Page 29 of Gilded Crown

“Your Majesty, please tell me some interesting things about yourself. Your life is one of wonder, and I’d be so pleased to hear about it from your lips instead of a book.” Mr. Hugo’s face lit up as Eurig turned back to him.

The King rambled on with some boring tale from his youth and gestured, but at least he was facing the artist. Courtiers whispered among themselves. Jari caught something about “making things difficult” and “worse than his Father.” Another said his decision during petitions the other morning had been utterly ridiculous. A hush put a stop to the potentially dangerous comments.

Others weren’t paying much attention. Two bird fairies were eyeing each other, and the feathers growing from the sides of their heads were fluffed out which meant they were interested. One finally went to sit by the other, and they proceeded to whisper and touch each other’s feathers. Those two ladies would probably be married before the end of summer.

Zylem couldn’t peel the smirk off of his face, and Gullveig was practically crowding some woman he was speaking to. She didn’t appear thrilled.

Jari’s eyes kept being drawn back to Aurelius. Something about the way the sun hit his face kept making him look. He tried to distract himself with today’s plan, but that made his gut twist. So many things could go wrong, and he didn’t like to think about it.

He also didn’t like the idea of Aurelius using the crown. Every time someone used the power of Mammon, the claws dug in a little deeper. It was a matter of how long it took before one couldn’t dig their heels in anymore.

The courtier who had tried to speak to Aurelius sidled over to Jari, said some pleasantries, and finally got to the gist of what he clearly wanted from Aurelius.

“I’ve been asked to help fund a spice merchant, but I’m a bit short,” he said with a smile, showing that he had no fangs and wasn’t a pure cat fairy. “If I give you some details, could you speak to Prince Aurelius about it and maybe advise him?”

Jari wanted to roll his eyes. “No.”

The man widened his eyes at the bluntness, and his tufted brown ears drew back. “It’s a good deal, and I’d repay Prince Aurelius with interest. Joint funding can be quite profitable, and I’m simply sh-”

“It’s not my place to ask the Crown Prince for anything,” said Jari.

“You’re with him all of the time, and you must have his best interests at heart. He’d make a tidy profit too.”

Jari would rather tell the man to stuff it. Instead, he put on a courtly smile. Or he hoped it was one. “As the Crown Prince, he’s a busy man, and I wouldn’t dare put more in his head when he has enough to think about. You’d have to ask him yourself if he allows it. I’m simply a guard and his aid to some extent. I hope you understand. Besides, I have no head for business, and I’d probably muddle the facts.”

That seemed to work since the man relented. Damn snakes. Everyone wanted something. Servants brought wine and little snacks for everyone to pick at. Jari rejected the fruit and took a glass of watermelon wine to settle his nerves even though he didn’t really want it. Eurig was still rambling, and Jari had long lost the thread of whatever tale he was on now.

The King stopped to grab a chair, drag it over, sit, and launch into a lecture about the pros and cons of raising goats instead of rainbow sheep.

Jari suppressed a sigh when it devolved into why spinnies should be mass-bred and the silk for their webs harvested. That would never work. A lady whispered that a farm full of those little eight-legged monsters sounded like a tale of horror to her.

He allowed himself one last look at Aurelius who was lowering his wine glass, and Jari remembered how watermelon wine tasted on his lips. Damn it. He needed to focus.

Finally, Mr. Hugo said he was finished for now, and the light had changed too much. Jari set his mostly full glass down on a sideboard and waited. Eurig made him listen to a last five-minute lecture on why fairy hair might make a great material to knit socks with before he finally stood.

“I expect you to be here at the same time tomorrow morning,” he commanded.

Whatever few lucid thoughts remained must have told Eurig to go put away his crown. Jari took a deep breath as the King strode from the room. Thank Elira he wasn’t going to hang around for ages and force them to listen to more of his blathering. Zylem’s eyes followed him, and once the door closed, he gestured to a guy who hurried over and practically got into his lap.

Jari waited another minute to make sure Zylem was fully distracted before he slipped out. Hopefully, anyone who noticed him leaving would think he needed the privy.

Eurig was rather easy to follow. He never looked behind him, and Jari just had to note where he turned, hustle to the next corner, peek, watch him again, and keep an eye out in case anyone else happened to be around. He expected the King to go to some little-used area of the Palace, but he went to his rooms.

Aurelius had said he’d searched them, so perhaps the King had a blood spell in a special spot that would only work for him.

Jari dared to crack the door open and see the King enter his bedroom. Jari debated with himself for a second, figured it’d be fine, slipped in, quietly darted over to an armchair, hunkered down, and peeked around. Thankfully, the King left his bedroom door wide open. He went to his bed, crouched, pulled something out, and opened it. He set the crown in it before he closed the top and pushed it back under where it could no longer be seen with the bed skirt hanging down.

It was a damn hatbox.

It didn’t even seem to have a spell on it since spells that opened for blood usually required the person to place their hand flat on the door, box, or whatever was locked.

No wonder Aurelius hadn’t found the crown. He’d likely been overthinking and looking in complicated, secretive spots, and not under the King’s bed. Eurig might as well have tucked it under his pillow like a child hiding something from Mummy.

Zylem, probably thinking in more simplistic terms, had found it with little trouble.

Jari wouldn’t be surprised if Aurelius ripped out his hair when he heard this.

Eurig stood, and Jari huddled behind the armchair. The King would leave, and Jari would wait a few minutes, slip out, and tell Aurelius the info in private. Would it be better to take the crown before he left since it’d be stupidly easy to snatch it? Aurelius hadn’t told him to steal it, so he’d probably be pissed at Jari for doing that. He probably didn’t want Jari to risk accidentally touching it, and he’d get it himself later when he thought the time was right.

---