Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

F or the remainder of that week, Korth took time each morning to take me on a stroll through the gardens or around the lake. He used his list of questions less and less each day as we discussed our unconventional interests, and I never once had to touch a door handle in Korth’s presence.

As pleased as I was that I had succeeded in improving our relationship for the benefit of the rebellion, it would have been a lie to say that my eagerness to converse with him was exclusively for the rebellion’s benefit. Korth seemed genuinely interested in my unconventional fascination as I described the differences between the dumbwaiter systems and voiced wonderings about the exact mechanisms so we could replicate the same systems at home. It became easy to procrastinate other topics of conversation that would be of more use to the rebels when I saw how raptly Korth paid attention to me.

In addition to bridges and dumbwaiters, I discovered that Korth and I had several other common interests, from simple things like our favorite color—blue—to more contemplative things like philosophy and our interpretations of various works of literature. I had never been more grateful for Odette’s laziness and indifference to her studies than I was at that point. How else would I have been able to keep up my current disguise otherwise?

The conversations quickly became the highlight of my day, as the rest was often filled with dull wedding preparation tasks that involved a great deal of color matching, flower selections, and measuring for a new wardrobe. Korth attended so many meetings and hosted so many delegations during the day that I couldn’t see how he would ever be able to keep them all straight and adequately prepare for each one.

In the afternoons, while Korth was occupied with his obligations, Tess often sought out my company, laden with whatever task her tutors had assigned her. She often practiced her flute or sat next to me while she reviewed notes about legal proceedings or composed speeches. The instant Korth was out of meetings, she would stick to his side so closely that it was easy to see why Korth affectionately referred to her as a little shadow.

“You look better in blue than you do in yellow,” Tess told me as she studied the dress Gerta laid out for the evening meal. “The one you wore yesterday made you look like a haystack. A pretty haystack,” she amended quickly.

“I thought you were supposed to be practicing your handwriting,” I told her with a smile.

“I am. See?” She held up her paper to show six copied lines, which she had written very slowly, biting her lower lip in concentration as she carefully formed each word in neat penmanship. She flipped the paper around to study it. “Everyone says Korth’s handwriting is better than mine.”

“He’s older than you are,” I pointed out. “So he’s had more time to practice.”

Tess let out a huff. “Practice, practice, practice. I don’t want to practice things anymore; I want to just do them. I’m old enough to make my own decisions.”

“What would you decide to do if you could make any decision yourself?”

Tess thought. “I would go to the Night of Masks festival in town.”

“Why that?”

“It sounds fun. Everyone wears masks and there are booths and games. I heard that there are some performers like acrobats and jugglers who throw swords and torches.”

“Why don’t you go?”

She wrinkled her nose in annoyance. “It’s only for grown-ups and I have to be asleep at night.”

“Maybe I will have to go with Korth and then we could tell you about it.”

Tess rolled her eyes and went back to copying lines. “He doesn’t go to parties. He says he likes fun, but he never actually does anything fun.”

“I’m sure he does something. When you talked to him yesterday, what was he doing?”

She shrugged. “Just shining his shoes. He always does that before he sees you.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t he have a servant do that?”

“No. He said they never get them shiny enough, so he had me read him his reports while he did it. He told me it is good to practice public speaking so I’m not as bad as he is but I think he just wants to impress you.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” She looked up from her work, her large dark eyes shining in earnest. “Do you like shiny shoes?”

I thought about it. I had never paid much attention before. “Yes, I do,” I decided. “Do you?”

Tess focused on her paper, her forehead puckered slightly as she tried to form a cursive G. “I don’t know. I don’t care about boys yet.”

“ Yet , is it?” I asked teasingly. “You will one day?”

She shrugged. “I guess. Mama says I will marry Prince Ernst from Berkway one day, but he isn’t very nice all the time. He thinks girls are annoying. He’s thirteen.”

I chuckled. “Well, most boys think that when they’re that age. Give him time. Maybe by the time you’re grown up he will have changed his opinion.”

She wrinkled her nose at me. “Or maybe he won’t. You’re lucky to be marrying Korth. He’s nice and he says I’m smart.”

“Because you are.”

She beamed.

When Korth came to escort me for our walk in the courtyard the next day, I couldn’t help glancing down. His shoes were so thoroughly polished that they were practically mirrors. “Your shoes are the shiniest I’ve ever seen,” I told him as I took his arm. “I’m very impressed.”

Korth’s chest inflated so rapidly that he was in danger of floating into the sky. A shy smile curled his lips upward. “I shined them myself.”

