11. Prince of Lies

Chapter 11

Prince of Lies

I was going to die in this disgusting, stench-filled alley.

My heart raced and my stomach churned, but it wasn't just from a feeling of panic. A sense of betrayal was creeping in to rip my heart to shreds.

Had Nylian known this entire time that this was the body of Victor Montcroix?

The second son of the King of Edros was a brutal and vicious man who'd made no attempts to hide that he wanted to conquer all of Wolfrest and destroy that kingdom's royal family. Thankfully, Victor's older brother, Rufus, was next in line for the throne, and he was far more sensible than his younger brother.

But that didn't mean Victor couldn't have had a hand in Orian's murder.

The problem was that I had no idea if Victor had done it or not.

In fact, there was a chance Nylian might have more information about that than I did.

Yet, that moment in the stream.

And rescuing him from the tavern brawl.

And all the fucking conversations we'd had while on the road.

The laughs we'd shared.

Had it all been fake? Had Nylian been lying to my face just to get the truth out of me?

Gritting my teeth, I gave myself a hard mental slap. I needed to pull my shit together and get a handle on this situation. The first problem was the man who'd been following me. I had to get rid of him, while also sneaking a little information out of him, preferably without him realizing that I wasn't the real Prince Victor.

Only after this man was gone could I try to do some damage control with Nylian, not that I could even guess at what I would say to him.

I shoved away from the wall, marched toward the cowering man, grabbed a fistful of his shirt, and forced him to backpedal a few steps to put some distance between him and Nylian. "What the hell are you doing, following me?" I snarled, trying to summon up my deepest, most frightening voice when I was also quaking in fear.

"I-I-I was afraid for your life, Your Highness. After the ogres separated us, your personal guards and I have been searching everywhere for you."

Could the same ogres who'd attacked Nylian and me have also attacked Victor? Had the prince died in the attack, allowing for my soul to get sucked into his body?

Later. Those were questions for later.

"Call off the search. You've found me. My new friend gave me a hand, and now I'm returning the favor by running a small errand with him," I ordered, grinding the words between my teeth.

The man's face twisted up, and it looked as if his pale-brown eyes were going to bulge right out of their sockets. "But…but…but…"

"Call it off!" I tossed him into the opposite wall, slamming his head and shoulders into the unforgiving bricks. "I have business to attend to alone . Come find me in two days to give me an update on what's happening in Gushan. Afterward, I'll be leaving Riverhold."

His thin-lipped mouth opened for a heartbeat as if he were planning to argue, but he shut it and bowed. "Yes, Your Highness. Forgive me for disturbing you." He took a few stumbling steps, scraping against the wall as he moved away.

Just as he was about to disappear into the deeper shadows, a new thought occurred to me that would solve a different problem that still plagued us. "Wait! I'm low on funds. The journey here required that I hire mercenaries for an escort and they need to be paid. I don't have enough funds."

The man who was likely a servant or even my personal assistant edged closer. For a heartbeat, he stared at me as if I'd lost my mind, but he schooled his features quickly. "Your Highness could go to any bank in Edros, show his signet ring, and take out a draft from the royal coffers. Or if you wish me to?—"

"No," I snapped, cutting him off. "I'll handle it. You may go now."

With one last bow, the man scurried down the alley as if he were in danger of being struck by lightning if he tarried a moment longer.

As soon as he was gone, I exhaled heavily and leaned on the building, my knees almost giving out on me. What the ever-living fuck? Prince Victor Montcroix? Was I really Prince Victor Montcroix? This had to be the sickest joke I'd ever heard.

But it would explain why the guards had seemed to eyeball us extremely hard when we'd entered the city. I had thought it was that they recognized Nylian. It was more likely they'd recognized my face. And I'd been utterly oblivious. Fuck my luck.

"Your Highness," Nylian drawled in my ear, sending a shiver along my spine.

Fixed one problem, at least temporarily, and a much bigger one was waiting in the shadows for me. This one I wasn't sure I could fix. There was no way he was going to believe me, but I had to try. Whether Nylian wanted to admit it or not, he needed my help. And now that I knew I was supposed to be the second prince of Edros, I could be of even more assistance to him. Maybe.

"We need to talk," I said with a heavy sigh.

"So I would gather." His tone differed from what I'd heard from him since we'd first met. Yes, he could be stiff and haughty, but usually he was teasing with a touch of annoyed. But this was frosty to the point of him exhaling icicles.

With a grunt, I headed the way I'd come down the alley. If we were going to talk, it wouldn't be in this smelly alley full of excrement and rotting whatever. My room at the inn was our best shot at some privacy. Especially since I wasn't convinced my stalker had bought my performance as Prince Victor Montcroix.

As I reached the sidewalk, I hesitated, gazing left and right. After everything that had happened, I couldn't remember the way to the inn. Had I mentioned that I had no sense of direction? Just none. It was embarrassing.

"Which way?" I grumbled, knowing Nylian was a step behind me.

