A Dove's Tale

Chapter 42

I let myself into the library, keeping my eyes trained on the floor as I took a deep breath to refocus. It was a good thing I didn’t work with Theresa regularly. She was fun, but I was here to work, not to gossip about princes, and I was already kicking myself for telling her about Prince Nokto. That was embarrassing enough before Prince Licht arrived.

Why did he have to hear that?

I closed the door and my eyes, leaning my forehead against the cool wood. Now I had to deal with Prince Chevalier, and my face was still blazing hot. He would probably tease me relentlessly about that.

This morning had been really nice and quiet, and I had been looking forward to an afternoon of the same, maybe with an opportunity to ask Prince Chevalier about his motivation behind visiting the Hill of Remembrance. I knew better than to think it was all for my benefit, and I knew him better than to think it was a simple desire to honor the dead on his part. His reasoning was always more complex than that. But the afternoon was almost gone, and he wouldn’t be in the mood to talk about that, not after I accused him of wrongdoing by not coming to save me from Prince Nokto.

That was stupid of me.

I took another deep breath and lifted my head, opening my eyes to see a rose engraved into the rich brown wood of the door. It was so realistic, I could almost smell it.

“You’re late.”

Prince Chevalier’s cold voice came from right behind me. I jumped and spun around, my heart suddenly racing as I looked up at his icy blue eyes. Had I been so distracted by my own thoughts that I hadn’t heard his footsteps? Or had he been standing there the whole time, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched me, and I hadn’t even noticed him?

I had smelled his cologne. He was standing close enough for me to smell his cologne. If my blush faded at all, it came rushing back, redder and hotter than ever. He took one look at me and smirked.

“The Clown again?” he asked mockingly.

I swallowed hard, trying to pull myself together. “Not in person, your highness, but it couldn’t have been any less embarrassing if he had been. If I ever ask to work with Theresa again, please remind me to keep my mouth shut.”

He chuckled. “Which you now intend to do with me.”

“Well, I’m certainly not telling you what I told her, your highness, although if you’re curious, you can ask Prince Licht, because he overheard everything. Suffice it to say that Prince Nokto was up to his usual tricks, which I don’t like, but apparently, Theresa does. There isn’t anything for you to worry about, and it was unfair of me to say you should have been here. If I can't handle him by now, then that’s my fault, not yours.”

Prince Chevalier’s eyes didn’t leave mine as I spoke, but his smirk faded, and I stopped, biting my lip nervously, worried that I'd said too much. The words just tumbled out of me without me even thinking about them. Was that just because his sudden appearance rattled me, or was it because he was standing so close to me? Too close. And I couldn’t even take a step back to put some physical distance between us, because the door was directly behind me, and the light scent of roses was wrapping around me, and suddenly I wondered if he was keeping his arms crossed so he wouldn’t touch me. He hadn’t touched me since I angrily told him he’d lost that privilege. Although why I was thinking about that right now, I didn’t know, and I was certain he had a much better reason for crossing his arms than that, like annoyance that I didn’t return on time.

“Come,” he said, spinning on his heel and dropping his arms to his sides as he strode across the library to the back room. I followed reluctantly, but I stayed by the door after I shut it behind us. He returned to his chair and didn’t even look at his book, instead taking the pose that meant I had his full attention: elbow propped up on the arm of the chair, chin resting in his hand, pale blue eyes on me. That unsettled me even more. It seemed like he was looking at me a lot lately, and although his eyes didn’t wander across me like Prince Nokto’s, they seemed to penetrate deeper.

“The Clown wants you to get into Noisy’s room, correct?”

Like that. How in the world could he possibly know that unless he could see right through me?

“Yes, your highness.”

He smirked. “You might be able to pull it off.”

I stared at him in confusion. He not only knew, but he was okay with it. This was why I could never assume I knew his motivation or his thought process, because I didn’t, and I wasn’t even sure such a feat was possible.

“That doesn’t bother you, your highness?” I asked hesitantly.

“You think it should.”

It wasn’t a question, but there was one hidden within his coolly delivered statement, and a challenge in his icy blue eyes. I bit my lip nervously.

“I don’t know what to think, your highness, because I don’t understand your relationship with Prince Clavis at all.”

“You don’t need to. He isn’t a threat.”

“So I’ve heard, your highness, but he hates you enough to want you dead. That doesn’t threaten you?”

His confident smirk said it didn’t.

“This assassination attempt has had him on edge because it wasn’t his, and although he knows who was behind it, they have always given him advance notice in the past so he could arrange entry for the assassins without endangering the guards. The deviation from the norm has him concerned about your safety. Hence, the sleeping potion in your tea, which was a feeble attempt to not only frighten you, but to make me aware of how easy it would be for you to meet harm, as if I didn’t already know that. Neither of us responded the way he wanted, so he decided on an impulse to abduct you yesterday morning. He intended to take you to his private villa and arrange care for your mother in your absence. But he wouldn’t have been able to go through with it, even if he hadn’t picked you up soaking wet, because you were bound to say something about your mother that played on his emotions. I assume he jokingly told you the truth when you asked why he was in the carriage, and then he redirected by saying something about picking up my new plaything?”

I nodded mutely, too shocked by his in-depth knowledge to speak.

