Page 23 of The King's Queen

I find Lucius leaving dinner late that night and pull him into an empty room the moment no one is looking. He complies silently, not making a sound until I’ve locked the door behind me.

“I didn’t expect to meet again so soon, let alone be yanked into a secluded room.” He chuckles softly, his voice laced with light mirth. He rocks back to lean against the wall and adjusts the cuffs of his sleeves.

“You wanted to be friends, right?”

“At the least, yes.” His voice is steady and patient, and I wonder just how long it will stay that way, if at all, after I reveal what I need of him. He eyes me curiously, the air of the room suddenly thicker. Reaching into the folds of my skirt, I pull out the parchment, placing it in his hands forcefully. He makes to unroll it, but I hold steadfast to his wrist.

“I need you to find this information for me and return it before nightfall tomorrow. You are to tell no one of what you’re searching for or why. If you do, our deal is off, and I will not marry you, regardless of what my father says. Am I understood?” Lucius goes deathly still, my quickened breathing the only sound filling the airy room. He searches for any signs of hesitancy in my features, and when he finds none, he nods. He inhales sharply, eyeing my request.

“You know, most women ask for jewelry or precious stones from their betrothed, but this…” He swallows thickly. “I’m assuming you won’t tell me why you need it, but may I ask why you think they’ll give this to me?”

“You’re the future king.”

“And you the future queen,” he quips sharply.

“I have a habit.” I blush to the tips of my ears now. “A very bad habit of running away. They wouldn’t give me anything that would make it easier for me to do so.”

Lucius stares at me for a moment before his curious gaze melts into light laughter. He clutches the parchment tighter, squinting a bit before placing a hand on my shoulder.

“What gave it away? The horse chase in the woods or watching you be escorted by half the guard this morning?” he says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “But if this is what it takes to earn your trust, you will have it by nightfall as you’ve requested.”

I wouldn’t go as far as to say trust, but it could be a good start for the both of us. He bends slightly as the hip in a mock bow before he slips through the door seemingly unnoticed. I wait a moment myself before leaving as well. Slowly, I pick my way back to my own room, my mind racing.

Rowan had warned me before he left to find a way from the palace grounds after nightfall tomorrow night, that our business would take place miles away. My heart stutters at the thought, and I place a hand over my chest. The minute I am capable of fending for myself, I will be rid of him, as well as my expectant fiancé. As well as Blaine.

A pang of guilt wracks my body as I think of leaving him, but he had said it himself. If he would not come for me, I will not stay for him.

Moonlight ripples through my sheer curtains and into my room, splaying across my silken pillows. Jewels adorn my dresser, my closet full to the brim with the finest of clothing and warm, sturdy shoes. My attached washroom has marble floors, and the walls are inlaid with gold and mother of pearl. Every luxury money could buy is here, and yet these canopy feelings resemble a bird cage more and more each day; the windows seemingly grow smaller.

Soon, though, I will get out there and see the world. Soon these four barred walls will be a distant memory. Soon I can choose what life I wish to live for myself without my father pulling the strings.

Burrowing deep into my covers, I feel a weight lifted from my shoulders for what feels like the first time in my life. Soon.

Chapter7

Verosa

The sun is already beginning to set, and Lucius is nowhere to be seen. Maids and servants rush about the halls per usual, dusting tapestries and polishing the floors. Each and every one of them bow as they pass, and I pray that as I smile back, they cannot see the sweat beading along my forehead or the anxious fidget of my hands.

When I saw him this morning, he was chatting with a few of the guards, Blaine standing suspiciously in the corner. Of everyone I have to look out for with this plan, it is him. Sure, Blaine had no issue letting me go the first time, back when he thought I could escape. But now, he would be able to see through me. He knows me too well. If Lucius were to accidentally let it slip that I needed this information, then it would be over.

I nearly jump out of my own skin when I feel a firm hand close around my elbow. Lucius whispers low in my ear, “Don’t give them cause for suspicion.”

“Do you have it?” I answer breathlessly before I feel the weight of the paper slipping back into my pocket. If not for the people around us, I would have slapped him for placing it there himself.

“Ask, and you shall receive.” I nod, about to walk off, when his grip on my elbow tightens, guiding me to face him. “Don’t do anything foolish.” I snatch my arm back, eyeing him dangerously. Lucius, much to his credit, doesn’t balk from my icy indignation. Rather, he stands his ground and holds my gaze.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I respond briskly before storming down the hall to the library. Once I’m sure there’s nothing but me and the books here, I pull open the scroll and hiss. I had my doubts, but Lucius actually did it. Copying everything down onto a separate scroll, I tuck them into my bosom and shirk off my skirts, revealing the loose-fitting pants I’ve been wearing beneath all day.

Ducking between guards and hallways, I find my way through the passage to go meet Rowan at our rendezvous point. The church bells chime nine times in the distant, the sound being carried by a brisk breeze. Rowan steps out from behind some shrubbery at that moment, perfectly punctual.

“I have to admit,” he drawls with that sardonic grin of his, “I am so very curious as to what you have to offer that could be worth my while.”

My closed fist slams into his chest, eliciting a startled grunt. The parchment crinkles as he takes it from my grasp, and I lower my hand. His eyes scan the page before he lets out a low whistle, tucking the parchment into his satchel.

“And how do I know this information is true?”

“How do you think I got here? I followed the guard rotations as listed, everyone was where that paper said without fail, and I was able to sneak through. The castle has several weak points that allow approximately thirty seconds to slip past the defenses. You’d have to be quick, but it is doable.” My hands begin to shake at my sides. With this information, anyone quick and stealthy enough could break into the castle, my home, and do whatever they wish. I can spot my own room on that page, as well as Father’s. The only two rooms in the whole palace where there is no opening for someone to slip through. If this information falls into the wrong hands… but then again, who is to say the wrong hands don’t belong to Rowan? I might have just signed my death warrant and handed it to him, as well as damned everyone else inside.

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