Page 64 of I Destroyed the Elf Prince's Harem

“Not enough time.”

I didn’t believe that one tiny bit. “You’re enjoying this too much.”

“Too much? Is that even possible?” Nylian threaded his fingers through mine. “I think I’m enjoying this just the right amount. I enjoy being able to kiss you whenever I want. It will keep you away from those women you like to flirt with.”

A groan rattled up my throat, and I turned my attention to the hallway we were walking down. There was no point in trying to tell him yet again that I’d only been talking to those women in the hope of setting him up with his next great love.

We were definitely away from the guest chambers as the decor shifted from light and airy so something heavier, as if we’d stepped into a shadowy forest. The landscape paintings on the wall shifted to enormous, towering portraits of men in crowns and holding swords. The white marble that had filled the other hall now became a river of black.

“This is a bad time to ask, but is there any magic in this hallway to alert them to our presence?”

Nylian shook his head, his playful expression dissolving into a grim glare. “Nothing that I’ve detected.”

Near the end of the hall, we located a pair of double doors with shining silver handles. They were grand things that looked like they belonged to a king’s office or study. Nylian moved in front of me and cautiously placed a hand on the door handle, easing it lower without making a sound. He poked his head into the crack as soon as it was large enough and scanned the room. My heart raced as I expected to see a full battalion of soldiers come rushing out to arrest us.

There was nothing but silence.

With a quick grin that I knew was ninety percent relief, Nylian pulled me into the lavish study. There were more giant portraits of past kings and battles that appeared to be between two elf armies. Probably a super biased record of the split between the Wolfrest elves and the Galinaes elves. Shelves also lined the walls, filled with books and scrolls.

In the center of the room was a grand desk that was an interesting mix of marble and silver. Nylian and I rushed over to it, riffling through the various papers there and bits of notes, but there wasn’t much to be found. Most of it seemed to be incomplete thoughts about what to have for lunch and ideas for a new saddle design or a new bow design. There was even a reminder to some general about adding a new flourish to the City Watch uniforms.

“Nothing,” Nylian snarled, making me flinch after the extended silence.

We’d been in the room for no more than five minutes, but the racing of my heart and the sweat sliding down from my temple argued that we’d pushed our luck by being in there as long as we had. Either way, we’d gone through all the notebooks, papers, and files on the king’s desk. There were still the copious number of scrolls and books on the shelves, but if he’d made some deal to arrange the death of Orian, why would he hide the notes there? It wasn’t as if he could have guessed that Nylian would show up on his doorstep.

“You said the king was little more than a figurehead. That Galinaes is a matriarchy.” I paused and took a deep breath, hating myself for even thinking it, let alone saying the words out loud. “Do you think we should check the queen’s study? If someone was going to make a move against Wolfrest, doesn’t it make more sense that it would be at the queen’s command?”

Nylian stared at me for a second before grunting. “You’re right. I’m an idiot.”

Frowning, I straightened from where I was bent over the desk and punched his shoulder. “I didn’t say that. It’s good that we checked this one.”

Nylian made another disgruntled sound. He didn’t buy my attempt to smooth things over. “If we can’t find something with the queen, we have to decide whether it is worth it to linger in Ulmenor for a few more weeks to see if we can identify the nobles who have some power and might benefit from a war between Galinaes and Wolfrest.”

My stomach churned, and I almost whimpered. Staying in Galinaes for another day was a bad idea. Even if the queen had nothing to do with Orian’s death, I didn’t put it past her to want to use Nylian for some nefarious plot.

No, the sooner we got the fuck out of here, the better.

“Come on,” Nylian urged as he walked around the desk to the double doors. “I think the queen’s study is going to be on the next floor up.”

I caught up with him after taking an extra second to make sure everything was exactly as it had been before we entered the room. “Makes sense.” Higher in the castle was more prestigious. Plus, she’d probably want more space between her and the husband she didn’t seem to like very much.

After a peek into the hall to make sure no one had come along behind us, we were out of the king’s office and hurrying the way we’d come. Nylian remained snuggled close, his arm on my waist, but this time was far less playful, a new tension humming through his frame.

With a hard swallow, I turned my face toward his and brushed the lightest kiss across his cheek, causing his fingers to dig into my side almost painfully. “We’ll figure this out together.”

His eyes found mine, and the smile that had been missing returned. “You’re right. We will.”

At the next intersection in the corridor, we found a wide set of stairs that had no guards. Nylian made a show of giggling and pinning me to the white marble handrailing to kiss me senseless. The damn elf was enjoying this part more than necessary, but I couldn’t bring myself to call a stop to it. When Nylian wasn’t reveling in the fact that I reciprocated his attraction, he was brooding about his brother’s killer, and I didn’t want him to get lost in that darkness.

The decor changed yet again on the next floor, creating a starkly different feel. The colors were all blues and grays with swirls of white and yellow. It was as if we were walking through a painting of the Milky Way. The lighting was dimmer here, and I depended on Nylian’s sharp vision to spot guards. Paintings hung on the walls at regular intervals, but they were all of women in everything from elegant gowns to shining armor on the backs of white steeds. These were the queens who were likely to be considered the heart of the kingdom of Galinaes.

After seeing the two sides of the married royals, I now ached to walk through the halls of Wolfrest’s royal castle. Would there be this strange dichotomy as well, or would the entire castle favor the king?

“Where are the prince and his pet?”

I jumped and twisted around at the sudden intrusion of the queen’s voice as it bounced cold and hard off the marble walls.

“The servant following them stated they were in his private quarters, Your Majesty.” The assistant cleared his throat. “Judging by the noises coming from the other side of the door, we believe they should be occupied for the rest of the evening.”

---