Page 26 of Princess of Thorns and Ruin

Upstairs, Downstairs

LEO

“Nice digs. It’s twice as big as mine.” Quentin says from the comfort of my bed.

The door leading to the princess’ room closes behind me, masked in the tapestries, and I consider the intruder with a cramped jaw. First-bloods live in what they call an annex, a connecting room to their master’s apartments that we can also exit from the other side if we need to travel to the servant’s hall without bothering the bloodsuckers. The princess’ status allows me the perk of also having a private bathroom.

Arielle just went to bed, and I’d hoped for a bit of peace and quiet—something I can’t take for granted anymore. I exhale loudly and tug on my sleeve, masking the marks her teeth left in my wrist. The pads of my fingers are numb and cold, and though I want to tell Quentin to fuck off and let me curl up in a ball on my bed, I can’t quite find the energy to do it.

Quentin’s face darkens. “Hey, don’t worry man, the feeding part becomes a lot more fun after a while. Let me wrap it up for you.” He rummages below the bathroom sink and comes back with the special first-aid kit Jean presented to me on my first day.

With a wince, he bandages the mess she made on my arm. “The first week or so is the worst. They learn to bite with more finesse after that.”

I press my lips together. “Why were you waiting in my room?”

He taps his hand gently to his forehead. “I forgot to tell you. Since we’re both new at court, Evangeline volunteered to show us around. She should fetch us any minute now.”

I open my mouth to refuse, but instead blurt out, “How did you know the princess was in danger?”

Quentin freezes. “Danger? I never said the princess was in danger.”

“You told me I might survive her.” I watch his face for tells.

The dude drops his gaze to the floor like a five year old caught with his face full of chocolate. “I didn’t know she was—I just overheard something.”

I blink at him a few times, but he doesn’t elaborate. “Are you really going to wait for me to ask? What the fuck did you overhear?”

“I was kissing a nice kitchen maid in the food pantry the other night, and I heard Jason Delacroix speaking on the phone. He was using his polite, ceremonious voice. He said to the person on the other end of the line that he felt uncomfortable lying to the princess. That she should know she’s in danger.”

My brows pull together. “Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

“I don’t want any trouble, mate. Besides, he could have been talking about anything.” His forehead creases. “I thought you didn’t like the girl?”

Eyes falling to the ground, I scratch the tip of my shoe on the carpet. “I don’t want her to be murdered.”

“I don’t get you man. One minute you bite my face off for talking casually about our employers, and the next you have a fit about protecting the princess.”

“I’m not protecting her, I’m—”

A quiet knock on the door startles us both, and we exchange a meaningful glance. I might not trust Quentin completely, but I do trust his apparent inability to tell a lie. And he’s right, we shouldn’t stick our necks out because of a one-off sentence he overheard while he was fucking a maid.

Quentin swings open the door leading to the hallway and leans on the doorframe. “Hey, beautiful.”

Evangeline wrinkles her nose. “Ready for a stroll around the castle?”

She’s only a handmaiden, which apparently means she’s below us, but she doesn’t lack wits or confidence as she shows us around. Blond curls bounce around her face, her easy smile and casual manners putting me at ease.

“It’s not all cold bricks and dimly lit corridors. A big portion of the castle has been renovated to reflect the new trends. The oldest foundations date back to the 1500s. The whole castle was designed with most windows facing north, to avoid as much direct sunlight as possible.” Evangeline points to a big chandelier hanging above our heads. “Major renovations were done in the 1920s to pass electric wiring and redo the whole sanitation system. The modern wing was added in the 2000s after Ludovic’s wedding, with a complete redo of the moon room and the gardens. The east, west, and south-facing windows now have top-of-the-line electric blinds.” She presses on a remote to show us the effect.

Heavily tinted blinds glide down to cover the windows.

Goosebumps riddle my arms. “Sunlight can’t kill them, right?”

Quentin snickers. “My man Leo has got his mythos crossed with Hollywood movies. It’s not a Dracula fortress, mate. More like Downton Abbey but with plasma screen TVs.”

“The modern wing is mainly reserved for the king and his family, so we can’t visit. Look, the princess was just a baby here.” Evangeline nudges my arm and points to an old portrait of the Delacroix family.

“You’re quite the historian,” Quentin says with a pleasant smile.

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