Page 111 of The Mad King and the False Queen

“Yes, Reon had it coordinated a long time ago, but it’s the only shipment we received and will be receiving from them.”

A call sounded outside, and the carriage jerked as they departed from the castle. Dagmara began, “I didn’t realize you and Celestaire were in an alliance.”

“We’re not exactly,” Claude admitted. “Again, this is a one time shipment. The council doesn’t know about it, solely Reon and Guardian Sora.”

The council. Dagmara was familiar with it. Celestaire seemed to do their ranking and governing differently. The guardian and her partner were solely figureheads for the country, mainly for show. It was the council that made governing and militia decisions, which was different from both Azurem and Ilusauri.

“Only the people in this carriage—and Sabien—know this shipment is from Celestaire as opposed to Azurem.”

“What business do you have with Celestaire that their council doesn’t know about?” Dagmara ventured.

“That is confidential. We will be telling everyone this shipment is from Azurem.”

“Celestaire doesn’t have the same produce that Azurem does, so no one will believe that.”

“People in a famine won’t question their food,” Claude shot back.

Dagmara shifted in her seat. She glanced sideways at Martine, wondering if she knew about all of the illusions Claude was creating.

“The people at the castle know about the magic,” Martine explained, nearly reading her thoughts.

That made enough sense. She couldn’t imagine someone trying to harvest a vegetable and end up with nothing but air. However, how were all the servants and guards at the castle keeping such a large secret?

Claude continued, “This shipment will be going straight to Lionel, seeing as he was the one you announced our new agreement with. As soon as we start getting shipments from Azurem, we will travel to the other three provinces and then probably have to circle back to Lionel at some point.”

“What province is Lionel responsible for again?” Dagmara had met far too many people at the engagement ball for her to keep everything straight.

“The Southern,” Claude replied. “The capital of Ilusauri, Sailonne, is in that province, giving Lionel more responsibility than the other governors.”

Dagmara knew that name and the reason she was here in the first place. She had to sneak away and find any proof that Lionel forged the three assassin’s papers to cross over for the Azuremi coronation. If not, Claude was the only other person able to forge the papers.

“You said you haven’t left the castle since your parents died, but did you visit the neighboring towns often before that?” Dagmara ventured.

“Yes, my father and I often went to the towns together,” Claude replied. “We could play games in the open field, and my father and I would always race back to the castle. He thought it was important for the people to know their king. He didn’t want to be an untouchable figurehead, he wanted to be a friendly leader. It’s what he wanted for me too. It’s what I wanted…” his voice trailed off and his face hardened. “It will be a long ride to the capital if you want to get some rest.” In other words, he was done with her questions. The king went silent, shifting his gaze to the window.

The ride to the capital was long. By the time they reached Sailonne, the sun was already above the horizon. The landscape was gray, save for the sliver of blue in the sky, and the fields were dusted with ash, shriveled and decaying.

The carriage came to a halt at the edge of a sprawling city that was surrounded by a stone wall. Pierre and Martine were quick to shut the curtains, masking the royals from the outside. By the sound of it, there was already a crowd forming at the front gates.

“Let us speak with Sabien and assess the situation,” Martine announced. She opened the door, and suddenly a plethora of smells and noises flooded the carriage. She exited, shortly followed by Claude’s two guards. They shut the carriage door with a resounding smack, enclosing Claude and Dagmara in the carriage together.

“I’m sure I don’t need to remind you how important this is,” Claude said, “it is the first time my citizens are seeing us together.”

The first time they were seeing him outside the castle since he was a child, but he didn’t have to say that.

“What are we going for here?” Dagmara asked.

Claude seemed taken aback by the question, and his expression wavered with confusion.

Dagmara clarified, “What is appropriate in your kingdom? Do they want to see an alliance between two guardians? Do they want to see a couple in love?” Dagmara remembered the way Bogdan would show off with his magic. She remembered the fountain in the square before the coronation and how every child wanted a piece of the guardian’s powers. The people of Azurem loved magic. She added, “Do they want a show?”

“No, not a show,” said Claude, finally seeming to understand her question. “They loved how genuine my father was. They loved how close our family was. They like feeling as though we are one of them…not some higher being.” We meant guardians. Dagmara was never a guardian, so acting as though she wasn’t one would be right up her alley.

Claude’s heel was still tapping on the ground, his knee shaking and vibrating the rest of the carriage. “I suppose they want to see honesty. I don’t know if I can give them that.”

Dagmara reached toward him, placing her hand on his knee. She wasn’t sure if it was because she wanted him to stop shaking or because she felt for him.

He stilled against her touch, his expression shifting into something more calm.

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