Page 11 of Betrayed By Dragons

I should have had the idea to offer her the lessons in the first place.

I'll have my chance. Eventually.

For now, I exit into the living room of the suite, where I spend a couple of minutes clearing my head and my inbox. Ten minutes before my first scheduled meeting, I head out into the hall.

My assistant, Li, is standing right there.

"Jesus Christ," I mutter, though I shouldn't be surprised. He's been miraculously doing this for years.

I have no idea how long he's been waiting, but he hands me a travel mug full of earthy green tea, still hot. Accepting it with a nod of thanks, I begin walking down the hall.

"We've got a tight schedule today, your highness," he begins.

I listen as he rattles off the day's agenda. I was already well aware of most of it, but he has a few updates I'm grateful to receive a heads up about.

Official princely duties aren't the only thing on my mind, of course. At the end of the hall, before we head downstairs, I pull up short.

I glance in all directions before lowering my voice. "I have a special assignment I need your help with."

Li is immediately all ears, his spine straightening and his head tilting toward mine. In an impressive feat, he still manages to seem casual, though. As if we're having a normal conversation, and I'm not about to task him with something that could upset the balance of power in the kingdom and beyond.

I would take the time to marvel at his facility for subterfuge, if I weren't so preoccupied, trying to delicately phrase my request.

Long after Ember and Rafe fell asleep last night, I laid there in our bed, mulling it over. They were right when they told me I need to be more aggressive about digging into Bedrock. We're here to figure out who sabotaged the peace summit. Probing more deeply into the militant fanatics behind the group may be dangerous, but inaction has its own set of risks.

"Find me a few members of Bedrock," I instruct him. "We're not working through official channels here, though. Just looking to have a friendly conversation."

Li's mouth turns down into a frown. "Sir..."

I harden my tone. "Just do it."

"If anyone finds out..."

I look him straight in the eyes. "Make sure they don't. Do we understand each other?"

His throat bobs, and his eyes narrow. I've made myself clear.

"Yes, your highness."

"Good."

I feel better, having started the wheels in motion. Someone in Bedrock will answer my questions, and I'll either find cause for further suspicion, or I won't. Regardless, I'll be able to move forward with a clear conscience, confident I've done my duty to my kingdom, to my mate.

And to all of dragonkind.

Patting Li on the shoulder, I resume our trajectory toward the other wing of the palace. As I pass through the halls, I exchange curt greetings with staffers and dignitaries alike. My father's voice chides me in my head; he rules with fear and sees no reason to cultivate relationships with anyone below his station. I've taken his lessons about leadership to heart, for the most part, but while I'm still prince, I have the luxury of making myself at least somewhat approachable. I've reaped the benefits of people treating me with respect but not terror more than once.

That said, I may have overshot a little on the approachability factor today. A familiar face catches my eye, and my stomach clenches.

"Prince Jianyu." Lady Tsing dips her head in a small bow as she falls into step beside me.

Tsing is an old friend, born into a family with a seat at court but little else. She and her mother launched an initiative to resuscitate ancient Stone Kingdom art forms a decade or so ago, though, and cleverly parlayed it into a booming media company. With her new resources, she's become influential, both in the wider populace and among the government ministers who set policy for the kingdom.

Not long ago, my father presented her name to me at the top of a list of potential brides.

Out of the corner of my eye, I look her up and down. She's beautiful, with a glowing, golden complexion, short black hair cut in a bob, and an appealing figure, accentuated by clothes that are the height of Shítou fashion.

Before I met Ember, her place at the top of my father's list seemed right. I wasn't actively courting her, but I had made overtures.

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