Prim sat at the writing desk in Kallia’s entertaining suite, scribbling a note.

Dante’s suggestion to go to the armory had been exactly what she needed. She got out all that pent up angry and nervous energy and had fun doing it. Prim decided she wouldn’t skip her lessons with Jacques again, even though she no longer had to attend her lessons with Helena. Especially as it had cleared her mind, allowing her to formulate a plan.

The princess still hadn’t left her room, though Dante assured the handmaidens she was alive and well. He said he could hear her pacing and flipping parchment and sighing. Prim had knocked on her door once, but the princess had merely called No through the door.

Prim cracked the door to the hallway to thrust her hand out, holding two pieces of parchment. “See that these are delivered, please,” she said to the guards posted outside. Now that there were a dozen of them, she was sure it wouldn’t be too difficult for one to wander off to complete her task.

Blukke was sleeping, but Bristol and Dante watched her with interest, the handmaiden lounging on a chaise with a book now face down in her lap, the former assassin standing behind Blukke’s chaise with his arms crossed.

“What are you up to?” Bristol asked.

Prim floated to the square of chaises and sat upon the free one that wasn’t covered in the bowerbird shifter’s blood, crossing her legs with a pleased smile on her face. “I have no idea how we’re going to catch an invisible assailant. But, we’ve already found who ordered Kallia’s kidnapping, what the vial was for, that Sarasha killed Somanti, and that the assailant we’re looking for is invisible. Those are all wins. Let’s focus on those.”

Bristol stared at her, waiting for her to continue. When Prim didn’t, the other handmaiden jutted her chin out. “Okay, but what are you up to?”

Prim drummed her fingers on her blue skirts, having cleaned up and changed after her sparring session. “I’m going to get us another win.”

A few hours later, dinner was served in Kallia’s entertaining suite. Blukke had been moved to a nearby bedroom, the healing handmaiden explaining to the guards who helped carry him that it would cause him too much pain to be moved all the way to the barracks in his condition. Prim wasn’t sure if that was true or if Bristol just wanted the man close. Either way, Bristol stayed in the room rather than join Prim for her dinner--which was fine with her. The more intimate the dinner was, the more success she thought she’d have.

Which is also why she demanded the few guards in the entertaining suite move to the hall. “Kallia is locked in her room. No one is getting to her. Even if a threat pops up, Dante and I are both well equipped to handle it.”

The guards refused at first, but when they saw the dinner guests, they bowed respectfully and left, giving them privacy.

So Dante stood against the wall behind Prim as she sat at the table filled with food, Prince Egan and Princess Torra across from her. Both wore black; it washed out the young prince’s skin and sandy hair, but seemed to accentuate the princess’s coloring. Especially that pretty dark red hair of hers that fell in unbound delicate waves and her pouty lips. Prim could see why Kallia fancied her.

Neither made to make a plate, so Prim filled one for each of them and placed them in front of the royals before filling her own.

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“I’m so sorry for your loss. I appreciate your strength in meeting with me tonight. I wouldn’t normally ask that of someone who’d just suffered such a great trauma and is in the throes of grief, but time is of the essence.” Prim glanced between the two royals as she spoke, but only Torra looked at her. Egan stared at a place on the table. Both had hollowed eyes, Egan’s looking more empty though Torra’s were more red. Prim’s heart hurt for them.

Prim reached across the table to grasp the prince’s hand. That had him turning his attention to her. “Princess Kallia was told she had to marry you to ensure there’s no discontent between our countries following yesterday’s events. I know you don’t want that.”

The young prince blinked, pulling his hand away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said defensively, flicking his eyes to Torra guiltily, though her attention remained on Prim.

Prim’s voice softened. “Neros told us you didn’t want to. He said he wanted to take your place as her betrothed to spare you.”

Egan’s lips tightened as his shoulders and chest heaved in an effort to hold back tears. “He said he did it to spare me?”

Not exactly. Neros had definitely been more interested in marrying Kallia for his own benefit rather than for his brother’s, but it didn’t seem like the time to mention that. Prim only smiled apologetically in answer.

She focused on the princess now, raising a brow. “Can you think of a way to unite our countries without Kallia and Egan having to marry each other against their will?”

Torra’s lips tightened just as Egan’s had. “No.”

Prim’s shoulders dropped in disappointment. “No? Not a single suggestion?”

The princess only narrowed her eyes at the handmaiden.

Prim sighed. “Would your parents not even entertain the idea?”

The princess now flicked her eyes to her brother guiltily, just as he had. Prim was endlessly amused at how people who spend a lot of time together picked up one another’s mannerisms. “Would King Achrod and Queen Mallis?”

Prince Egan’s brows were furrowed on his boyish face. “What idea?”

Prim ignored the prince. “I can talk to the queen. But I wanted to hear your thoughts on it first.” There was no sense in trying to get the king and queen to agree to let Kallia marry Torra if the Lanhami princess wasn’t interested. Prim already knew Kallia was--she’d told Neros that Torra was the only Lanhami she’d consider.

The princess turned to her brother, taking his hands. “I know you’re not interested in Princess Kallia romantically, but I thought you might still find happiness with her. You might be a good king. Do you really have no desire to even try?”

Prince Egan swallowed, closing his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

Torra leaned toward her brother, pressing him into her and stroking his hair. “You don’t have to be sorry. This is your life, Egan. If you don’t want to marry Princess Kallia, you don’t have to. It’s that simple.”

The prince’s face was hidden as he embraced his sister, but Prim could see his shoulders shaking and hear the tears in his voice. “It’s not that simple. They said I had to. They didn’t even care that Neros wanted to marry her.”

Prim was thoroughly uncomfortable at being present for this intimate family conversation, but she was pleased to know that Torra really had no idea about the plot against Kallia.

Torra still held Egan, but she turned her head to Prim. “Speak to your queen. I will speak to mine.”

Prim hid her smile, knowing it was absolutely not appropriate right now despite the joy and victory she felt. “Yes, Your Highness.”

Egan pulled away from his sister to reveal a sloppy red face. “What are you going to do?”

Torra held his face in her hands, not at all bothered by his tears and running nose. “I’m going to marry Princess Kallia.”