"Prince Terrin has returned!” Finila exclaimed breathlessly as she reached the top of the stairs.
Elurra almost fell off her perch on the castle wall. She hadn’t expected him back for another week.
“I heard the trumpets a quarter hour ago, and I came to fetch you,” the servant panted.
Elurra swung her legs over and jumped down from the upper wall, her heart hammering inside her chest.
“From what I can tell, the coach is approaching by the west gate,” Finila added.
Elurra grinned and thanked her before descending the staircase as fast as her feet would carry her. She darted around corners and hastily exchanged greetings with everyone she passed. She wasn’t the only one who knew about the prince’s return. Maids called to each other down the hallways, echoing the news of the royal carriage’s approach. By the time Elurra reached the inner gate, her lungs were heaving for air. She stopped and rested her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath.
She heard the trumpets and looked up to see the first of the royal entourage entering the gates. Raeya, two of Lira’s advisers, and representatives from each noble family stood in the stone courtyard to greet them. The guards shut the gates, keeping the crowd of cheering people in the outer rings of the castle. Elurra unexpectedly felt out of place as she watched the spectacle from the sidelines.
Should I join the group? She didn’t want to be just another face in the crowd.
The door opened, and Terrin emerged. Lira stepped forward and embraced him warmly. Raeya hugged his waist. A new air of confidence surrounded him, and his posture was straighter and more assured. His face glowed as he smiled and said a few words to his mother. He spontaneously lifted Raeya into the air. His sister squealed in delight and wrapped her arms around his neck.
He shook hands with the lords and kissed every lady’s hand. It was the perfect homecoming. He gave Lady Kanto special attention. She said something, and Terrin laughed merrily before leaning forward and saying something in her ear. She giggled.
Elurra felt like someone had stabbed her in the stomach. Terrin glanced at Lira’s youngest adviser, and the man nodded at him approvingly. Terrin turned back and offered her his arm. She accepted it without hesitation as servants started to unload the carriage. The queen said something, and the group turned as one toward the inner castle doors.
As they were leaving, Terrin spotted Elurra and froze. Lady Kanto noticed his distraction and glanced in Elurra’s direction. Her smile shifted, and she squeezed his arm and whispered in his ear. He glanced over at her, then back at Elurra, indecision evident on his face. Lira noticed he wasn’t following her and called to him. He called back and, with a look of regret, followed the procession into the castle.
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“Did you hear what Prince Terrin did?”
Elurra paused before she reached the laundry room and pressed herself against the wall. She’d been planning to visit the maids to learn Terrin’s location because she had some important news she wanted to share. Although he had returned the day before, she hadn’t been able to catch a spare moment alone with him because of the constant swarm of attention. Garen hadn’t helped, as he’d clung to her side during the dinner hosted to welcome the prince back home. However, he wasn’t half as pesky as Lady Kanto, who somehow found a seat right next to Terrin for the duration of the evening. But now the day and excitement had passed, she yearned to speak with him.
“What happened?”
“I heard he was flirting with Maria.”
“Maria? But Graciana said she saw him with Lady Kanto in the gardens!”
“Didn’t he come with Princess Elurra? I assumed they were together, but then there were all the rumors about her and Lord Almasi, and now this. Was I mistaken?”
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“I thought the same thing, but it does seem like we were wrong.”
The maids continued speculating, but Elurra didn’t want to hear any more. She closed her eyes and rested her head against the wall.
Is Terrin flirting with every girl in the castle? Rowan is the flirt, not Terrin. They must be mistaken. She felt a sliver of doubt creep into her resolve. He had seemed much more attentive to Lady Kanto the evening before. Not that she had been watching him. You have not seen him for almost a month. Things can change. She pondered for a moment before she devised a solution.
I could always ask him instead of relying on gossip.
She silently slipped away from the whispering maids and turned down an empty hallway where she stopped.
