Chapter 38

Chapter

Thirty-Eight

ALYX

T he gentle sound of string instruments and the warmth of the room attempt to lull me to sleep. My constant fatigue isn’t helping with the situation. During the night, I have been searching the palace or sneaking into the city to get information. Every spare moment when I am not playing princess has been spent training to keep me in top shape, and it is starting to take its toll.

Sooner or later, I will have to have a full night’s sleep to recover from all the snooping and spying. Despite the little rats Crux has scurrying around the palace for information, the trail of the king’s attempted murderer has gone cold, which is why I am struggling to keep myself awake during yet another session in court.

What does not help is that I find these gatherings so boring. Each one is the same with the same people, sharing the same gossip and trying to one-up each other. These places are dangerous, though, and I can’t risk falling asleep in front of these people.

“You look tired, my dear,” Queen Mother coos from my side, instinctively making me grit my teeth. “I do hope that my son’s midnight visits aren’t causing too much disruption to your sleep schedule.”

Somehow, she knows that Joha has been visiting me in the night, which means someone is watching and feeding the information to her. We need to be more careful. All we need is another rumour and they might decide I am not suitable to be married to the king, whether the rumours are true or not. Her comment does confirm that she does not know what we have been doing. Oh, she assumes I am promiscuous, something that is better for her to believe than what is actually happening.

Smiling sweetly, I turn to look at her, batting my lashes several times. “I don’t know about any late-night visits, Queen Mother, but I can assure you I am sleeping well.”

She will not call me out in front of everyone, not without evidence, but I can practically hear the cogs turning in her mind as she attempts to work out the best way to cut me down. It is almost laughable, her jealousy as bright as the emerald-green dress she chose for today. We look like complete opposites, with my dress a seafoam so pale that it almost appears white, the layers of fabric much lighter and fluid than the stiff gowns I usually wear.

“Oh, what a surprise,” Queen Mother says, her attention pulled to the other side of the room. “The king has decided to join us. How lovely.”

The tightness in the way she speaks tells me exactly what she thinks of the king’s attendance, and it’s certainly not “lovely.” However, I find that I am happy to see him. He looks particularly handsome today, his navy-blue jacket perfectly displaying his physique.

The guests seem to notice him at the same time we get to our feet to greet him. Their bows and curtsies are like a wave as he walks through the groups of courtiers until he gets to us on the dais. Both Queen Mother and I dip into welcoming curtsies as is expected of us.

I have not spoken to him since our argument last night, and until now, I thought I was still angry with him, but with him here in front of me, our fight seems pointless. All thoughts of last night flee my mind as I take in the tension in his shoulders and the tight expression on his face.

Something is wrong.

“We didn’t expect to see you here today, Your Majesty.” Queen Mother is either oblivious to the king’s mood or she just does not care. Neither would surprise me about her.

Plastering on a tight, fake smile, he meets her gaze. “A last-minute decision, Queen Mother. Don’t let me interrupt, though. I simply wanted a word with my betrothed.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” I reply quickly before Queen Mother can object, and then I take his proffered hand.

He leads me away from the crowd and into one of the secluded alcoves of the hall close to the entrance. It is far quieter here, the only people even slightly close being the palace guards.

“What is wrong?” I ask quietly as soon as we are out of earshot.

He smiles at me, but it’s off, not the usual wide smile I’ve come to expect from him. “Can’t a man just want to see his betrothed?”

He’s attempting to downplay whatever is bothering him, and that just tells me this is more serious than I first thought. I give him a look that portrays exactly what I think of his question and wait for him to explain himself properly.

It doesn’t take long for the fake smile to drop as he rubs his hand across his face, letting me see his true feelings written on his features.

“Fine. You are going to think that I am mad, but . . .” He scans the room as though to find inspiration. “Something just feels off today.”

“What do you mean?” I don’t laugh at him like he expects me to, taking him seriously. I often get gut feelings about situations, and they have never been wrong. If Joha is getting a warning, then he should listen to it.

“I’m not sure.” He huffs out a breath, looking more dishevelled than I have seen him in public before. “I am on edge. It feels as though something is going to happen.” Laughing without humour, he attempts to brush it off. “I’m being paranoid.”

I don’t agree. Gut instincts should be taken seriously. Cursing internally, I glance around to see which guards are on duty today, searching for one male in particular. When I don’t see him, alarm bells begin to sound in my mind.

“Have you told Orion?”

Joha nods, a concerned frown pulling at his brows. “Yes, I told him when I left my meeting to come here. He assigned me extra guards and is scouting the area for anything amiss. He will join us shortly.”

I nod my head. That’s good. If anyone is going to find anything, it will be Orion. Luckily, I am here with Joha, and I will make sure he is safe until his friend arrives, then I can start to investigate.

“Your Majesty!” The shout fills the air, impossibly loud considering there is no one close to us, but perhaps it only seems loud compared to the hushed conversation we were having.

Joha groans quietly as he glances over his shoulder to see who called out to him. My eyes narrow on the newcomer. He looks vaguely familiar, but I think it’s just because he looks like all the other young lords I have seen over the last couple of days. There is nothing particularly spectacular about him, nothing that makes him stand out in any way, yet I automatically dislike him. He’s tall and slim in build. His brown hair has a floppy element to it that annoys me, his every move making it jiggle. I want to cut it off and remove that stupid smile from his face.

