Page 108 of Vicious Princess
I guess they’re waiting to see if I’ll confess. I’m too devastated to say anything. I can’t believe I threw away my future for a man who couldn’t even be honest with me.
Finally, the General clears his throat. “Usually, we conduct an investigation and take the official testimony from the person who issues the complaint. If our investigation shows that the complainant’s testimony is truthful, we act. However, the situation we find ourselves is…not as simple.”
My gaze snaps back to the General, and I frown. “I’m not sure I understand, sir.”
The General and Taaslord exchange a glance.
The Taaslord is the first to speak. “Well, while we received the complaint from the cadet—Kata Nightingale—before shecould give the official testimony with witnesses, as is custom according to our laws, she went missing.”
I stare at them, flabbergasted. “What?”
“I see you were not aware,” the Taaslordsays carefully
Frowning, I shake my head. “Of course I wasn’t. She was just there this morning?—”
The words die on my lips.
Was Kata really there this morning at breakfast?
Now that I think about it, I have no clue when I last saw her. I’ve been so consumed with my heartbreak, I’ve barely noticed anything around me.
I look between them. “When was this? When did she go missing?”
“Three days ago, she made the complaint. That night was the last time she was seen on castle grounds,” the General says.
Three days.
That night I had an argument with Daegel. That night he once again assured me that he’s taking care of things. My stomach twists painfully.No way.
“The situation we’re in is complicated, because without Nightingale to give an official testimony against you, we can’t conduct an investigation,” the Taaslord explains.
No way am I getting out of this so easily.
“I’m also not inclined to punish you or even expel you from the academy due to your accomplishments, Cadet Wildarrow,” the General says, surprising me.
I blink at him.
“You excelled during the mission, taking down one of the most dangerous fae in the country and keeping your wits about you even when things went exceptionally wrong,” he says. “And you saved my life. It’s something I, as all the other Ezkai, take very seriously. For that alone, I will not punish you.”
“Thank you, sir,” I say. “But I’m confused. If Nightingale’s complaint is technically only a rumor and you don’t want to punish me, why am I here?”
The fae before me exchange another glance.
Slowly, the General leans forwards in his seat and braces his forearms on the desk. He laces his fingers and pins me with an intense gaze. “Eros Wildarrow, the Royal Commander to King Francis’s Royal Guard for many decades.”
My stomach sinks. “My father. You knew him?” I shake my head. “Of course, you did. You’ve been the Ezkai General for close to a century, and he served as commander for many years before leaving the Royal Guard.”
The General nods. “I did. He was a great man.” He pauses, as if considering his next words carefully. “About a year before he left the Royal Guard, he came to me with a personal matter. He asked for my help transporting his family from Wetra to Ekios and keeping it hidden. I swore an oath to never speak about it to anyone, but considering you’re his daughter, and the only surviving member of the family, I think his spirit will forgive me.”
“I—” The words die in my throat. “He said nothing about moving to Ekios.”
“I guess, somewhere along the way, something went wrong,” the General says, eyes kind. “I agreed to help, of course, and sent a group of my Ezkai spies to Wetra. But they never returned. Months later, I learned about the fire.”
“Why are you telling me all this now?”
“Your father said someone would betray him, that there was a secret rebellion threatening the throne of Wetra.”
My eyebrows rise all the way to my hairline.What?