The elf moved to stand beside me, his head tilted as he regarded me with narrowed eyes, as if he were still trying to decide whether I was being earnest with him or it was all an act. "To the left," he answered slowly, his expression unchanging.

I tore my gaze away from him and turned to the left. At the next corner, I recognized where I was and could navigate the last couple of blocks on my own to the inn. Nylian walked beside me the entire way, neither of us speaking. I glimpsed my brown paper package dangling from his fingers by the twine, though. He was still carrying my purchase. The elf could have chucked it away, but he was holding on to it for me. It wasn't like he didn't know it was just soaps. He'd watched me shopping the past few hours. But he was still carrying it.

My confused and wounded heart clung to that stupid little thing as a tiny sign that Nylian might listen to what I had to say. I wasn't dumb enough to let my hopes rise any higher than that. During our walk, I wracked my brain for what to say to him and was still coming up with nothing that would make sense. Was I left with nothing but the truth?

No one would believe the truth. I didn't even believe the truth, and I was living it.

We tromped up the stairs after greeting the wigged goblin in the lobby, and I unlocked the door to my room. I placed my package on the table, hoping the stopper hadn't come loose from the inkwell. Nylian slammed the door behind him and tossed my other package onto the bed. As he dropped into the one chair in the room, he pulled out a dagger and let the pristine silver blade catch the last tendrils of daylight coming through my window.

"Start talking," he bit out.

"I will." I snatched up the box of wooden matches and lit the lantern after three tries and two broken matches, thanks to my shaking hands. Once it was burning, I used it to light two more candles, chasing away as many of the shadows as possible, but it did nothing to thaw Nylian's stony expression.

"I-I'm not sure what to say. Or even how to begin," I stalled. This was all such a mess and so impossible. I paced the small space available between the bed and the window while trying to keep as much distance from Nylian.

"How about the truth?"

"I want to tell you the truth!" The words burst out of me in a shout. I turned away from him, shoving one hand through my hair. Was I scared of him killing me? Maybe. But really, I was more afraid of him not believing me. After everything we'd been through, all we'd shared while on the road, I couldn't take the idea of him not believing me.

"But…" he prodded when I fell silent.

"You won't believe me." I sighed.

"Try me. If you tell me the truth, I promise I won't kill you, no matter how bad it is." Nylian held up the blade, letting the lamplight glance off the razor-sharp edge. "Lie to me, and you won't leave this room alive."

My hands balled into trembling fists at my side. "Fine! I'm not Victor Montcroix. I'm from another world and somehow, I got zapped into his body. My real name is Adam Lockhart, and I'm a writer. I fell off a bridge after finding this stupid coin. When I woke up, I was here, and you were standing over me. And since we're being super honest now, I know that your real name isn't Nylian." I marched over to him and leaned down so that our noses almost touched, ignoring the fact that his dagger was pointed straight at my heart. "You're Prince Xeran Elrich, twin brother of Prince Orian Elrich. The first sons of King Dorwynn of Wolfrest. You've been exiled and you're searching for your brother's actual killer. Someone is framing you, because you would never hurt Orian. You loved your brother. The problem is, you don't know if you've been betrayed by someone in the court, your own family, or if one of the enemies of Wolfrest arranged it."

I whirled around, stomping away from Nylian to pull at my hair in frustration. Now that the words were pouring out, I couldn't stop them, no matter how ridiculous they sounded. A harsh laugh broke from my throat and I threw my hands up in the air. "I don't even know if Victor Montcroix had a hand in it." I spun to face him and hit myself in the chest with both hands. "But I didn't do it. You were already exiled from Wolfrest when I came to this world. I…I…" There was nothing left. I'd run out of steam, and I was sure he didn't believe a single word of it. Why would he?

The idea of showing him the coin crossed my mind, but I shoved it aside almost as quickly as it formed. Nylian had enough trouble as it was. While the wizard had been of little help, he'd confirmed one thing for me—that coin was fucking dangerous. There was no way in hell I was making Nylian's life worse with that coin.

"I know you're not Victor Montcroix."

Nylian's quiet statement almost knocked my legs out from under me. I wobbled and barely made it over to the bed to sit before I tumbled straight to the floor. "What?" I croaked, confident my tortured brain had made it all up.

"You're not Victor Montcroix," he repeated, except this time there was the tiniest hint of a smile on his lips as he placed his dagger into its sheath.

"You knew?" I exhaled. The room was spinning. The absolute relief was making me light-headed. My heart was doing a weird dance in my chest. Was I dying? Having a heart attack? Hallucinating? Probably all the above. "Wait! You recognized this body as Victor Montcroix, but you knew I wasn't him?" I demanded, still trying to wrap my brain around his words.

"Yes, to both."

"You fucking asshole!" I roared. With a jump to my feet, I snatched up the pillow on the bed and pummeled the exiled prince of Wolfrest with it while using every curse word I could think of. By the time I was winded and swaying, I was pretty sure what was coming out of my mouth was pure gibberish, but I didn't care.

