“About an hour ago, Lady Auren.”
Shit. I missed it.
I missed it, and Slade didn’t even try to wake me up.
My lips press together in a hard line. “Do you happen to know where King Ravinger and the Third advisor went?”
“His Majesty went to the army base. Sir Ioana, I believe, was set to depart soon.” Frustration brews in my gut.
“Thank you.”
He nods and hurries away, disappearing like he’s worried I might ask him something else. Or maybe he’s afraid I’m the magic-stealer that’s going to throw gold at him.
I stare at the dark room, unsure what to do for a moment. Slade left me in post-edged orgasmic bliss, probably snoring in his bed, and then came down here alone to once again say I decline to the Conflux. He didn’t even wake me up to tell me before he ran off into the moonlight to visit the army base.
I should’ve gilded more of his things.
I’m pissed. I’m worried. I’m so scared about how this is all going to play out, and now that the answer has been given, consequences will pile up quickly. It’s all happened so fast, slipping right through my fingers before I could get a real grip on it.
Spinning around, I start walking away, wondering if I can catch Manu before he leaves. I start heading in the direction of his room, the silent soles of my shoes padding down the hall. If I can talk to him again, maybe I can convince him to tell his sister not to cut off Fourth’s imports and spur on Slade’s need to retaliate.
Yet when I find another servant and ask them where Manu’s rooms are, she tells me that he’s already left. That he and his guards were seen just a few minutes ago walking out of the room.
My heart sinks.
For a moment, I consider going down to the army base to talk to Slade, but I’m too jumbled up to do that right now. I find myself walking toward the gardens instead. The guard just inside opens the door for me. “Getting some fresh air, Lady Auren?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Despite my troubled thoughts, the outside air does help. As soon as I step outside, I breathe it in, the cool air calming me slightly. And I need some calm, because my stomach is a churning mess, my emotions agitated. Manu is probably on his way right now to his sister.
Fourth Kingdom might starve because of me.
It doesn’t matter what kind of positive impression we’re trying to push out to the public about me—once they realize I’m the reason for them going hungry, they’ll turn on me more than they already want to.
The guard follows me out, trailing quietly behind me while I’m deep in thought. Yet I only make it a few feet when I notice someone on the bench near the row of roses. “Rissa?”
Her blonde head lifts up, white dress practically glowing in the moonlight. I walk over to her as she gets to her feet. “I haven’t seen you very much since you arrived,” I say as I come up to stand in front of her.
“That’s because I’ve been loath to get out of the bed,” she says, tucking back a loose strand of her hair. “After traveling in a tent for so long, I needed to get reacquainted with a feather mattress and not feeling like my toes were going to freeze right off my feet.”
“I’m sorry you had such a long, rough journey.”
“Yes, well. We can’t all infatuate kings and ride timberwings across the Barrens, now can we?”
I snort out a quiet laugh as I look out at the garden. Other than a few lanterns lit along the outer stone wall, it’s dark yet peaceful out here, the moonlight casting off just as much shadow as it does light.
“Want to walk?” I ask her.
She tips her head in a nod, and we start walking toward the hedges, our steps slow as the guard trails a respectable few feet behind us to give us privacy.
“How’s Polly doing? I hope she got the coins I sent down to her.”
“She did. And she left straight for the brothel after.”
I can tell just by the tone of her voice that it bothers her.
“I know you don’t want that for her, but she seemed like that’s what she wanted for herself,” I say gently, breathing in the scent of jasmine as we pass by its vine trailing up intricate latticework.
“I know she does,” Rissa says, quickly glancing at me from the corner of her eye. “I know that now,” she amends. “I just…I’m going to miss her.”
I’m surprised at the rare moment of vulnerability she’s showing, and that’s when I realize how sad she looks. Rissa is always hard-as-steel. Seductive. Smart. Blunt. But sad? Never.