Page 68 of Downfall of a Princess

The sun was setting as I walked to the slave barracks on the very edge of the palace grounds. On my way, I kept going through my reasoning in my mind. At the very least, I decided, I could just give him the shirt and say a proper goodbye, parting like an adult instead of what I’d done the last time.

Some of my reasoning held a modicum of logic. Most of it was just stupid. Regardless, my heart beat faster the closer I got to the place where Salas lived along with the other slaves. They were housed in the spare summer stables. The main building was normally used for horses when a large delegation visited Egami Palace. That spring, it had been temporarily converted to accommodate the men working on the palace grounds.

I stopped just past the hedge separating the barrack from the gardens. The sky darkened as the sun lowered behind the horizon. Hidden in the shadow of the tall hedge, I wondered what the best way would be to go about this.

Technically, the building belonged to my family. I had every right to walk in or around it whenever I pleased. But I couldn’t just march into the barracks and search for Salas without raising a million questions from everyone inside and giving grounds for some potentially very harmful rumors.

Maybe I could knock and ask for him? With my hood on and my crown off, whoever opened the door likely wouldn’t recognize me. But how could I explain to anyone what I needed from Salas if I couldn’t even explain it to myself?

As I stood there, pondering my next step, the door opened, and Salas exited the building. He was alone.

Talk about a lucky break.

I opened my mouth to call him, then realized he was trying not to be seen. Furtively glancing over both his shoulders, he quickly closed the door behind him and rounded the building toward the path that led to the palace gates. He wasn’t just going out for a walk. He was sneaking out. Instead of taking the path, he stayed close to the hedge and the bushes, hiding in their shadows.

I realized how much I still didn’t know about this man, intentionally so. I hadn’t asked him questions or tried to find out anything about his life other than what was absolutely necessary to fulfill our agreement. By now, the unvoiced questions had piled up so high, I could no longer keep collecting them without answers.

Tugging my hood even lower over my face, I headed after him. There was a way to get at least some answers. Like where was he going so late at night when it was highly unusual for young, unmarried men to leave the house, especially unaccompanied like that?

He walked swiftly. I had to jog at times to keep up with his wide stride. When he reached the plaza in front of the palace gates, he paused, hiding in the shadows from the light posts. He waited for a few moments until a large group of servants crossed the plaza on their way to the gates. Then he joined them, keeping his head down and staying about half a step behind the last person.

Smart. I shook my head, impressed by his level of stealth that required extra skill and effort to achieve since his size made him stand out in any crowd.

No one stopped me as I left through the gates. A woman walking alone at night rarely raised any questions or concerns.

Salas turned into the road to the city, and I followed, still without him knowing. By now, I couldn’t even let him know that I was behind him even if I tried. He’d gotten way ahead of me. I had to crane my neck, trying not to lose him among the pedestrians taking an evening stroll and the carriages rattling along the road.

It turned out I had good stalking skills, because I managed not to lose him, following him all the way to the large, gray building on the edge of the city center.

Salas used the heavy bronze ring on the front door to knock, then spoke quietly to the woman who opened the door. She let him in, leaving me standing on the corner with even more questions than I’d had before.

Who was this woman? I didn’t get a good look at her face, but she appeared to be about my age.

Why did Salas come to see her, secretly, as if committing an illicit act? Were they having an affair?

Their greeting seemed formal, not like between lovers or even between friends. Still, an unpleasant feeling scratched inside me as my feverish imagination ran amok with all the things they might be doing inside right now.

What was this place, anyway?

I stepped back, taking in the gray stone building. Overall, it was low-set and unassuming. Past rainfalls had decorated its walls with dark water stains. I might’ve passed by here more than once, not paying any attention to its walls hidden behind the pretty cherry trees that grew on the side of the road.

“Excuse me,” I stopped two women who were passing by. “Do you happen to know what’s inside this building?”

One of them shrugged. “No idea. I walk here a few times a month, but I never bothered to find out. It’s an ugly one, isn’t it? Quite an eyesore.”

So much was true. The building wasn’t an architectural masterpiece by any standards.

“I think they have kids in there,” the other woman said.

“Kids?” I stared at her in shock.

She nodded. “I hear them recite out loud on a hot day when they have the windows open.”

“What do they recite?”

“I never listened closely, madam.”

Another passerby stopped abruptly, having overheard our conversation.

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