A Beast's Tale

Chapter 12

Ivetta set the books beside her on the carriage seat, careful to avoid my gaze. “Sorry for embarrassing you, your highness,” she said, looking down at her lap self-consciously. She really was a mess, from her mussed hair to the powdered sugar on her dress to the dried blood and snot from the little boy on her apron. The most frustratingly beautiful mess I’d ever seen.

“Is this how you normally behave at festivals?” I asked coolly.

“I don’t normally go to festivals, your highness,” she replied, turning her gaze to the scenery outside the window.

“That may be for the best,” I muttered. “You are an intolerable nuisance.”

Especially since I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. There was precious little of interest in the enclosed space of the carriage, and the plain green grass spread out beside the cobblestone road we were traversing held nothing I cared to see, either. Even the stack of rare foreign books spanning multiple languages and genres paled in comparison to the intriguing mysteries of the woman sitting quietly next to them. I had hundreds of books, enough to fill the walls of built-in bookcases in my bedroom, office, and private library. She had easily identified the mere dozen titles at the bookstall that I didn’t own without any guidance from me, and I hadn’t needed to give her a single word of instruction to do so. As usual. What was unusual was her silent acceptance of my insult right now. Her green eyes should be flashing, her soft voice snapping at me for my disrespectful behavior. But the way she sat still, staring out the window, unseeing, lost in thought…

For once, I couldn’t read her.

“I’ll have tea in the gardens. By the pond,” I said, finally breaking the silence.

“Yes, your highness,” she replied quietly.

“You may leave after that.”

She winced, and I immediately realized my mistake. She thought I was angry with her and that this was her dismissal. There could be nothing further from the truth. I’d only intended to allow her to go home early, or even return to the festival if she wanted.

“Or you may stay and read for a while, if you’d prefer,” I added.

She shook her head, missing the subtle reassurance I’d meant for her to hear. “I’ll leave, your highness.”

A more direct statement would be necessary. I reached across the carriage to catch her chin and turned her to face me. “I expect you to be on time tomorrow morning.”

Her green eyes met mine with surprise. “You’re not firing me, Prince Chevalier?”

I allowed myself a smile at her oblivious naïvety. “You were no embarrassment,” I said, releasing her chin and poking her in the forehead. “And you are far too fragile to be released back into the wild.”

The blush returned to her cheeks. “I do seem to attract trouble, don’t I, your highness?”

“Indeed. Though your ability to charm any would-be predators is unparalleled.”

“I don’t know what you mean, Prince Chevalier,” she said quietly, looking back out the window.

“No, you don’t.”

She didn’t respond, withdrawing into herself again. I frowned as I watched her. She’d seemed to be enjoying herself at the festival until the food stall. No, before that, the child. Her comment to Leon when he rejoined us after locating the boy’s parents flashed through my mind again.

“You had a frightening experience when you were that child’s age.”

She nodded.

“What happened?”

“I was beaten by some older kids, your highness,” she said quietly.

That was unexpected. I found myself clenching my fists involuntarily. “Why?”

She shrugged as if it didn’t matter, her eyes not leaving the window. “They thought I was the bastard child of a prostitute, your highness. I wasn’t wanted.”

Wasn’t wanted? Who in their right mind wouldn’t want her around? And the thought of anybody laying a hand on her was intolerable. But maybe that explained whatever startled her later. It could have been one of those former bullies, grown to adulthood.

“The food stall,” I continued, keeping my voice even.

She bit her lip, her thoughts racing behind her green eyes. There was no mistaking it. She was scared, and not of something in the distant past. The silence grew with each passing second, as did her anxiety. Her fingers fidgeted nervously in her lap, but she did not speak.

“Who did you see?” I asked quietly.

She shook her head, refusing to look at me. “It doesn’t matter, your highness.”

“That is up to me to decide,” I said firmly.

“I’d rather not say, your highness.”

The carriage jostled to a halt before I could ask another question. She was tense, ready to bolt, but I reached the books faster than she did. Her hand trembled slightly and pulled away from the stack as she avoided my eyes. This was really bothering her.

“Your hands are dirty,” I said simply.

“Oh, yes, sorry, your highness,” she said, a touch of surprise and relief in her voice. I picked up the books, and she followed me out of the carriage. “I’ll just get cleaned up and be right out with your tea,” she added, disappearing through the servant’s entrance before I could say another word.

I scowled as I strode through the main doors, ignoring the guards who paled at my expression and stood stiff at attention as I passed. It was three o’clock. Two more hours until she normally left. I’d said she could, but that was before I’d probed deeper into the incident at the food stall. Even my threats against her life when we’d first met hadn’t elicited such a strong response as that, and she’d had no way of knowing that I was only testing her then. What could terrify her so much that I became the safest person in her vicinity?

I could simply rescind my earlier statement granting her permission to leave early. If she was in some sort of danger, I needed to know. She was my employee, after all.

The library felt empty without her. It had never felt empty before. The shelves upon shelves of books had always provided all the company I’d ever wanted or needed, but their silence was too loud as I crossed the highly varnished wood floor to the back room. I set the stack of new books in my chair and snapped the twine that bound them, selecting the first two books that presented themselves. Hers was the top book, my impulsive purchase to - to what? Reward good service? Encourage loyalty?

Give her something I knew she would like for no reason whatsoever?

