Page 60 of Shadow Mark

“Your Majesty,” Kenth said, instantly on alert. “You need a?—”

“Privacy,” Lenore said, speaking over the woman. “The king has decided to retire. Now.”

“Of course. The driver is on his way,” the guard said. She gave Lenore a careful look. “You’ll accompany the king to his private rooms.”

Not a question. A statement.

“That’s the point of leaving early,” Lenore answered with an artificially bright smile. She wasn’t much of an actor. Sue her.

Kenth didn’t take up Baris’ other arm to offer support. She walked ahead briskly, clearing the path.

Navigating the stairs proved slow. Baris was a good head taller than her, and if he misstepped or placed a foot badly, she’d never be able to support his weight on her own; they’d fall down the stairs. Still, she persisted, aware of how the scene looked. They didn’t have a choice. The king with his arm around her, like two adults enjoying each other, looked far better than the reality of the stricken king too frail to walk without assistance, which is what people would think if anyone saw Baris leaning on his guards.

They made it safely to the street and the waiting car. Baris gripped her hand the entire ride back to the palace.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

LENORE

Harol pinched an image on his tablet and threw it over to the larger screen on the wall.

Grainy security footage played. Even with muted colors, she recognized the lush red carpets and drapes of the theater. Her stomach sank. She recognized Baris as he entered a bathroom. A few seconds later, after a jump in the footage, her image followed. With a glance over her shoulder, she slipped through the same door. Another jump in the editing and Lenore reemerged with Baris.

Well, shit. So much for being careful.

“Care to explain?”

“I did last night, you curmudgeonly old fart. Baris was unwell.”

“Yes, your concern was quite evident given how quickly you arrived at his bathroom.”

“The footage is edited. I waited at least five minutes before I went to check on him,” Lenore said.

“And you did not…violate your ethics? This is all over the media this morning. You were alone with the king for fifteen minutes. There are already rumors that you are his lover.”

“I’ve heard,” Lenore muttered. The guards she confronted swore that only the guards knew. Not that there was anything to know, because there wasn’t, other than that one time.

“This morning, everyone has decided that it is true,” Harol said.

“And we banged in a public bathroom?”

“Not banging. Fucking.”

“Idioms, Harol,” Lenore said. “First, fifteen minutes is insulting to His Majesty. Even if we did, which we didn’t, we’re adults. It’s nobody’s business but our own.”

“Not when you are royalty.”

“Do you really think I’d be so careless? That I’d lie about what we were doing in there?”

“Were you anyone else, perhaps. Baris’ condition is no trifling matter and whatever feelings you have for him would not get in the way of your duty as a medic.”

“I went to check on him because the king barfing his guts up in a public toilet would be fodder for the gossip mill. And why do you care so much?”

“I do not,” Harol said. “My patient is ill, and there is far too much attention on him at the moment for me to properly attend to his needs.”

“Obviously,” Lenore said.

“So you will attend to the king.”

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