A Beast's Tale

Chapter 22

I rarely visited the infirmary, but I knew better than to disobey Ivetta’s order. It was no wonder Sariel had backed down from her. She was small, but her anger was a force to be reckoned with, even without the knowledge that I deserved nothing less than for her to take my sword and chop my hand off herself. In a way, her insistence that I see the doctor was the cruelest thing she could have done to me. Her inexplicable kindness hurt.

“Prince Chevalier, this is a surprise,” the doctor greeted me nervously. He was one of the few who could stand in my presence without trembling, though even in my childhood, I’d terrified him. “I heard about the assassination attempt. Were you injured?”

“No,” I said coldly, holding my hand out without further explanation. He would know better than to ask what had happened.

“Oh, my,” he muttered, examining the cuts and bruises much as Ivetta had. Odd that her small hands were rougher than his, calloused from years of hard work. “But it’s not as bad as it looks. Some ointment, some bandages, and you’ll be good as new.”

“Be quick about it,” I snapped.

“Yes, of course, your highness.”

I wouldn’t have gone to the doctor for such minor injuries under normal circumstances, but I forced myself to sit still for his ministrations. It gave me time to figure out what I was going to do about my glove, Ivetta’s insurance policy to make sure I followed her directions. There was no way I was going back to my room to get it from her, or to get the spare gloves from the bureau. Fortunately, my office should be empty today. Nokto would be sleeping in after his late night; Clavis would be investigating the assassination attempt; and Luke was never there unless he was summoned. I would just go without the glove until later, when I was sure she’d be gone from my room.

“There, all done. Will there be anything else?”

The doctor’s words woke me from my reverie. “No.”

“Prince Chevalier, are you feeling alright?” he asked, furrowing his wrinkled brow as he peered into my eyes.

“Yes,” I said firmly, standing up quickly and leaving without sparing him another glance. He couldn’t address my internal turmoil. What I needed now was to get my mind off of Ivetta.

If I was going to hide in my office from her, I may as well do some work.

That’s what I was doing, wasn’t I? Hiding from her. Hiding from a little maid half my size. The thought was almost laughable. Except I wasn’t laughing, and I couldn’t focus on the paperwork in front of me.

The folder of information about the Benitoite princess still sat in the wastebasket, mocking me. It would be a smart match. A few weeks ago, I would have seriously considered the proposal. Because love never mattered, never entered my mind. Romance belonged only in literature, and reality dictated that all relationships be politically advantageous. A strong alliance, a healthy heir; that was all I needed. Not a frustratingly beautiful little maid who made me second guess every decision, who invaded my every thought, whose striking green eyes haunted my dreams.

Leon burst in at some point later that morning, the anger in his flashing amber eyes and tense muscles a welcome interruption.

“What was the big idea about sending Ivetta to clean up that blood?” he asked angrily, storming across the room to my desk. He came to a stop in front of me and crossed his arms across his chest.

She hadn’t told him. If she had, his sword would be at my throat. I would have preferred that to his yelling. But at least he was reacting appropriately, without any trace of uncalled for kindness or concern. And if I really wanted somebody to hit me, he’d be the one to do it.

“Chevalier?” he asked, confusion entering his voice as he looked me over. Understandably so. Under normal circumstances, I would be snapping at him right now, my own anger barely contained. Instead, I was sitting in silence, desperately clinging to some semblance of composure.

“Shut the door,” I commanded, though my voice sounded tired even to me.

He frowned, but did so, and then he settled into the chair in front of my desk. “What’s going on?”

What indeed. The kingdom was a mess; our relations with our neighbors were hanging in the balance; and I couldn’t focus on any of that because of Ivetta. But Leon was almost as protective of her as I was, and although we usually clashed violently, we’d been able to work together regarding her previously. His leadership skills were second only to mine, and underneath his friendly, carefree attitude, he was as cunning and aware as Clavis.

“I don’t know what to do with her,” I admitted.

His eyes narrowed as he studied my face. “That’s unusual for you.”

