Page 36 of Decoy

Evening drew near, requiring my royal presence to entertain the guests during the dinner party to be held on the royal grounds dappled in a sheen of golden sunlight. Along with the promised tedium came another opportunity to discover information about Luke. I sat too far away to talk to him, but he repeatedly drew several sideways glances as I conversed with Prince Elton and Princess Colette.

The conversation was trivial enough it required only my partial focus, leaving the rest of my thoughts free to study him. He easily conversed with the surrounding nobility, with no hint of his earlier vulnerability, which almost made me wonder if I’d imagined it.

…until he sensed my gaze. His show of confidence briefly faltered, revealing an unexpected shyness, confirmation for what had transpired during our last interaction. I thrilled at the thought in sharing this secret with him, though the wall it’d caused him to erect would make obtaining incriminating information all the more difficult.

“I see a handsome man has captured your attention.”

My focus snapped back to Princess Colette. “My apologies, I—” Her mischievous smile silenced my flustered apology and my tense posture relaxed in relief that I hadn’t offended my sole ally in the web of intrigue entangling the rest of the court.

“There’s no need to apologize. Anyone would prefer to admire such a fine man rather than engage in such dull topics, and Lord Luke is indeed quite handsome.”

As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t deny that, but he was also countless other things…aggravating being the most prominent. “Do you know him?”

I expected her denial considering Lord Luke possessed an Estorian duchy and Princess Colette was a foreign princess, but to my surprise she nodded. “The Duchy of Rosewood is one of the most ancient lines in the surrounding kingdoms. They’ve accumulated a lot of wealth and influence throughout the generations; rumors even say that at one point they held close ties with the royal family themselves…until something happened.”

The table jostled in my haste to lean forward. “What was that?”

She offered a dainty shrug. “The rumors vary from the plausible to the ridiculous, though I doubt they possess any real truth. Those with power create many enemies who try to weaken their adversary in the only way they know how: with words attacking their reputation.”

I knew the devastating power that could come from unjust accusations. The memories from my past returned in the familiar cloud of resentment that threatened to take my focus from the task at hand. With considerable effort I buried them once more, yet the emotions lingered to haunt me from the shadowy wings of my thoughts.

“I’ve heard one particularly interesting rumor about the duke’s heir: some say he possesses assassin ties.” I knew I took considerable risk offering such information, but while it was wise in a game of strategy to hold some cards close, it was essential to play others at just the right moment.

This was such a move, one I could make in confidence after recently discovering Luke’s aversion to murder—a piece that didn’t quite fit the puzzle I’d carefully been assembling, a mystery that would require further investigation for the sake of my goals.

Princess Colette’s eyes widened. “Assassinties? I’ve heard nothing of the sort. For a family that exerts such influence, I imagine they have much more noble means of acquiring what they need than risk soiling their reputation with blood. One must be more careful when they stand so much to lose.”

The princess possessed too much faith in people, for in my experience, the higher one stood above others, the more corruption they could get away with. But I decided to drop the subject and instead discuss more trivial matters about the guests in hopes of finding any other suspects.

This quest continued upon the conclusion of dinner, where I had to resist the temptation to hoard food with the reminder that I was in a place of abundance rather than scarcity, and that the royal family wouldn’t withhold food from me like they had during my sojourn in the dungeon. Those in attendance ventured outside to enjoy the dusk settling across the royal grounds. I mingled with several nobles, thankfully at distance from where Luke stood afar off conversing with Prince Castiel from Thorndale.

When my own conversation with Princess Liliana concluded with her usual gossip leading to no new leads, I avoided the desperate gaze of the King of Brimoire trying to wrangle me into another unwanted conversation about the benefits a union with his son would bring and instead cast my own about for someone worthwhile to engage with.

The authority that came with my masqueraded role didn’t make it easy to interact with others, especially with the insincerity I often sensed hidden behind their polite masks. I felt my heart tug in Luke’s direction and forced myself to turn my back to him and seek out someone else to extract information from.

My senses suddenly tingled as the man I least wanted to see approached from behind. “Despite our conversation, it appears you still fail to comprehend the urgency of the threat Their Majesties seek to uncover against their daughter.”

The advisor’s disapproval curled around me as icy as the chains that had bound me in the dungeon. I slowly faced him. He kept his irritation tucked safely away, but it glinted in his dark eyes. I knew his actions stemmed from his loyalty to the royal family he served, but in this moment I loathed him.

“I gave you a single task: to find evidence to support your suspicion against Lord Luke, and yet you don’t appear to even be trying. Do you have a death wish, Prisoner?”

Prisoner…such a contrast to the royal title I pretended to bear. “I haven’t yet had the opportunity this evening, for as you can see, Lord Luke has been otherwise engaged.”

“Thendisengagehim. With the power that comes from pretending to be a princess, it shouldn’t be difficult.”

I glanced towards Luke, and though he conversed with the prince, I sensed his attention wasn’t entirely occupied. A stolen glance in my direction made me wonder ifIwas the object of his distraction.

“I did as you asked and visited with him earlier, yet I found nothing of consequence.” But it was a lie—I’d discovered far more than I’d bargained for, facts that muddled my resolve in continuing to pursue Luke as my target.

“Then try again,” he said. “All worthwhile endeavors require a bit of effort, and though I know you care little for the true princess, I know you value your life. If you hope to retain it, demonstrate the same resolve that led to your death sentence, for if you fail to discover the traitor, I guarantee he’ll find you first.”

Foreboding prickled my skin, causing me to shiver. As loath as I was to admit it, the advisor was right. I’d allowed myself to become too distracted, but I needed to expend more effort if I hoped to live. Yet how could I uncover any condemning evidence when my prime suspect constantly remained several steps ahead?

“I will be sure to converse with him before the evening ends, though I must be careful in my inquiries else I’ll invite suspicion.”

“So long as you findsomething.” With that, the advisor finally departed, leaving tension in his wake.

I pressed my hand to my stomach and fought for several deep breaths, each made difficult with my confining corset. Once I’d steadied my rising despair, I turned back towards Luke…only to discover he was no longer there. I glanced frantically around, searching, but couldn’t find him mingling with any of the other guests. Where had the blasted man gone?

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