Why I have taken an instant dislike to this young male, I don’t know, but it is pretty strong. From the reluctance written all over Joha’s face and his tight smile, I know I’m not the only one.

“I’m sorry to interrupt you, Your Majesty,” the young male states, not looking the slightest bit apologetic as he bows in greeting. “Could I trouble you for a moment?”

Taking half a step back, Joha turns towards the newcomer. “I suppose so, Jules. My betrothed and I just finished our conversation.”

The lord glances at me, dismissing me instantly.

“Fantastic,” the young lord, Jules, caws with entirely too much sarcasm.

Placing a hand on the king’s arm, he guides him away. Watching from the alcove, I lean against a pillar and keep an eye on the two males. I expect them to continue to the other side of the room, yet Jules stops them in the middle. An odd place for a conversation , I think to myself.

I should return to the dais, yet I cannot make myself move. I tell myself that it’s because I don’t want to return to the monotony of the conversations of the court. However, my gut is telling me that the king is right and something is wrong.

Staying in place for another ten minutes, I continue to watch them. The king looks bored. Six of his guards are placed strategically throughout the room, interspersed with regular guards who protect them all. He is in one of the most guarded areas within the palace grounds, so there is no way anyone could hurt him here. I am being paranoid.

With a sigh, I straighten my spine and brush my hair from my face, preparing to return to my throne.

As I turn, a strange glint catches my eye, momentarily blinding me. Shielding my eyes, I scowl and try to find the cause of the bright light. Two guards are standing by the door, the sunlight streaming in from the window above shining off the silver buttons on their uniforms. Normally, I would dismiss it as an accident and move on, yet something about it makes me pause. The guards seem to be standing strangely, as though one is hugging the other.

No, that’s not right. It looks more like one guard is holding the other up.

What is going on here? Has one of the guards fallen ill? I recognise the one slumped over as one of Joha’s personal guards, yet I can’t place where I’ve seen the other male’s face. I am pretty sure I have never seen him on palace grounds before, his startling blue eyes making him stand out, which would mean I know him from the city. Why would a guard from the city be here in a standard court session?

My instincts scream at me that something is wrong, and I search harder for whatever is setting off my internal alarms. Something gleams, once again catching my attention, and I see what looks like the tip of an arrow appearing from the male’s cloak—an arrow that is aimed straight at Joha.

That’s why the two guards look strange—one of them is clearly dead or unconscious, and the other is holding a crossbow under his cloak.

Joha was right, and he is about to be killed.

I hear the thud of the bolt being pulled, and I know I only have moments. There is no time to plan or even think about the risk to myself. All I know is that I have to save Joha.

Without a chance to think about it, I run towards the doors and the would-be attacker who is positioned by them, the perfect place for him to make a swift escape. Time seems to slow down as I move, my heart pounding in my chest as I try to do something before it is too late.

The attacker is so focused on his target that he only realises I am barrelling towards him when I appear right at his side. Leaping towards him, I knock into the male at the same moment he pulls the trigger.

Thankfully, the momentum of my hit sends us tumbling to the floor, knocking the arrow off course, burying itself in Jules’s chest. Seeing that Joha is safe for the moment, I turn my attention to the attacker I just dragged to the floor. He’s bucking beneath me, trying to throw me off, but I know a thing or two about keeping my seat on a man.

I want to use my blade to stop him and put an end to this, but if I do that, it will raise too many questions. The princess of another land and king’s fiancée would not be carrying a dagger. Keeping my identity a secret is vital to keeping the king alive, something that is becoming much more difficult than I ever imagined.

Courtiers and guards hurry towards us, all trying to help me up, no one quite realising what just happened.

“Oh, I am so sorry,” I call out loudly, as though I accidentally fell into him, making sure others hear me. “I just feel so sick. I need some air.”

That’s when the screaming begins, someone finally realising that Jules has been shot, his body falling to the floor with a loud thump.

Pandemonium ensues. No one seems to know what to do. Guards shout and run around, trying to make sure the king and other important people are safe. Screams, heavy footsteps, the slamming of doors, and the sound of more guards filling the room become constant in the background. It’s utter chaos, and that’s exactly how I want it. This is the perfect distraction. No one is going to remember me running across the room, focusing instead on the dead body.

Joha runs over to me, looking disturbed and shaken up, yet his first thought is to check on me. “Alyx, are you okay?”

“I bumped into this man and now there is blood . . .” Waving my hand in front of my face as though I’m trying to cool myself down, I sway on my feet, gasping as I look towards the middle of the room. “Did someone get shot?”

Guards surround us, separating Joha and me from the rest of the nobles in the room. They quickly realise that one of their guards is dead and the attacker was the one to fire the shot at Jules.

“He tried to kill the king! Take him to the cells!” one of the guards yells, taking charge of the situation.

I look around and gape at the chaos around us, fully aware that everyone is watching. Looking up at my betrothed, I blink vapidly and place my hand on his arm as though to steady myself. “Your Majesty, what just happened?”