Page 72 of Decoy

Luke studied the lock with a puzzled frown before glancing uncertainly at me. “I sensed the shadows’ presence. Was it your magic that opened the door…or their doing? I suppose their powers that allowed them to open the armory initially originated from the royal family, so breaching this lock wouldn’t be much different.”

I didn’t realize how rigidly I’d been standing until the tension in my body eased with a relieved breath at his offered excuse, keeping my secret that I was a decoy safe…for now. I felt a twinge of guilt that I’d borrowed his power without telling him—part of me wondered if the shadows would later tattle, but he made no further comment.

Luke wound his hand through mine, but touching it caused him to notice the long scar against my palm that had been too deep for the magic ointment to heal without leaving a mark. His brows furrowed as he lifted my hand to examine it in the faint light.

His breath caught. “What happened?”

“I accidentally cut myself doing embroidery.”

His eyebrows went up at that. Unfortunately, it appeared his somber mood had done nothing to hinder his usual observation, or my nerves to come up with a better excuse. “Embroidery?”

“As an assassin, you more than anyone understand how dangerous needles are.” I fought to maintain an innocent expression but failed miserably.

His finger lightly traced the thin scar, far too pronounced to have been caused by a needle. Even an assassin unaccustomed to actual death undoubtedly recognized a cut from a blade. But though he clearly didn’t believe me, thankfully he didn’t press me. As had become our unspoken agreement, we no longer pried after one another’s secrets, doing our part to protect them even if we didn’t understand the reason why.

Enchantment hummed through the vast chamber, bathed in silvery starlight from the velvety night shining through the glass-domed ceiling rising above us. The candles flickered to life to illuminate the rows of treasures with an inviting glisten that beckoned us closer.

Every decision since my disgraced family’s violent end had guided me to this point, stepping stone by stepping stone. Now that I was here I was almost overwhelmed by the amount of treasure, not lined up in tidy rows but overflowing to crowd the marble floors in piles of gold and jewels, some of which I recognized from their descriptions in ancient books and whispered legends. By the magic filling the air, many of these treasures were quite powerful.

But there was only one I sought, different from the prophecy I’d used as an excuse to receive Luke’s help in getting this far. A supposed princess had no reason to seek the treasure I was after, but diverting from the mission in uncovering the mastermind after my life would only arouse suspicion.

Still, the temptation to immediately begin searching this vast trove piece by piece lingered until Luke grazed my hand, drawing my attention away.

“I’m certain curses are placed upon many of these treasures; we must be careful not to touch anything. We must also be wary of any charms that will alert the guards to our presence, for it’s my assumption due to the time of night that we’re here without your parents’ knowledge.”

With those limits I grew even more tempted to disregard the mission I’d been charged with and instead fulfill the one that had consumed my life. To be so close and yet still be kept from it…

In this moment, I ached to confess everything to Luke and seek his help as well as his protection should I fail the mission assigned by Their Majesties; the secret burned my tongue, a silent plea to finally relieve myself of bearing the heavy burden alone.

“Evelyn?”

I startled. Luke had spent the entirety of our relationship avoiding addressing me by name, preferring to use my supposed title, as if determined to maintain the necessary distance between us. This intimate step in our deepening relationship should have been beautiful, but the moment was tainted by it being the wrong name.

He mistook my reaction for displeasure. “Forgive me, it’s presumptuous of me to speak your name without your title.”

“I don’t mind, I was just surprised by the suddenness of the informal address.”

If only I could tell him the true reason for my emotions. I was tired of the lie I’d been living, both during this scheme and ever since my life shattered around me all those years ago. I wanted him to know the true me behind the mask.

Crimson stained his cheeks in a rare display of fluster. “In truth, I only called youPrincessto remind myself of the necessity of my charge to kill you.”

My heart lurched at the reminder of how closely I’d waltzed with danger throughout our budding relationship. “And there’s no longer any need for such a reminder?”

He hesitantly cradled my cheek, his touch soothing against the fear pounding my heart. “What is my mission compared to you? Thus I no longer have any need to remind myself you’re royal.”

Emotion swelled at the tender sentiment, even as it was tainted by the lie I couldn’t escape. I ached to speak the truth, but terror held me back. If I told him who I truly was, he’d realize there’d been no need for him to have defended me against his father…and then he wouldn’t have had to die by his own son’s hand, meaning Luke would have remained untainted by the blood he’d so long feared.

Such a revelation would likely take him from me forever, forcing me to lose the first glimmer of happiness I’d captured midst the darkness that had encompassed me ever since my family’s fall and Zeke’s execution. Yet I couldn’t hide my deception forever; one day he’d discover it, and then this beautiful dream would end.

In my desperation to keep him near, I clutched the front of his shirt. He wrapped his hands around my fists. “Are you alright?” He rubbed his thumbs across the back of my hands in soothing circles, but even the comfort of his touch wasn’t enough for me to loosen my white-knuckled grip.

I was tempted to lie, but after the deceitful path I’d been forced to walk, I hated to speak one I wasn’t forced to. “There’s no time to explain; we have a mission.”

He hesitated a moment before reluctantly nodding, though he didn’t relinquish his hold. He laced our fingers together and gave my hand a comforting squeeze, which I returned. His touch grounded me and reminded me of my purpose. I would see this mission through, and when the time came for my confession, should he forgive me for my secrecy and all that it had cost, we could finally build something real.

This thought gave me the resolve to turn my back on the surrounding treasure and instead follow Luke deeper into the chamber. Several towering shelves stood along the back wall, laden with glowing orbs I recognized by instinct rather than familiarity.

“The prophecies.” My awed gaze took in each of the glistening spheres before settling on the one Luke pointed to at the end of the fourth row near the top. The smoke swirled as I stepped closer, offering a hint of the secrets harbored within:The Prophecy concerning the threat against the life of Her Highness Princess Evelyn, crown princess of Estoria.

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