“She knows she could be a target, but she won’t leave.”

He let out a long breath. “I get it. You were trying to scare her away.” He chuckled. “So, that’s what the fight was about.”

“She can’t afford to leave, but she’s made it very clear that she doesn’t want any help,” I continued, frustration creeping into my voice. There was nothing funny about this situation.

He leaned back in his chair, his face pensive. “And she’s desperate enough to risk her life rather than settle for a lower-paying job. That is a problem.”

“There’s something else that complicates matters further. This is strictly confidential and is not to leave this room. Do you understand?”

He nodded.

“There’s an informant here in the palace. Clavis has been on his trail since the purge.”

Leon scowled at me. “And when were you going to tell me that?”

“Whoever it is, he’s good enough to evade discovery this long. I didn’t want to risk him finding out that we were on to him.”

“I can keep a secret, Chevalier,” Leon said testily.

“It’s one of the servants,” I said quietly.

Leon’s jaw clenched. “But you don’t know who.”

“No. But he has to know how closely Ivetta works with me. I failed to take that into consideration when I tried to make her leave.”

“It’s too late now,” Leon confirmed quietly. “Even having her reassigned wouldn’t do much good at this point.”

“You see my predicament.”

We were silent for a moment, both thoughtful, and then Leon started laughing. I looked over at him, annoyed.

“Sorry. I was just thinking, we’ve never even had a conversation before she came along. She’s really something, isn’t she?”

That brought a wry smile to my face. “Indeed.”

He stood up to go. “Well, we’ll just have to keep a close eye on her. Keep me posted about the informant. I’ve had a traitor from Obsidian among my knights for three years now, and although I pegged him from the start, he still has no idea that I’m on to him.”

It was my turn to scowl at him. “Why haven’t you disposed of him yet?”

He shrugged. “You know me. I’m hoping he’ll come around. And I haven’t given him a chance to report back, but that’s not his main purpose, anyway. He’s after my head.”

“What’s his name?”

“So you can kill him? Don’t worry about it. I’ve got everything under control on my end. You just worry about your own informant, and I’ll handle mine.” He headed for the door, but I stopped him.

“I won’t interfere, but if we’re to work together on this, I need to know.”

“Julius. And I’ve already been keeping him away from Ivetta. I’m a softy, but I’m not a fool.”

“Good.”

He left, and I leaned back in my chair and let out a long breath. There was a small measure of relief, sharing this burden with Leon, but the matter still weighed heavily on my mind. As much as I wanted to protect her, wanted her to have a safe space, her situation kept getting more and more precarious. The best way to help her was to focus on my work, and specifically, identifying the informant.

What was taking Clavis so long to find him?

Of course, there was always the possibility that Clavis was in collusion with the unknown enemy. Clavis was my right hand, but only so I could keep a close eye on him. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, as they say. He had made it his priority to study me back when we were children, and I wouldn’t put it past him to join or even found a plot against me if it suited his needs.

But he was loyal to Rhodolite, and he was as taken with Ivetta as everybody else.

She really was turning this palace upside down.

Luke entered my office shortly before lunchtime, much to my surprise. He had potential, but he also had a tendency toward laziness. Clavis and Nokto had reeled him into our faction, though, so I knew he would eventually prove truly useful. Right now, he was just the strong man of our group. Not that any of us were weak. But Clavis and Nokto both preferred using their intellect to their swords.

“Hey, King Highness,” he greeted me with his boyish grin.

“What do you want?” I asked coolly.

“Clavis is still poking around, but he sent me to tell you what he’s found out.” The smile faded from his face as his green eyes narrowed. “The guard was one of your knights. And Clavis is sure the informant let the assassin in, but he still has no evidence.”

The strong man and the messenger boy. Luke’s usefulness was already improving.

“The assassin was unskilled, but loyal. He wouldn’t talk,” I said quietly. “I found nothing on him to suggest who he was or who sent him.”

“Clavis didn’t have any luck, either. We’re thinking someone from the anti-war faction was behind this, but there’s no proof.”