I’d read the book before, of course, and it wasn’t one of my favorites. It was a romance that was so lacking in realism as to cross into the realm of fantasy. The characters were unrelatable, the plot was far-fetched, and the resolution was absolutely impossible. She would recognize all those flaws and still find it enjoyable. That was no slight to her tastes. Her ability to maintain such a strikingly innocent optimism in spite of the many difficulties she encountered in her daily life was remarkable. She said she read for enjoyment, but I suspected it was also an escape from her reality.

The bench down by the pond would accommodate both of us quite nicely, if I could convince her to stay. I set her book on one end of the bench, lying on my back and stretching out across the seat as I waited for her to arrive. The new book I’d selected for myself was a collection of poetry from a country that had been overrun by Obsidian when I was just a child. It would pose an interesting challenge for me. I was familiar with other languages within the same linguistic family, but I had never come across this particular language before. With no other texts written in the same language to reference, this book had the potential to keep me occupied for several days.

I was already deeply immersed when she found me. “Where would you like me to set your tea, Prince Chevalier?” she asked.

“Anywhere is fine,” I said, immediately losing my train of thought at the sound of her voice. She set the tea on the ground next to me, and I turned to face her as her eyes came level with mine. “Your book is on the other end of the bench.”

“Oh, thank you, Prince Chevalier,” she stammered, a faint blush coming to her cheeks from my proximity. “I’ll look forward to reading that tomorrow,” she added, quickly standing up.

“Read it now,” I said shortly, sitting up and swinging my legs around to the ground. I settled back against the bench, clearing plenty of space for her. “Sit.”

She bit her lip nervously, but picked up the book and obeyed, putting as much distance between us as the bench would allow. This was the sort of behavior I expected from her. She knew I was dangerous, and she viewed me as unpredictable. That had not changed, even though she’d sought protection in my presence less than an hour ago. I had to ask. I had to make her tell me, for her own good. But…could it wait? Just an hour? Could I convince her to stay here, safe with me, just for a little while longer?

“Midnight Cinderella,” she read aloud. “I think I’ve heard of this one. Thank you for buying it for me, Prince Chevalier.”

“You will like it,” I said, watching her turn the book over in her hands. “It will appeal to your naïve sensibilities.”

I’d never uttered such a phrase in anything but an insulting manner, but for the first time, I meant it as a compliment. She seemed to realize that, or she was too distracted to argue with me. At any rate, she had taken no offense.

“You said I may leave now, if I like, didn’t you, Prince Chevalier?” she asked thoughtfully.

This was the perfect opportunity. It would be simple enough to say that I’d changed my mind. She was always obedient, and although she would be upset, she would stay. Or I could qualify her early departure with the condition that she tell me who she saw and why they frightened her so badly. But she wouldn’t tell me, would she? She would rather stay and work her normal hours than disclose that information.

I didn’t just want her to stay. I wanted to see her smile again. And she wouldn’t do that if I forced her to remain against her will.

“Yes.”

She bit her lip, considering. That surprised and pleased me. I was sure she’d jump at the opportunity to leave. But she actually wanted to stay.

“I’ll just sit somewhere else, but thank you, your highness,” she finally said. She left the bench and headed toward the shade tree a few feet away, sitting back against the trunk. I tried to refocus on my book, but my eyes wandered over to her as she slipped her shoes off and tucked her knees up under her, taking a position very similar to how I’d found her in the alcove a couple of hours ago. She undid her ponytail and finger-combed her glossy black hair over her shoulder as she began to read, oblivious to my stare. The silky black strands flowed down the front of her dress toward her waist, her slender fingers repetitively gliding down the length of them. I tore my gaze away and lay back down on the bench to remove her from my sight.

We’d been reading in silence for about an hour when her voice jolted me back to reality.

“Goodbye, Prince Chevalier.”

“You’re leaving early,” I commented, forcing my eyes to remain on my book.

“People tend to get a bit rowdy at festivals, your highness, especially the later it gets,” she explained. “And I’ll have to take a few detours to avoid the worst parts of town.”

That got my attention. I looked up at her, holding my empty teacup, her new book tucked under one arm with the ribbon that normally restrained her hair hanging from the pages as a makeshift bookmark. Her black hair remained loose over her shoulder, and she was relaxed and at ease, her green eyes calm even as she reminded me of the potential dangers that awaited her beyond the palace walls. It would be so easy for her to come to harm, and I couldn’t protect her from a danger that I didn’t fully understand. I should ask her. I had to.

But she still wasn’t smiling.

“Black will still be in the square,” I said reluctantly. “Find him.”

“I’ll do that,” she said, acknowledging my concern with a shy smile. “Thank you again, your highness.”

There it was. It imprinted on my mind and remained long after she left, a slender figure soon concealed by rose bushes as she rounded a bend in the path. I sighed and sat up, leaning back against the bench. There was a small amount of risk in letting her leave by herself, but she was unlikely to meet any trouble on her walk through the countryside before she reached town, and she was sensible enough to seek Leon out once she reached the square. He would flirt with her, of course, but he would respect her boundaries as he escorted her the rest of the way to her home. She was as safe with him as she was with me.

Tomorrow. I had to find out tomorrow. Something was very wrong, something that was an ongoing threat. This would have to be addressed, and soon, for my own peace of mind if not for hers. But today was a national holiday, and for the rest of my day off, I decided to indulge myself with memories of her smile and her sparkling green eyes.