I gave his bicep a soft squeeze and felt him flex slightly beneath my fingers. Charming him was becoming easier and easier. I could tell he liked me. The softness in his eyes when he looked at me, the hesitant way he touched me—I had him right where I wanted him. “How many meetings do you have today?”

“About eight. Most are to review the tariffs on our imports from different kingdoms, but there are a few about a criminal trial coming up, and one is to listen to a petition about improving the harbors. Now that the fishing industry has picked up, we need to expand the docks.”

“You must tire of listening to so many people every day.” I glanced back as he guided me through the fruit orchard. Godfrey lurked in the distance, glaring at how close Korth and I were to each other, even though it was only our arms touching.

“Talking tires me more than listening,” he confessed.

“Unless it’s about bridges?” I teased.

“Except then.”

We continued walking around the perimeter of the estate, where I could see houses in the town beyond, which all had an excessive amount of foliage surrounding them—trees, bushes, and hedges. It was a stark contrast to the castle’s neatly manicured lawns and flower beds. I tilted my head, staring at each plot of land that was flooded with shrubbery. While it wasn’t the sort of tangled undergrowth one would find in a forest, the yards did look cluttered with so many bushes, some that had grown up so high that they rose past door height on either side of the windows.

The brief closeness I’d felt to Korth while we’d shared our unconventional interests petered out, replaced with memories of how the commoners in Ebora were so overworked and exhausted that they didn’t have the time or energy to care for landscaping either. Such a task would fall far below other more pressing needs like feeding their families or finding work. The families here didn’t seem to share the same sunken, hollow look that those in Ebora did, but I couldn’t think of another reason as to why the flora would be so untended. My shoulders became more rigid as I reminded myself that the man whose arm I clutched, as nice as he seemed, was still a royal…just like Odette.

“Do you like the plants?” Korth asked as he followed my gaze. “Are there many here that are different from Ebora?”

“Several, though it seems very overgrown for the civilians.”

“It has to be.”

My eyebrows furrowed as I took in the sight of one hedge that had been trimmed to look like a siren. “Why’s that?”

“We have a lot of hurricanes, and the shrubbery here act as deflectors that absorb the gusts of wind. Otherwise, flying debris would batter the buildings. The more plants stand in the way, the less likely they are to have broken windows. As long as they keep the trees healthy and trimmed so branches don’t fall, it is actually a safety hazard not to have foliage surrounding your home.”

I paused, having never considered such a thing before. I couldn’t imagine that Raquel and Odette had such motivations when they looked at their own citizens.

“The castle doesn’t have such things.”

“Our structure is made of stone,” Korth pointed out. “And we have storm shutters if a hurricane is headed our way. But our villagers need more protection. We hold informational lectures about preparedness at the start of every rainy season and distribute leaflets. There is a committee that just started to prepare those since hurricane season will begin soon.”

“Can they all read?” I asked curiously, the closeness to Korth blossoming once more.

“Naturally. We take great pride in educating all our citizens.”

I fell silent. The way he talked about his subjects was so vastly different than how I was accustomed to Odette speaking of them—as if they were something disgusting she had accidentally stepped in and was eager to be rid of.

“Don’t you also care about teaching literacy to civilians?” he prompted after an extended silence.

“Yes, yes of course,” I said in a rush. “That’s very important to me. We just focus more on job training. After all, fishermen don’t need to know how to read in order to fish.”

“But literacy would help them research more effective methods and aid them in ensuring that they aren’t being taken advantage of during trade.”

I nodded pensively. “That’s true. I would be very interested to examine systems you have in place to achieve such a high literacy rate so we can implement a similar model in Ebora.”

Korth spent the rest of our walk eagerly explaining in detail how his kingdom had managed to educate all of their citizens while still preparing them for the specific skill sets required of their occupations.

“Uneducated people are easy to control,” Korth told me, his forehead creasing from how sincerely he was speaking. My gaze was continually drawn to it, and I found it oddly adorable. “And I want my subjects to think for themselves so they aren’t manipulated or taken advantage of.”

My heart throbbed. “I wish every leader thought that way.” With his earnest idealism and stalwart convictions in addition to his physical attractiveness, I was still baffled by his claim of being inexperienced with romance. Were all other women in this kingdom blind and oblivious? Or had he truly been completely faithful to a distant fiancée he barely knew for all these years?

As I prepared for bed that evening, I couldn’t help but think of Korth and how to handle gaining his confidence. If I threw myself at him or tried to seduce him outright, he would panic and withdraw, I knew it. Not to mention that the dratted chaperone tailed us closely no matter where we went. Korth already liked me; I knew enough about men to at least know he found me attractive, and we shared similar interests. Was it enough to convince him to lend me his army when the time came?