“When is the service for the knight?”

Luke shrugged. “I dunno, but I can find out.”

The door opened and Clavis poked his head in, a sly grin on his face. “Hey, Luke, got a minute?”

“Yeah, sure. Just a sec, King Highness.” Luke followed Clavis out into the hallway, leaving the door open behind him. “Hey there,” he said to an unidentified third party.

“I thought you could help me cheer the lady up. What do you say?” Clavis’ voice had a mischievous streak in it.

Ivetta. She probably wasn’t in the best mood after the events of this morning. Clavis may be a schemer, but Luke wasn’t. Either Clavis was setting something up, or he really did just want to do something to make Ivetta feel better.

“This really isn’t-” she tried to protest, but Luke drowned her out.

“Sure, anything for Ivetta!” he said enthusiastically. “What’s the plan?”

Their voices and footsteps faded away, but I caught enough to know that Clavis was taking her outside to the lawn between the palace and the church, right outside my office window. I sighed and stood up, waiting at the window. They weren’t long in appearing down below. Clavis and Luke flanked Ivetta, talking animatedly over her head. The breeze caught her long black ponytail and ruffled it behind her back. She was unusually quiet, but as the minutes passed, she began to smile again.

I turned away and went back to my room.

My breakfast still sat on my desk, untouched. She’d forgotten to clean it up. That wasn’t too surprising, given what had happened. I walked over to the window, looking down at the gardens. The blood was gone, the paving stones dark with moisture that hadn’t evaporated yet.

That blood could be hers someday. The thought made me sick.

I lay on my back on top of the neatly made bed, my knees up, my hands interlaced behind my head, staring up at the ceiling. She’d captivated me, right from the start, with her unusual strength and refusal to back down, even in the face of my threats. I’d never given any servant a second thought, but from day one, I would never have been able to hurt her. She’d brought out a strange protective urge in me, and though I initially wrote it off as a natural response to a valuable employee with a delicate frame and a naïve innocence, it wasn’t long until my constant worry for her exceeded the bounds of logic. And now…now I couldn’t bear the thought of losing her.

It was going to be harder than ever to have her near me. And it was also all the more important that I keep her close.

The sky darkened as black clouds rolled in, a flash of lightning quickly followed by a roll of thunder. Rain pelted the windows, driven by strong winds into an almost sideways trajectory. I hoped Clavis and Luke had the sense to get Ivetta inside before they were all caught in the storm.

What was I going to do about her?

She trusted me. During her angry tirade, she said she trusted me. That she couldn’t believe I would hurt her. That she couldn’t fight me, even when she was helpless and vulnerable and terrified. I hadn’t anticipated that. I’d expected her green eyes to flash angrily, for her to fight me like she’d fought Jack, for her to do everything she could to get away. But she’d just lain there, her eyes and her tears begging me to stop, otherwise unresisting. It turned my stomach all over again, thinking about it. Remembering her soft whimpering, her startled cry, her trembling refusal to admit that I was a monster.

How could I have ever done that to her?

And now, when I wanted to hold her, when I wanted to comfort her, tell her the truth, now, that could never happen. She would never allow me to touch her again, and rightfully so. A simple apology was not enough. I was the cause of her pain and terror this time, and this time, she was handling it on her own.

She should have told Leon. I would have welcomed a beating from him.

I lay there for a couple of hours, the storm raging just outside my windows forming a perfect backdrop for my thoughts, and then the door opened. I turned to look - and there she was. Her green eyes registered surprise as they met mine, and she quickly looked away.

“My apologies, your highness, but I forgot these,” she said, crossing the room to my desk and the dirty dishes.

“It’s not like you to forget,” I said quietly.

“It has been an…unusual day, your highness,” she replied, stacking the dishes full of cold food onto the tray. “Did you eat lunch?”

And she was still concerned for me. How could she possibly care after what I’d done?

“No. Did you?”

