Page 165 of The Mad King and the False Queen

CHAPTER 53

Dagmara

The Ilusaurian royal chamber was nearly the same as Dagmara remembered, the only difference was a trio of canvases in the corner. Two were landscapes, exquisitely detailed, and one was a painting of the hounds from Nouchenne. A shudder ran down Dagmara’s spine at the sight, and she quickly redirected her attention to the desk.

Shuffling through the papers at the top, she found nothing useful. Everything was written in Ilusaurian, and she could only decipher half the words. Opening one drawer, she came across a letter to a woman named Ishani with a guild seal. What did Claude have to do with Flaustra? There was an entire stack labeled to this person. What business did they have together? If only Dagmara could read Flaustran.

Then the doorknob rattled.

Dagmara stumbled away from the desk, her heart pounding as the door opened.

“Hello, Dagger,” Sabien said, stepping into the room with a smirk. “I love when I make you nervous.”

“You could’ve knocked,” she retorted. “How did you get in here?”

“As Captain of the Ilusaurian guard it isn’t difficult for me to tell two guards I am taking over their post,” he said. “Find anything?”

“Nothing.”

Dagmara wanted to object or kick him out, but she knew two people searching would be more efficient than one.

Without giving him another moment of her precious time, she returned to the desk, pulling out the next drawer to shuffle through it. She could practically hear the imaginary clock that signaled her time was running out. Pouring rain beat against the large windows, mimicking the pounding of her heart.

She sensed Sabien’s approach before he reached her. He stood behind her, his chest touching her back, as he reached around her to pick up one of the letters written in Flaustran.

“Do you read Flaustran?” he asked, leaning against her until her hips met the edge of the table, her body trapped.

“No, you?” She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder, suddenly aware of how close he was to her.

He hesitated, his eyes examining her like she was his prey. “For you I can.”

“A little space, maybe?” Dagmara snapped, elbowing him in the chest, but he wouldn’t budge.

“Is that a request or a command from the new queen?” he asked.

“It…” her mind whirled upon hearing the title of queen, “it’s a request,” she muttered.

“In that case…no,” he leaned closer, his lips inches from her neck. “Also…do you outrank me now?” His eyes glanced at the shimmering crown on her head.

Shoving her shoulder against his chest, this time with as much force as she could muster, Dagmara slipped out from between his body and the table. “Technically, I always outranked you.” She readjusted her crown to make her point.

“As Magdalena, maybe,” Sabien replied. “But now you, Dagmara Zosia, are legally the queen of Ilusauri.”

Dagmara felt her chest tighten. She didn’t want to think of the legalities of any of this. She also didn’t like the way her stomach curled whenever Sabien touched her. She decided to finish looking through the desk when Sabien wasn’t standing over it. Turning on her heel, she went to the armoire.

Opening the door, she searched the entire closet, even using Bernadette’s advice to check for a false back. Crossing to the seating area, she searched both side tables, once against finding nothing of value.

She could hear Sabien rattling around at the desk, searching each drawer thoroughly and making an awful ruckus. If everyone wasn’t at the wedding, and the rain wasn’t so loud, she would have scolded him for causing too much noise.

Then Dagmara crossed to the bed, struggling to kneel in her wedding gown. Dropping her cheek to the ground, she looked underneath. There was nothing but shoes, weapons, and a lot of dust.

“Um…these letters are suspicious,” Sabien muttered under his breath.

“What do they say?” asked Dagmara, careful to rise to her feet slowly to avoid a dizzy spell.

“Seems like His Majesty is corresponding with an assassin in Flaustra to find and kill anyone with a hint of magic,” Sabien said. “Much like what you were doing in Azurem for King Bogdan.”

“Was that what Claude and Guardian Sora were doing in Celestaire?” Dagmara asked. “I heard that he was working with her to look for something…not someone.”

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