"All right, I think you've gotten that out of your system," Nylian declared after blocking every one of my frantic strikes. He plucked the pillow from my fingers and spun us so he could deposit me in his chair. "You need to sit before you pass out."

"But I don't understand. How?" My fingers curled, and I shook my hands out in front of me.

Nylian tossed my pillow to the bed and leaned his shoulder against the wall closest to me, his left ankle crossed over his right. "Because I've met Prince Victor Montcroix. It was the celebration of my father's fiftieth year as monarch two years ago, and the various kingdoms sent representatives to take part. Edros sent Prince Victor and several other nobles. We spoke very little, but I watched him from afar. Prince Victor's personality couldn't be more different from yours. When I spotted you in Trengrave Woods, I was planning to kill you, but then you opened your mouth…" He left the rest of the sentence hanging, finishing with a small shrug of one shoulder.

"I opened my mouth and what?" I cried.

"It was obvious something was wrong. You didn't talk like Victor, or act like him. The more time I spent with you, the clearer it was. At first, I thought it was simple amnesia, but there were random things you knew, yet shouldn't. Besides, I couldn't believe that amnesia would cause a complete change in personality. You crack jokes all the time. Horrible ones. However, I'm certain Victor Montcroix has never told a joke in his life."

With a groan, I dropped my face into my hands. How close had I come to dying that first day? It was better if I didn't know. "Why…why did you keep me with you?" I made another disgruntled noise and glared at Nylian. "Let me guess, even if I wasn't Victor Montcroix, I was walking around in his body. Everyone would think that I was the prince, which you could use later to get information out of Edros."

"Precisely." The elf smirked at me, and my heart twisted.

It was never about friendship. At no point had I won him over with my sparkling personality and my loyalty. He'd kept me close because he thought he might have a use for me.

"Fine. Thanks for not killing me," I muttered. Exhaustion poured over my entire body. All I wanted to do was kick off these disgusting boots and curl up in my bed.

"Lockhart…"

I winced. It hurt to hear him say my name now. I couldn't explain why, but it was like shards of glass in my ears.

"You know, I'm not feeling so hungry after all of today's excitement. I think I'll go to bed early. Catch up on some sleep. Let's meet up tomorrow morning. We can search for a caravan to join. I can also take care of what we owe Adeline and Jasper."

The silence stretched between us before Nylian released a slow, soft breath.

"Going with me isn't your only option," he stated.

I lifted my head to look at him, to find that the smirk was long gone from his lips.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not sure I believe that you're from another world, but everyone in this one believes you're Prince Victor Montcroix. It's not a long trek to Gushan from here. You can go there and live a very comfortable life as a prince. At least, until you find a way to your home."

There was nothing in my brain for several seconds. Just static. Discovering that I was Victor Montcroix had created chaos and complications, but I was through all of that now. I had never considered that there was a bright side to this. I could go live a comfortable life in a palace. There was even an older brother to inherit the throne, so I wouldn't have to worry about making important decisions. It was possible to walk away from all the danger and insanity right now.

My stomach soured, and my heart skipped a beat at the idea of leaving Nylian to his own devices. Alone in the world.

"No."

"What?"

"I said no." I shoved out of the chair and Nylian straightened from his lean on the wall as I took a step toward him. "When we first met, I wasn't sure whether you killed Orian, but after spending the past several days with you, I can't believe it. So, you're stuck with me. There's no way in hell I'm letting you wade through all these evil, scheming people alone. You need help, and I'm going to help you. Remember, I'm the king of distractions. And now I'm a prince of Edros. I can be of use."

As I spoke, Nylian's smile returned, growing wider with each sentence. His eyes brightened and twinkled again, lifting a heavy weight from my chest. Maybe he thought I was crazy. I didn't care.

"Okay," Nylian breathed.

"Good!" I marched a couple of steps away from him, only to realize I didn't know where I was going or what I was doing. My brain and heart were relieved that he didn't think I was an evil prince out to kill him or his brother. "Then…I guess…tomorrow…"

"Sure." I glanced over my shoulder to see the elf stroll to my door. He placed his hand on the knob, but paused, staring at it as if he couldn't remember how it worked. "Are you sure you're not hungry? I did spot this restaurant while I was following you that looked promising. Smelled like it baked up some delicious bread and some tasty sweets."

As if on cue, my stomach let out a vicious growl that filled the silent room. Fuck it .

"You know," I began as I swung around to face him, "that sounds like a good idea."

I wasn't sure how Nylian viewed me any longer. Maybe not as a friend, but I didn't think he saw me as his enemy, either. At least I didn't need to hide the truth from him any longer.

Okay, so I hadn't come right out and said that he was a character in a book that I'd sort of written. And I definitely wasn't telling him about the harem. He was the one fucking that bit up. Not me.

But it was crystal clear that he needed help on this journey, and I had more ways to help him than I'd previously believed. Yep, I was more than a distraction now.