“No.” She sighed heavily. “Is this how it’s going to be from now on?” she asked, turning away from the full tray to look at me again. “Awkward and tense?”

I didn’t say anything, watching as she walked over to the window, looking out at the gardens. She didn’t want to leave. She wanted to talk. Why? What possible reason could she have for wanting to have anything to do with me?

“Did you enjoy your romp with Noisy and Jumbo?”

“For the most part. They saw the bruises and got a bit overbearing, though.” She wrapped a hand around her wrist unconsciously. “Did Prince Leon talk to you?”

“Yes.” I was silent for a moment, recalling my conversation with him. Maybe she would be slightly safer if she were reassigned. He would be a good choice. If nothing else, she’d be less of a temptation for me.

“I can have you reassigned.”

She turned back to look at me, her expression thoughtful. Even now, she wasn’t afraid of me. I studied her as she pondered my suggestion. Her hair was wet. So, she had been caught in the storm. At least she’d changed into dry clothes. And it seemed that her time outside had helped to clear her head. She was a picture of calm composure.

“I think it’s a bit late for that, Prince Chevalier.”

Clever woman. Too clever. Too clever, too stubborn, too beautiful.

I sat up, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed toward her. Her eyes went to my bandaged hand, and she turned without a word and went to my bureau.

“Your hair is still wet,” I commented.

“It will dry eventually, your highness.” She returned with my spare right glove. “And so will your other glove, but it’s not ready yet.”

I’d managed to keep my hand hidden from Leon and Luke, but that would be much easier with the glove. A glove that fit quite snugly over the bandages.

“I don’t know who to talk to about getting a new mirror,” she said quietly.

“I’ll handle it,” I said, walking past her and heading for the door. “Are you coming?” I asked, stopping with my hand on the doorknob.

“Oh, yes,” she said, startled by my invitation. She picked up the tray, and I held the door open for her. That was her demand - my respect. And she’d certainly earned it. We walked down the hall together in silence until she took the turn toward the kitchens, and I continued on to the library.

Clavis was waiting there.

“Hey, Chev. I stopped by your office earlier, but you weren’t there. Finished early for the day?” he asked, grinning as he followed me into the back room.

“Yes.”

His violet hair was still wet, too.

“I told Ivetta I’d meet her here.” He turned to go as I took my seat. “Those are some nasty bruises,” he added quietly, and then he was gone.

Even Clavis had a protective streak. She was having quite the effect on everybody.

It wasn’t long before she opened the door with my tea, Clavis following behind her. The sight annoyed me. He wasn’t just pestering her to bother me, and although it was possible he was worried about leaving her alone with the informant still unidentified, it was much more likely that his own attraction to her was growing.

“Will there be anything else, Prince Chevalier?” she asked, setting the tea on the end table.

I ignored her and fastened my glare on Clavis. “Out.”

He sighed dramatically. “I guess I’ll get my own tea,” he said, winking at her as he left. She closed the door behind him.

It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but I knew I’d be visiting the knight’s grave after his memorial service, and I wanted to take her with me. She probably didn’t even know about his death, but since he’d been guarding the servants’ entrance, it was very likely that she knew him. And even if she hadn’t, I just wanted to keep her close.

“When the rain lets up, I will be leaving the palace for a short period during the afternoon, and you will accompany me,” I said, careful to maintain my usual icy expression and tone.

She was curious, but she didn’t ask for more information. “Yes, your highness. Will that be all?”

“Yes.”

She turned to go, but stopped with her hand on the doorknob. I waited for her to speak. Was I in for another tongue-lashing?

“Prince Chevalier,” she said quietly, keeping her back to me, “do you promise to never do that again?”

“Yes,” I said, with no hesitation.

“Then I forgive you.”

She opened the door and left, and I stared at the door in shock. I’d never expected to hear her say those words, ever, and yet she’d said them only hours after I’d horribly mistreated her. And they weren’t empty words. Her lingering in my room, wanting to talk to me, her strange question about the awkward tension that stood between us - she’d longed to say those words.

What was I going to do with her?