Page 26 of Court of Secrets and Flames

I lift my chin. “I’ve had breakfast.”

“Good.” He offers his arm like it’s the most natural thing in the world. “Shall we?”

Gritting my teeth, I place my hand in the crook of his arm, resolved to “play the game” as Leesa and I discussed.

We step through the open door into the corridor, and Knox nods at the guards as we pass.

King Jasper specifically chose him for this chore. Why? Is this some sort of test? Does he suspect the past Knox and I share? The nights we spent entwined beneath the stars of Flighthaven, before everything fell apart? The king could only know of our romantic entanglement if Knox spilled his guts, but something tells me he kept the personal details of our relationship to himself. Especially after his comment last night when he accused me of fucking him with my eyes and warned me that the king wouldn’t be pleased if he saw.

A tiny gasp escapes me. Oh my gods, is the reason he said that because Leesa’s right, and Knox is already committed to someone else? Surely he wouldn’t stoop so low.

Then again, nothing in our past leads me to believe I can trust him.

Save for the soft patter of our footsteps and the clinking of the guards’ armor as they trail us, our procession down the hall is silent, the tension a tangible entity dancing around us like the first chills of autumn.

Knox’s betrayal cut deep, leaving behind a jagged, painful wound. One that refuses to heal because every time I see him, the knife stabs me again, keeping the hurt raw and bloody.

At this rate, the wound will never scar. I’ll be bleeding for Sterling until my dying day.

His voice echoes in my memory, proclaiming words of affection that now taste of ash and deceit. My former instructor has proven himself an expert in the art of pretense.

As I’m lost in these venomous thoughts, a sudden clearing of Knox’s throat jolts me from my reverie.

“Here is the minstrel gallery.” Knox gestures to the arched entrance we’re passing by. “I used to hide from Jasper’s torments there.”

I peer into the shadowy alcove, imagining a younger Knox seeking refuge among lutes and lyres while the laughter of his elder brother echoed mockingly down the halls.

He seems unfazed by his own confessions. “Farther ahead is the salon. My mother always kept it filled with sweets. Cookies, comfits, you name it. She liked to spoil us.”

The image of a cozy room brimming with sugary treats contrasts sharply with the grandeur around us. For a fleeting moment, I see Knox not as the prince but as a boy, sneaking cookies beneath the stern gazes of courtiers.

We walk through countless corridors and rooms, and although Knox’s polite, he also carries a palpable aura of indifference, as if bored and merely performing this duty of showing me around at the king’s request.

Is he really this cold, or is my sister right? Would he act differently if the guards weren’t within earshot? If various lords and ladies and servants weren’t milling about? Is he ashamed to be seen with me? Or is he doing exactly what I’m doing and playing the game?

I don’t have an answer to any of those questions, but I’m certain of one thing. Knox was anything but indifferent on my first night in Tirene. The night we fought…the night he kissed me.

“As you know, this is the great hall.” Once again, his voice pulls me from my pondering. “That’s where we received thenews. The death of my father and younger sister. The kingdom lost a king and a princess that day.” His demeanor is steady and devoid of apparent emotion, but a subtle shift in his gaze hints at buried pain.

My traitorous heart aches for him. I know the sting of loss all too well. “Your brother’s sudden coronation at such a young age must have been a shock.”

Knox’s face is as still as a lake undisturbed by wind or rain. Beneath the fine fabric of his tunic, he offers an almost imperceptible lift of his broad shoulders.

“That very night, our world shifted on its axis. Not too long after, Jasper sent me away to boot camp. The majority of my education in leadership came from the military rather than royal tutors.”

His voice holds no resentment, only the weight of fact, and I find an unexpected swell of compassion rising within me. I know all too well how swiftly fate can wrench one’s path in unforeseen directions.

But I swallow the sympathetic words that rise to my tongue because he doesn’t deserve my pity. Not after his betrayals.

We walk in silence, the air between us thick with unspoken thoughts and histories better left buried. The corridors of the palace seem endless. Each tapestry and suit of armor whispers of the past, until we finally arrive at the ornate door leading to my chambers. With a casual nod from Knox, the guards retreat, leaving a clear path for my entrance.

He opens the heavy door and waves me through before addressing the guards. “I’d like a private word with the lady. I’ll try to make it brief.”

Once the door is closed and we’re inside the suite’s plush interior, I wheel around to face him. “Thank you for the?—”

“Are you all right?” His keeps his voice just above a whisper, like he’s afraid the guards might overhear. “I was off performingtraining drills and had no idea my brother was going to throw you and your sister in that arena with the dragons. I came as soon as I did but didn’t get there until the very end. If I’d known, I would have done something, would have warned you. I swear.”

Exhaustion seeps into my bones. My back aches again, I feel like I could take a four-hour nap, and I don’t know who I am anymore. But I’m not about to admit any of that to him. “I’m fine.”

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