“Getȅ lo ńai.”[ii]
She closed her eyes, and the map overlaid the inside her eyelids. It only took a moment to locate Terrin, but he wasn’t alone. A dimmer golden dot was with him, indicating either nobility or one of the rare castle employees with Guardian lineage. If Elurra had to guess, she’d bet his companion was a member of the Kanto family. She took note of his location and closed the map.
What am I doing? It is none of my business who he spends his time with.
She hated the emotions fighting for dominance in her mind. She wanted to forget about Terrin and the rumors, but her curiosity was overwhelming. She sighed and decided to find out for herself.
°◌°○●○°♣°○●○°◌°
Terrin smiled at Lady Kanto’s joke, but his mind was far away from their conversation. He was thinking of the coins Olfe owed him for winning their bet. Lady Kanto was easy to woo. Olfe gambled it would take him at least five days, but he enticed her in less than two. She clearly wanted the power Terrin had to offer, and as a result, she became putty when he showed her any kind of attention. She was no different from the village girls. He leaned against the wall with one arm and looked Lady Kanto in the eyes, which he discovered was very effective. Her dark cheeks grew slightly rosy. Terrin couldn’t help but think he preferred girls with paler skin because their blush was more obvious.
He longed to see Elurra. It had taken him an eternity to sort out his feelings, but he finally realized why his stomach churned and his heart pounded when she crossed his mind. There was only one girl he ever wanted to win, if he could muster the courage. The thought alone made him nervous, but because of Olfe’s bets and Rena’s questions the night of the ball, he was finally prepared to sweep her off her feet.
I will see Olfe at dinner. I will have to get Lady Kanto to show some sort of sign to prove I won the bet, then I'll be ready to face Snow.
Thinking about courting Elurra made him queasy. He hadn’t even been able to glance at her the night before without his insides tangling into knots. Every glance in her direction stunned him, as he’d forgotten just how breathtakingly beautiful she was. He was also ashamed of how uncomfortable he felt when he saw her adorned in the customary revealing court attire of Tipet. The flowing bolts of blue fabric accentuated her dainty figure and drew his eyes in ways that were difficult to resist. He could barely look at her without becoming a flustered mess, so he decided it was best to fulfill his final bet with Olfe to reassure himself. He had been practicing what to do to win her heart, after all.
Lady Kanto was telling him some story about her maid. He nodded and laughed when necessary, but he was much more interested in practicing the new commands Bajor and Olfe had taught him.
Contė ńai.[i]
His vision tinted gray. Lady Kanto glowed dimly before him. Strings of data floated around her, reporting her health, nanite flow, and energy supply.
He smiled as she related a humorous detail and shifted his eyes to watch the numbers change as his gaze traveled. Then, he saw the bright glow in the corner of his eye. He turned his head and spotted someone watching them.
“Prince Terrin? Have you been listening to me at all?”
Terrin focused on Lady Kanto again.
“Sure. Yes,” he said absently as he tried to turn back to the luminescent figure hiding around the corner.
Lady Kanto reached up and turned his face back toward her. His first urge was to recoil, but he remembered his manners and gently brushed her hand away.
“Is something wrong, my prince?” Her face transformed into the most perfect pout Terrin had ever seen. He was sure she must’ve practiced in front of a looking glass for hours to get it just right.
“I remembered I promised to visit my mother this afternoon, and I am already late. I am afraid I must leave you, my lady.”
She raised an inquiring eyebrow and batted her eyes. Terrin wished she would drop the theatrics and let him go.
“I suppose we cannot leave the queen waiting,” she said with a sigh.
She offered her cheek, and after a moment’s hesitation, he briefly kissed it.
“I apologize for my abrupt departure, my lady. I look forward to seeing you this evening.”
He turned, but to his dismay, the glowing figure was gone. With dread, he realized Elurra was the only person who could’ve been the onlooker with such an intense luminescence, as Raeya was too small to be the mysterious spy. He broke into a run as soon as he was out of Lady Kanto’s sight.
What did she see?