front of us. “Ivetta, is it? You just stick with Leon, and he’ll make sure you have a good time here at the festival.”
“Thank you,” I said shyly as Prince Leon plopped some money down on the counter.
“Alright, where to next?” he asked, taking our drinks.
“I really don’t need anything else, Pr - Leon. I can’t stay up too much later, anyway.”
He led me over to a bench and we sat down. I took the mug of cider and sipped it tentatively. “Mm, this is really good!”
“Of course it is,” he said, taking a swig of his ale. “Joe always has the best drinks at these kinds of things. So why couldn’t you sleep?”
I really didn’t want to talk to him about Prince Chevalier, so I tried a diversion.
“You said you had to sneak out? Can’t you just come and go as you please?”
He laughed again. “Believe it or not, Sariel keeps a tight leash on all of us. And he doesn’t approve of me mingling with the commoners like this. But people don’t open up as easily to someone all dressed up and wearing a royal crest, and I like to get in the middle of everything and have some fun.”
I could believe that. It was impossible not to smile around him.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d believe you were a commoner, although you do still have a larger-than-life presence about you.”
That seemed to be the best way to describe him. He oozed charisma, and his height and broad shoulders only amplified that even more.
“Are you coming back tomorrow night, then?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No, I rarely come to these kinds of things.”
“That’s a shame. You should let loose sometime.” He ruffled my hair again. “Can’t stay locked up in a library all day. Even Chevalier sometimes comes to this festival. Maybe you and I can sneak out for an hour or so while he’s gone.”
“Thanks, but I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
His smile faded as he looked down at me. “Is something wrong?”
I sighed. “No, not really. I just have something on my mind, that’s all.”
“Does it have anything to do with Chevalier? Like I said before, if you need any help with him-”
“It does have something to do with Prince Chevalier, but it’s nothing bad,” I said quickly. The last thing I wanted was for Prince Leon and Prince Chevalier to get into another fight.
“So? You can tell me. I don’t bite,” he said, flashing that friendly smile again.
I hesitated, but his warm amber eyes were so inviting.
“It’s - it’s pretty strange, actually.”
“That sounds like just about anything involving Chevalier. I can’t understand him at all,” Prince Leon said, his eyes narrowing as he took another swig of ale.
“Me, neither. I think…I think he paid my mother’s doctor bill.”
Prince Leon choked and started pounding on his chest, coughing. “What?” he finally asked, hoarsely.
“Well, somebody did, and nobody I know outside the palace has that kind of money,” I said, watching him worriedly. “Are you okay?”
He nodded, clearing his throat. “So, what makes you think it was Chevalier?” he asked, his amber eyes wide with surprise as he looked down at me.
“Little things, here or there, but mainly because he and the head maid are the only ones I’ve told about Mother’s illness, and I don’t see the head maid being able to afford it.”
Prince Leon was silent for a moment.
“That doesn’t sound like Chevalier,” he finally muttered.
“I know.”
We sat in silence for a moment, and then Prince Leon said, “You want me to ask him?”
“No, I’ll ask him myself.” I finished my apple cider and stood up. “It’s pretty late. I should head back home.”
Prince Leon stood, too, draining the last of his ale. “I’ll walk with you.” He took my mug and headed back to Joe’s stand.
“Don’t worry about it - Leon,” I said, catching myself before I got any of the automatic ‘prince’ out. “I’ll be fine.”
“A young lady shouldn’t be walking around on her own at night. It’s no trouble. Lead the way.”
I was finding that princes were hard to get rid of, but at least Prince Leon wasn’t hitting on me every step of the way. We walked for a little while, and then Prince Leon asked, “So why did you tell Chevalier about your mother, if you didn’t tell anybody else?”
Originally, because he was threatening my life for not working late. But I wasn’t about to tell Prince Leon that.
“We had a…disagreement about my hours. I had to explain why I couldn’t attend to his every whim twenty-four hours a day.”
There may have been a bit more sarcasm in my voice than I intended.
Prince Leon laughed. “Disagreement, huh? And clearly, you came out the winner. That’s impressive.”
“Well, I don’t know that becoming his personal maid was a win, exactly, but I get to keep the hours promised to me by the head maid, and that’s the most important thing right now.”
Prince Leon fell silent again.
“So, what is he having you do? As his personal maid?” he finally asked.
“Nothing you need to worry about, Leon. Bringing him his breakfast and tea, cleaning his room and office, that sort of thing. I’m still spending most of my time in the library, actually.”
“Bringing him breakfast?” he asked, surprised.
“When I wake him up, yes. He’s not much of a morning person, is he?”
“I’ve never known him to eat breakfast before,” Prince Leon said. “He’s rarely up before noon. How long has this been going on?”
I shrugged. “I think it started on my…third day? He’s been having me wake him up at nine o’clock every morning.”
“Hm.” The sound was almost a grumble. I looked up at Prince Leon, his brow furrowed, his amber eyes narrowed.
“He hasn’t tried anything, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“He’s a dangerous man, Ivetta. Don’t make the mistake of letting your guard down around him,” Prince Leon said, his voice a low growl.
“I’m fully aware of that,” I said quietly.
“If he paid that bill, it’s because he thinks it will benefit himself somehow. The greater the gift, the more he’ll think you owe him.”
“I’ve thought about that, too,” I admitted with a sigh. “But this feels different. When he trades on favors, it’s all up front. You don’t really have a choice in the matter, but at least you know what you’re getting into. But this - there wasn’t even a guarantee that I’d find out it was him.” I shook my head. “Maybe I’m overthinking it. There’s no point in worrying about it, anyway. I’ll just have to ask him.”
Prince Leon chuckled. “You really are something else.”
I looked up at him and smiled. “Well, so are you. Who ever heard of a prince running around in disguise so he could party with the commoners?”
He laughed. “Maybe you’re right. All the same, I think I should make sure I’m around when you ask him, just in case. Any idea when you’ll do that?”
“No, but you don’t have to worry. He won’t hurt me.”
“That’s what I’m talking about. Letting your guard down. You can’t do that with him, Ivetta.” There was no trace of laughter in his voice anymore, just frustration.
“Leon, I wasn’t going to tell you this, but he’s already threatened me multiple times, and he never follows through on it. And what sense is there in paying my mother’s doctor’s bill and then killing me? I don’t know what he’s thinking most of the time, but I do know that there’s some sort of logic to him.”
Prince Leon was silent for a while. “What kind of threats?” he finally asked.
“I think they’re pretty standard from him. Death threats. But it’s like he’s just trying to scare me.” I sighed again. “I’ll be careful, Leon, and if he gives me any trouble, I’ll let you know right away. Okay?”
He gave me a rueful smile and tousled my hair playfully. “You’re a brave lady.”
“Right now, I’m just a tired lady.”
We’d made it out of the city, and the village was within sight. Time for me to get rid of him.
“And I’ll be safe from here, Leon, so you should go back and have some more fun before you have to sneak back into the palace.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll leave you alone. But I’m probably going to check on you tomorrow.”
“Of course,” I said, smiling up at him. “Goodnight, Leon.”
“Goodnight, Ivetta.”