Page 29 of The King's Bodyguard
When I awoke the next morning, I felt sore all over. I suppressed a groan as I automatically stretched. I paused halfway through and collapsed back into the pillow. The quilt had been pulled up over me, providing some warmth in the chill of the early morning. I was also clean. No doubt Corrin had taken care of me while I slept.
The thought warmed my heart and cheered me up even though I felt like death. I turned to discover Corrin walking in wearing his breeches and untucked white shirt. In his arms, a steaming bowl of spiced oatmeal sat on a tray neatly arranged with a spoon, a napkin, and a plateful of bacon and fruit. Prying myself up to a sitting position, I allowed Corrin to set a lap table up and then place the tray down.
“Feeling sore?” Corrin asked.
“A bit,” I grunted.
“You will need to rest.”
“I hardly have time for that,” I protested.
“I know.”
Of course, he knows. He has seen firsthand how weak I was. How vulnerable. How naive. But Corrin has never blamed me or scolded me, I thought.He doesn’t look down on me.Instead,his green-eyed gaze offered encouragement. I found strength there and loyalty. It bolstered me a little.
“I oughtn’t to complain.” I sighed.
I shoveled in a mouthful of oatmeal. The spice of cinnamon exploded over my tongue, and I got a few more mouthfuls in as Corrin sat and watched me in the chair he had pulled up by the bed. Corrin was relaxed, boneless even. Clearly sated by our night spent together. I fought a blush at the memory of his hands around our cocks.
Now’s not the time, Landis!I scolded myself.
“I-I was saved, and I spared our country the difficulty of explaining why their princess was dead or maimed from a hunting accident.” I popped a piece of fruit in my mouth and contemplated what had happened. “And Gareth and Hugh no doubt will use this occasion to ferret out some portion of the truth. With each attempt, whoever is behind this will become more bold and careless.”
“That is the hope,” Corrin said. He didn’t look too happy about it, though. “If you can survive that long.”
“I’ll do my best.” I paused and then admitted. “It really does help to have you here, Corrin. Not just as my bodyguard either. Also as... you know.” I suddenly found it difficult to say. “A f-friend, and, um...”
“Lover?”
Corrin’s voice sounded too innocent. Laughter bubbled up, and I relaxed a bit more.
“I am here for you, whatever you need,” Corrin said. “But it would be remiss of me to not remind you of facts. That this event may not reveal what we need to know. These things sometimes take time. You must be patient. No realm was saved in a day.”
“I suppose.”
“Trust me on this one.”
“How do you know it’s true?” I had to ask.
Corrin shrugged and sighed.
“My mother told me so.” He winced as if remembering something painful and then continued. “She’s wise... and she’s been working to forge peace between our kind.”
“Between the Munni and the Sunna,” I recalled.
“Yes.”
“It has mattered quite a bit to you?”
“I suppose so.” Corrin didn’t sound too enthused. “I grew up living life on the fringes, expecting nothing and giving nothing in return. The world my mother dreams of seems... impossible. We have always lived in the shadows, under the boot of the Sunna. Our provincial overlords have always curtailed our freedoms. But still, my mother dreams.”
“And you don’t believe in her dream.”
“As I said, it is simply difficult to imagine.”
It was indeed hard to imagine. The world that Corrin painted in so few words seemed alien to my own.Is this how he sees our people?I wondered.Is that what he thought when he passed through the gates of Rimefrost? What has he seen on the streets? How has he been treated?
I didn’t have to really guess. For a moment, I felt ashamed. Certainly, I faced dangerous political intrigue. I had survived a civil war and came to power. I had gained the support of the court for the most part. I had surrounded myself with friends.