The pillow cushioned my head as I slowly lowered it, staring out of the open window. The sheer, sea-blue curtains fluttered as the salty breeze flurried around the room, ruffling any loose papers and tugging playfully at my hair. Everything here in Haven Harbor seemed to run so smoothly. The economy was prospering, the citizens were hardworking and educated, and their navy was legendary. It was no wonder that Raquel was so eager for his daughter to marry into the royal family here. Every leader would want to form a political union. I tucked my arm under my pillow. Any father would be thrilled to have his daughter marry a man like Korth.

Memories from that day danced across my mind’s eye, and as drowsiness overtook me, they shifted into visions that were increasingly unrealistic. I had always hated dreaming. One would assume that I would look forward to each night given that I was now sleeping in more comfort than I ever had before, but I despised the fact that my subconscious could play tricks on me when I was at my most vulnerable and give me thoughts that should never cross my mind. As I fell asleep that night, I was reminded of exactly why I wished I could never dream again.

I laughed at Odette as she fled from a gaggle of angry geese, Curdy taunting her as she ran away, her kerchief flying off as her hair whipped around her neck. I relished the idea of Odette struggling so much when she’d had everything handed to her on a silver platter her entire life. She deserved this humiliation and suffering. Every noble should have to labor as much as the common class. Perhaps that way, she would finally have the slap of reality that she so desperately needed.

Mud splattered Odette’s face and clothing as she waded through the marsh at her feet. Often, the geese would flap their massive wings and advance with frightening speed to peck at the princess.

“Remember your duty is to the rebellion,” a voice that sounded like Father’s chided me. “Why do you waste your time mocking Odette when you have a mission to complete?”

Of course. I mustn’t delay my true assignment. I glided away from the goose yard to find Korth, the lake around me dissolving as my mind searched to locate the reason I was in Haven Harbor.

The setting around me swam, and when it came back into focus, I found myself back at home in my tiny servant-sized bedroom, with Korth materializing in front of me, looking just as much at home as I felt. As much as I wished that I didn’t notice, my eyes were continually drawn to the taut fabric that stretched between his shoulders, accentuating his broad, muscled chest. Heat rose to color my cheeks.

This time, he didn’t call me by the princess’s name. “Dahlia,” he said softly, his voice seducing me far more effectively than any love potion ever could. “Dahlia,” he repeated, reaching out for me. I felt my hands slip around his broad shoulders. Even if he was considered to be a dull rule-follower, he really was unusually handsome. I found myself examining his tanned face and strong jaw. His dark hair, always so neatly combed and parted, had flopped across his forehead in an unruly way, giving him a dashing, roguish look. He looked far more like the nefarious outlaw I deserved rather than the upstanding, handsome prince I knew.

His dark brown eyes bored into mine with a smoldering heat that rendered me breathless. For Ebora, I thought, clutching at the vain hope that this wild, instinctual attraction was merely my way of showing that I was completely devoted to my mission, willing to do anything to make Korth fall in love with me.

And falling in love with me was exactly what Korth was doing. His hands caressed my sides, drawing me closer as any thought of this being a sham relationship faded from my thoughts. How had I never noticed the goodness and honesty in Korth? Of course he had been physically attractive, but he embodied everything I wished I could be—just and loyal, trustworthy and sincere… I wished that for a moment, I could purge myself of my lies and deceit and experience what it was like to be loved with no ulterior motive in play.

“Dahlia,” he whispered once more. I would never tire of hearing him say my real name. A burning desire flared up down to the very depths of my soul as he inclined his face toward mine, and I realized that more than anything, I wanted to be with Korth.

I woke in a cold sweat, night’s darkness still pressing on my eyes. “What was that ?” I choked out, hands shaking as I pressed my palm across my forehead. My finger traced along my lower lip. I could still vividly imagine the passion with which Korth had been about to kiss me in my dream as if it had been real. My heart leapt within my chest, applauding the outrageous idea my brain had concocted for a night-time vision.

“My lady?” One of the guards assigned to me gently knocked on the door to my chambers, his voice hesitant, no doubt wondering if he had imagined me speaking or not. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine!” I called back, eager to be left alone. “Nothing to worry about.”

Though the specifics of most dreams trickled away as quickly as water trying to stay in cupped hands, the details of this particular dream stayed fresh and sharp in my mind, replaying over and over no matter how many times I tried to ward off the improper thoughts. I pressed the heels of my hands against my eyes. Korth was a means to an end. Nothing more. I couldn’t think of him as anything else, or I wouldn’t have the strength to betray him when the time came.