Page 32 of The King's Bodyguard
“Seems so.” My voice sounded foreign to my own ears.
“After that, everything will change.”
“It doesn’t have to,” I said mildly. “I will remain as long as I am needed.”
“It won’t be the same.”
Landis’s voice quavered, but he refused to shed any tears. He was no longer alone with me in a forest lodge. Here, where the walls had ears, where lords and ladies watched for any sign of weakness, Landis could not afford to show any vulnerability.
“It won’t be the same,” he repeated.
“Then, we appreciate what we have here and now,” I said softly.
Landis glanced up at me. His blue eyes glittered with unshed tears. There was a definite droop to his golden ears. It made my heart ache as well, but I could not give in either. I had to be strong as well for him.
Recognizing the despair and sadness welling up in me, I did the only thing I could. I pushed him backward off his precarious seat into the cold pile of leaves. Leaves of yellow, orange, red, and purple. A bed fit for Sumarene’s king. I lightly wrestled with him, ignoring his soft cries of surprise and then hilarity.
I fluffed up the leaves about him, burying him except for his face. Landis’s blue eyes stared up at me expectantly. His soft lips opened a little, and his pink tongue flicked out to run across his top lip. My arms now framed him, pinning him down among the leaves.
Landis didn’t move. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. His eyes said everything. I knew what he wanted. I leaned forward and inspected the flush of his cheeks surrounded by colorful leaves. Landis wriggled a little but remained still for the most part. I bent down and gave him what he desired—a kiss.
Chapter 15
Landis
“Princess Erellia?”
At the sight of the Esterian princess curled up in a window seat drearily gazing out of one of the many parlor rooms in the castle, I came to a full stop. Even in inclement weather like this, Rilla was usually up and out. Today, however, that didn’t seem to be the case.
For a second, I hesitated, unsure whether I should intrude on her quiet time. Still, there was an unfamiliar slump to her usually upright shoulders. Her ears were less than perky, and her tail curled up unmoving behind her. Rilla rested her chin on her forearms and gazed out of the thick panes of glass that were now streaked with rain.
The sound of my voice roused her a little. Straightening up, Rilla turned to shoot me a smile. It wasn’t as wide as usual. Something was definitely bothering the ever-cheerful princess. I joined her, curling up on the other side of the wide window seat.
The scene outside the window looked down over the castle courtyard which wasn’t really the nicest thing to look at. A smudge of smoke drifted past. Men and horses were making their way across the swamp of mud that the yard had turned into. Beyond, the city lay quietly beneath lowering gray clouds, half hidden in the mist.
Today, the castle was quiet. Lord Elthorne had left to fetch the delegation of Munni from Velamere. He was due a couple of days from now, and then the final preparations for the wedding would start in earnest. The castle would become a hive of activity then.
“Pretty terrible day,” I noted.
“Yes,” sighed Rilla.
“That hasn’t stopped you before.”
“No.”
I glared down at my fingers and wondered whether I ought to leave her alone. I could see that Rilla didn’t want to talk. I didn’t want to push her either. Gods knew how much I hated that myself. There was nothing worse than empty platitudes and false promises.
Rilla stirred then.
“I got a bit of a dressing down from Madame Rathe,” she finally admitted. “They wanted to know whether I preferred purple flowers or these yellow ones... I don’t know. The wedding is only seven nights away, but... I just don’t care. I tried for all of half an hour, but it simply isn’t my interest.”
“They asked me as well.”
“Really? What did you say?”
“I prevaricated. Even Hugh was driven to distraction. He ended up intervening for me. Laid the bouquets on the table. Flipped a silver.”
“What did Fate’s Mistress say?”
