Chapter 7: Into Town

"Good morning, Hera," Ambrose says as I enter the dining room. He's sitting at his usual head table, looking over papers in front of plates of food.

I sit beside him and help myself to breakfast.

"Morning," I say. "I need to go the town today."

He glances up. "Alright."

"Alright? That's it?" I didn't expect a fight but am surprised by his trust in me.

He shrugs, returning to his reading.

"You don't think I'll try to escape? Make a run for it and never return?" I ask. I hadn't been planning on it, but the thought had crossed my mind once or twice. It would be easy to grab Althea and escape to the docks, leave town, and disappear.

"I think you're intrigued enough to stay," he says nonchalantly.

Intrigued? I guess that was a good way to put it. That or I'm truly stupid.

I scoff but don't say anything. I finish my breakfast in silence and stand.

"I'll be off then," I tell him.

"Do you need anything else?" he asks.

"I'd like my daggers back, please."

I watch him as he sets down his papers and smiles at me. He slowly stands, coming close to me. I hold my ground, focusing on steadying my breathing as I feel the warmth of him. He lifts the lip of his shirt, revealing sheathed daggers on either side of his hips. He pulls them out, his eyes never leaving mine, and places them on the table.

"You'll have to borrow mine for now, yours are in my study," he grins.

I snatch the knives from the table and secure one in my boot and the second down my corset.

"Anything else?" he says.

"Yes," I say frustrated. "For you to at least think I'd have the sense to run off."

I spin on my heel and storm off to the sound of his laughter behind me.

I hide the smile on my lips. Now that I was sufficiently hot and bothered, I couldn't think straight.

G*d, he might be the death of me.

When I arrive at the bar near noon, it's full. There are loud people and music making it difficult to search for Lucas.

My hood is up, hiding my face, as I weave through the bar looking for him. After two hours of waiting, I give up. He obviously didn't get my note or he isn't coming.

I let out a frustrated huff. He was the best lead I had. Now, I'm not sure where to go.

I leave the bar and make my way down the street. I wish I could visit Althea, but I wouldn't risk it yet. Not until I could see more of what was going on. I didn't want to drag her into some plot that I'd been thrown into and risk her safety.

I take my time, walking the streets and enjoying the sunlight.

There has to be another lead I can follow while I'm in town. The only other person that may know would be…

I wonder if the seamstress had contact with who paid her. She had to have some sort of instruction. She gave me a gown and dressed me for the ball without a coin in sight. She was probably paid off beforehand by someone. That could be something.

I hope I'm not grasping at nothing as I make my way toward the seamstress shop. I carefully step inside.

Madame Cicily is in the corner, speaking softly to a customer as she takes measurements. When she glances up and sees me, she freezes for a moment. She jerks her eyes back to the customer, smiling happily.

I pretend to look at the gowns, waiting patiently while she finishes. The customer thanks Cicily and leaves.

"Can I help you?" she asks, turning to me.

"You look surprised to see me," I say.

"I thought one gown was enough," she says smoothly.

"Hmm, not quite." I walk toward her, circling slowly. "Who paid you to take care of me?"

"I don't have to tell you anything," Cicily says firmly.

"Oh, come now, Madame," I say near her ear. "Don't make me do this the hard way."

I can visibly see her shiver which makes me smile.

"Okay, okay," she relents. "I don't know who paid me. There was a messenger with a note and a bag of coin. He told me your name, that I was to prepare you for the ball and send you off. I didn't ask questions."

Rats. This was sounding like another dead end.

"The man," I respond. "What did he look like?"

She hesitates before saying, "I don't know…average? Short and scrawny."

"Brown hair and beard?" I ask.

Cicily nods.

Lucas, most likely. F*ck! Where was the bastard when I needed him?!

"Do you still have the note? Did it come with a sigil on the seal?"

"No," she says. "I burned it as soon as I read it. And there was no sigil, just plain, black wax."

Of course. That would be too easy.

I reach out, taking one of Cicily's curls and twirling it around my finger. She stays frozen in place, shuddering slightly.

"Do you know who I am?" I ask.

"I had a feeling," she whispers.

"Best to keep it to yourself," I say.

She nods, shaking. I release her hair and leave her trembling quietly.

So, it seems Lucas is the one that ties everything together. He has answers that I desperately need. The question now: where was the fool?

I return to the bar and check it one last time, but he's nowhere to be seen. I can't risk asking for him since I'm not trying to attract unwanted attention. If the master of this plan is watching me, I don't want them to know I'm asking questions.

Maybe the next path was interrogating the nobles. At least until Lucas reemerged.

I make my way back to the palace. When I arrive, it's dark outside and the halls are empty. I assume the king is in his study with dinner, but I'm not in the mood to socialize with him right now. I can't help feeling frustrated by how difficult this is proving to be.

I'm so lost in thought, I don't pay attention as I turn the corner. I bump straight into the prince.

"Your highness!" I say, surprised. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you–"

"It's no problem," he says kindly. I realize he hasn't bothered to step back. I'm still alarmingly close to him. And G*d, does he smell good.

He's looking at me with the same intensity his brother does. I shiver under his gaze.

"You're returning late," Sebastian says quietly.

"Yes, I–uh–was in town for the day," I stutter.

"Investigating? Not a traveling noble after all?"

I raise my brow at him and smile. "Ambrose told you."

He smiles back. "You aren't worried our plotter may try to eliminate you because you know too much?"

"Ha! I'd like to see them try," I respond.

"Hm," he hums. I freeze, not sure what to say next. He's still close to me, and neither of us has made a move to put space between us. I can feel his breath on my face and try hard not to glance at his mouth.

This is probably an awful idea.

"I should, um, go," I say, taking a step back.

"There's a hearing tomorrow," he says before I can turn away. "You should attend. See what your king's judgment is like."

"Alright," I respond. "Will I see you there?"

"Count on it."

"Goodnight, Prince Sebastian."

He smiles at me again, his eyes flickering in the light. "Goodnight."

I turn away from him and make my way back to my room.

I swear I have a death wish. Flirting with two men, brothers no less, was not the smartest thing I'd ever done. Although, attempting to kill a king was up on that list, too.

I sigh. The sooner I solve this d*mn mystery, the sooner I save myself from the sooner I can get back to Althea and move past all of this. Only, there was something inside of me telling me that my plans had already changed…