Page 85 of Decoy

“If that is your preference. Whichever method you choose, naturally I’m the best assassin for hire, which unfortunately makes me the most expensive. After all, you pay for quality…but I don’t necessarily need to be paid in coin.”

He cupped my chin to tilt my face up for a gentle kiss, one which ended prematurely when my smile broke free. “I hope your services also extend to what I need this moment: detecting when another—apparently lesser—assassin has been hired.”

“Naturally.” He waved the parchment in front of me. “Some assassin houses can be contacted directly through a secret code or other means; this particular assassin house corresponds via invisible ink.”

I took in the parchment with renewed interest, but this wasn’t enough for its contents to magically appear before me. “It looks entirely ordinary.”

“Smell it.” He lifted it to my nose. A cautious sniff caused a waft of a floral scent to assault my senses. “This particular ink was created with a wisteria flower, which requires heat to read its contents, like so.”

He guided me to the candle he’d used in his earlier search and lifted it to the flame. Curly letters slowly appeared, revealing a correspondence ordering the deaths of both me and Princess Evelyn…with Sir Rupert’s name conveniently scrawled on the bottom.

“Even with invisible ink, the fool should have used a pseudonym. Amateur.” Luke rolled his eyes, whereas my own bulged.

“Luke, you’re a genius.” I stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek, earning me a boyish grin. “I still don’t understand why he tried to kill me when he knew I was a decoy. What could he possibly gain from my death?”

“He could have intended to use it as a way to deflect blame from himself, or as a red herring for Their Majesties, or to silence you if he believed you were discovering too much—or for any number of other reasons. When that plan failed, I suspect sending you to the dungeon and later the gallows was his last resort.”

Thoseother reasonsonly reminded me that despite this discovery, we still hadn’t found a motive for why the advisor sought the princess’s life. Luke’s success motivated me more than even fighting for my own life should have done. I returned to my search with renewed vigor, and after several thorough minutes was thankfully well rewarded for my efforts.

The first find was a series of financial records stored in a false back of one of the bookcases, detailing dubious doings the advisor had been involved in outside Their Majesties’ authority—such as embezzling funds taken from the royal coffers and selling national secrets—while the last was a will revealing Rupert as a claimant to the throne should the current royal line die off…a clue that confirmed my findings detailing the royal genealogy that I’d discovered from the book in the forbidden tomes, which was what had initially shifted my attention to the advisor. This proximity to the throne that allowed him to borrow the necessary magic also solved the mystery I’d been musing over how he’d gotten past the enchanted lock guarding the royal treasury.

We found nothing else, but we didn’t linger lest we risk discovery. We took our leave with the evidence we’d gathered, but on our way through the corridors towards our meeting with Malik, an approaching guard suddenly stopped us.

“A moment of your time, Your Highness?” He swept into a deep if somewhat insincere bow, making me instantly wary by his reluctant show of deference. Luke instinctively shifted his position to shield me, his hand already hovering above the dagger hidden within his cloak.

I lifted my chin. “That depends on your purpose.”

“Their Majesties seek an urgent audience with you. You’re to accompany me immediately.” The guard turned in silent invitation for us to follow, pausing to pin Luke with a glare. “I was sent to retrieve only the princess.”

“I’m afraid I cannot allow her to accompany you alone. You’re a guard I haven’t yet seen within the palace, leaving me no reason to trust you. As such, I insist on accompanying her…lest I exposethe secretconcerning the monarchy’s use of a decoy.” Luke’s eyes narrowed in silent warning, daring the guard to defy him.

The guard looked offended by the accusation but merely tightened his jaw in reluctant acquiescence. After a sharp nod, he resumed his escort. As we obediently followed, Luke leaned down to whisper in my ear.

“He’s the guard who accompanied the princess. I believe he’s taking us to her now.”

My heart seized. I was moments away from securing my pardon.

The guard led us to the lowest levels of the palace—thankfully not en route to the dungeon I’d grown all too familiar with, but via another staircase that opened to a corridor containing several basement rooms. Their Majesties awaited us in a simple study…along with a man adorned in regal traveling clothes and a woman with waist-length brown hair and hazel eyes set in a heart-shaped face, who must be the princess.

I searched her gaze for any hint of malice in using my life to shield hers…but found only curiosity and even a bit of regret.

The king’s gaze flickered towards Luke with a disapproving frown. “You were only to retrieve Princess Evelyn, Silas.”

Apparently, thisSilaswas the guard who’d escorted us. His disgruntled expression hardened as he offered a deep bow of apology. “My apologies, Your Majesty. He was with the princess when I found her and insisted on accompanying her, even going so far as to threaten to tell the entire courtthe secretif I resisted.”

The king paled. “The secret?” He raised his eyebrows towards Luke, who stared evenly back without the least bit of penitence. “Explain yourself, Lord Luke.”

He offered his usual charming smile as he swept into an elegant bow. “Forgive me for my impertinence, Your Majesty, but I felt it was my duty as a gentleman to accompany the princess to ensure nothing befell her.”

I fought to contain my bemusement. It appeared Luke’s antics had returned on cue for this newest charade.

The king’s lips thinned. “We have guards to protect the princess. Did you truly believe our head guard capable of allowing anyone to harm her?”

Luke simply shrugged. “I’ve yet to meet the royal family’s head guard and thus couldn’t verify his identity. Perhaps my caution could be considered excessive, but it’s my understanding there’s an unknown threat against Her Highness’s life. One can’t be too careful when the assailant could be anyone…even Estoria’s most loyal guard.”

The king’s eyes bulged. “How did you know about—”

He immediately turned to me, clearly distrusting me enough to believe me capable of betraying such a secret even at the cost of my life. I defiantly lifted my chin at the silent accusation.

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