“Of course, finding you cold and wet would have given him the perfect opportunity to offer you his coat and say he was only behaving as a perfect gentleman, though his attentions toward you extend far beyond the bounds of courtesy. The circumstances around your mother have attracted the sympathy and interest of him and the rest of my brothers, especially the twins, which is why the Clown escorted you home last night. He has yet to admit to himself that you are anything more than a potential conquest for him. His intention was to take advantage of the enclosed space and forced proximity provided by the carriage to, as you said, perform his usual tricks, but you were too upset for him to do so. I imagine he rationalized his reluctance to manipulate you by telling himself, and you, that he was concerned for your safety, now that Noisy is targeting you, and he told you more about my history with Noisy in order to keep himself from thinking more deeply about what he was doing. His advances this afternoon were an effort to prove to himself that you meant nothing to him, but, again, he wasn’t able to follow through.”

I stared at Prince Chevalier, wide-eyed, unable to refute a single word. It was as if he’d been there watching, but somehow inside his brothers’ heads, too, listening to their innermost thoughts.

“Incidentally, you owe the Clown nothing. As you already suspect, I am aware of your living arrangements, though I haven’t seen your house personally. I don’t approve, but your mother’s doctor has assured me that the conditions at this time of year, combined with your determination to provide your mother with the most comfortable existence you can manage, make the less-than-ideal accommodations adequate.”

An amused smile played across his lips as he watched me in the ensuing silence. I was more certain than ever that he could see the individual thoughts whirling around in my brain, and I exhaled slowly, filtering through them as they came. He didn’t feel threatened because he knew what Prince Clavis would think and do before his younger brother even knew. Theresa talked about all the princes having their own spies, but even spies couldn’t provide such detailed knowledge as this to Prince Chevalier. It really seemed like he knew everything. Prince Luke said that, too.

“Prince Chevalier,” I started, smiling as I remembered something Prince Luke had said, “what did Prince Gilbert of Obsidian have for breakfast today?”

Prince Chevalier chuckled. “He didn’t have breakfast today.”

He actually knew. I wasn’t expecting that, but it didn’t surprise me.

“Obsidian is waging a war on their northern border, and, as the general of their army, Eyepatch has been there for some time. However, the campaign is nearing its end, and Noisy sent him an invitation to another party of traitors and villains at his private retreat tonight. Eyepatch would have left before breakfast this morning to travel across Obsidian and sneak over the border into Lelouch territory in time to arrive at the party. You haven’t seen Noisy today because he worked all morning so he could leave early in the afternoon to oversee the preparations.”

Prince Gilbert must be missing one eye, and he was friendly with Prince Clavis. That was concerning, at least to me.

“If you know the party is happening tonight, and you know the prince of our biggest enemy will be there, why aren’t you doing anything to stop it, your highness?”

“Keeping Noisy and his group of malcontents focused on killing me reduces the risk of them directing their misplaced aggression elsewhere, thus preventing traitorous actions against the kingdom that would damage its stability and safety. His meddling has also been useful for me to keep tabs on Eyepatch. If Noisy oversteps his bounds, I will deal with him as necessary. That being said, he is not currently of concern, and though you are under no compulsion to uphold the Clown’s deal, it may interest you to see what Noisy is hiding in his room.”

“You know what it is, Prince Chevalier?”

“Not specifically. I haven’t been in his room since we were children. But I know there isn’t anything criminal or dangerous, beyond the traps at his door to keep Four-Eyes out.”

I tilted my head to the side, studying Prince Chevalier. His expression was fairly bland, but the slight lift at the corners of his lips and the subtle twinkle in his eyes told me he was enjoying this. He had to be enjoying this. He never talked this much, and he rarely took the time to explain himself.

“Why are you telling me all this, Prince Chevalier?”

He shrugged and smirked. “I never make sense, and I have a habit of making and breaking rules as I see fit, correct?”

I sighed and leaned back against the door, dropping his piercing gaze. This went back to our conversation yesterday.

“I wasn’t lying, your highness. Outside the palace, I am nothing to nobody, and I don’t know why it’s any different here.”

His chair creaked as he stood up. I kept my eyes trained on the floor as he approached, unsure what to expect from him. His black boots stopped right in front of me; the light scent of roses wrapped around me.

“Look at me.”

I did so, reluctantly. He was standing much too close again. This time, his piercing blue eyes were intense, and there was no doubt in my mind that he wanted to touch me. I imagined his fingers on my chin, where Prince Nokto’s had been a few hours ago, and I suddenly felt very tongue-tied.

“You don’t have to know. This is my domain, and since you insist on remaining, you are my problem. Do what you like outside these walls. When you are here, you need only concern yourself with doing your job to my satisfaction. Is that clear?”

He had a way of using cold, harsh words to deliver a comforting message. I didn’t have to worry when I was here, because he’d just demonstrated that he had everything under control, and he didn’t want me overthinking everything.

“Yes, your highness.”

His jaw clenched, and he turned away. “You may as well go now.”

I didn’t even glance at the clock. The smell of his cologne was fogging up my mind, and I needed to get away quickly.

“Goodbye, Prince Chevalier. And…thank you. F-for the book,” I hastily added before I bolted out of his library, away from the suffocating air and his confusing attention.