22. Dagmara

The following morning, Dagmara woke with a jolt. Her time here would be limited, and she had to avenge Aleksy and Bogdan’s deaths before King Claude was finished getting information out of her—or so he claimed.

Aleksy. The thought of him made her feel ill. He had been a friend her whole childhood, and was taken from her life too soon. Pushing aside those thoughts to avoid confronting her grief, as she had when her mother died, she focused on the task ahead.

Today, she was going to seduce a murderer, otherwise known as a Mind Guardian. She had to get Claude to like her enough so that he wouldn’t kill her before she could access the royal wing. Easy, right? Meanwhile, he couldn’t discover that she killed Sabien, or that she wasn’t actually Magda.

Easy.

Urszula helped her get ready, making her look like a true princess. She was more careful to hide anything that made her stand out, opting for a long-sleeve dress to cover her arms, and pinning her hair up. Urszula had to add an extra coat of the silver dye, for it easily washed out in the bath water. The top of her dress covered the scar on her shoulder, but she chose one with a low neckline on purpose. Additionally, she wore short gloves to cover the new scar on the palm of her hand.

Martine informed her that Claude was practicing swordsmanship all morning and would meet her for lunch on the front lawn. However, she wanted to run into him before lunch and decided to interrupt his sword practice.

“Why does he have to practice with a sword when he’s a guardian? Can’t he just kill people with his mind?” Urszula asked.

“I don’t know, and I’d rather not think about it.”

Dagmara exited her chamber, thanking Urszula, and went to the field. Martine, of course, accompanied her the whole way.

Glass doors led out onto a glorious walkway with a towering fountain. Beyond, the cobblestone ground turned to grass and stretched on for miles. The smell of ocean air and the countryside filled her senses. The trees were ripe with foreign fruits, and the vineyard on the castle grounds was overflowing with food. It was a stark contrast from the rest of the kingdom she had seen on the carriage ride here. Was Claude hoarding resources while the rest of his kingdom was starving? Everything he did was vile, and Dagmara knew she had to expedite this mission.

Not only would this marriage allow Dagmara to sneak around in the Ilusaurian royal quarters, but the medicinal trade routes could be reopened. Teos, along with all the other children suffering from zowach, would be cured.

Dagmara broke out of her thoughts when she reached the small field directly outside the castle. Her eyes were instantly drawn to the king.

Steel clashed against steel as Claude battled three of his guards at once. He wore a loose-fitted white shirt and trousers tucked into tall boots. His bronze skin glistened in the sun. He fought with one hand, the other pressed behind his back.

The way he moved was mesmerizing, each step both graceful and lethal. Every thrust of his sword was more powerful than the last. Beads of sweat dripped from his temple, running down his sharp jawline and dripping to his collar. He was pure strength, the true embodiment of a guardian, and Dagmara had no doubt he could slice her to pieces with his sword.

He was frightfully good. It took him moments to disarm one guard before knocking the second onto the ground and pressing his sword to the third’s neck. He spoke to them in his native language and broke into a laugh.

He looked so curious when he was laughing. It didn’t fit his character, and certainly didn’t fit the rage she saw yesterday.

Sheathing his sword, he reached his hand out to help a guard up. The guards saw Dagmara first. Claude was the last one to turn around and notice her standing there, watching him.

Then he jogged across the field, his sword at his side, and only slowed his pace when he was within earshot.

“Princess, I’m surprised to see you this morning,” Claude said. His accent speaking Azuremi was still captivating.

“I seem to surprise you a lot, Your Majesty,” Dagmara replied. She was acutely aware of Martine a few paces behind her. There was no doubt Martine was reporting everything to Madame Annette. That meant today she was going to be the perfect princess.

Claude used his shirt to wipe the sweat from his brow. As it lifted, Dagmara was briefly distracted by the rippling muscles in his chest and stomach. She had no idea there even were that many muscles in the stomach and chest. Her breath hitched, and she had to clear her throat.

“I have come here to discuss the wedding,” she announced.

Claude’s let go of his shirt, covering his body, and disregarded her comment. “Let me get cleaned up, and we can call for lunch. There’s someone I want you to meet.”

Dagmara didn’t want to wait for lunch to speak with him. “How long after our marriage will the trading routes be reopened?”

“A week, maybe two,” the king replied.

“And the medicines?”

Claude hesitated. “Can’t we discuss this after lunch?”

“No,” Dagmara replied, keeping her voice as soft and lady-like as she could. “I hardly know the schedule, and it is improper to not let a woman know her own wedding arrangements.”

His expression twisted. “There are no arrangements. I wasn’t certain how long the journey would take from the Azuremi castle.”

“Then let’s make arrangements.”

Claude shifted his weight, analyzing her. She felt small under his gaze. “I won’t lie, Princess, your tone is off-putting.”

“And your inability to prioritize the proposal you made is off-putting.”

His jaw clenched. “I have other priorities.”

Dagmara bit her tongue. That was certainly too far. But if there was one thing she heard while eavesdropping last night, it was that he would make her stay to get information from her, no matter the cost.

I will use her to Ilusauri’s advantage, find out what she knows, and then I can get rid of her.

“If you do not wish to marry me, Your Majesty, then I will return to Azurem.”

“No,” Claude nearly blurted out. He was quick to regain his composure. He let out a deep sigh, and a low laugh escaped his lips. “You are quite the negotiator. Fine. We will host the engagement ball this week, and we can schedule the wedding in three months’ time.”

Dagmara’s eyes narrowed, and she forced herself to remain collected. “I will not wait that long. The wedding will happen this month.”

“What?”

“This month,” she repeated.

Claude objected. “Royal weddings don’t happen overnight.”

“I said this month, not tomorrow.”

“There’s lots of planning, and people have to travel in from across the kingdom.”

“How many days does that take? This marriage is for the trading routes and medicine. I won’t wait on those things.”

“It…,” Claude’s voice ran off, a suspicious expression flickering across his face for a mere second before being replaced with indifference. “I will speak with Madame Annette. Perhaps we can send some medicine to Azurem in advance of the official marriage.”

Confusion spread through Dagmara. This man was utterly unreadable, and she tried to piece his emotions together with what she had overheard last night.

“And will you speak to her about the date of the wedding?”

“If I so choose,” Claude said through gritted teeth. His patience was wearing thin.

She added a flirtatious lilt to her voice to soften the discussion as she said, “Aren’t you choosing to marry me?”

He took a step toward her, closing the distance between them. Her heart plummeted in her chest upon his close proximity. A palpable anger exuded from his entire body that sent a crashing wave of fear right through her.

“I’m choosing to ally myself with Azurem. Trust me, if I knew you had this demeanor then I may have thought twice about proposing.”

She felt the words like a blow to her chest. However, after getting her condition, all she had left were her potions and words to defend herself. She couldn’t remain silent. What she said and how she said it was her most trained weapon.

“Trust me, Your Majesty, that my presence here was not my idea. I am only here for the betterment of Azurem.” Seeking revenge would be an added bonus.

He eyed her curiously, and she nearly saw the thoughts shifting behind his eyes. He finally spoke, “I will speak to Annette about the date. We would need at least a month to plan for the wedding...”

She opened her mouth to object.

“...but I will send a shipment of medicine to your mother in Azurem this afternoon, and I will start writing up the documents to reopen the trade routes.”

One month until she gained access to his private quarters. She could stay alive for one month. She simply had to watch what she said around him and not give him too much information about Azurem or the assassination.

“Done,” Dagmara concluded before he had a chance to add on any addendums. “I hope you’re a man of your word.”

With a curt nod, she whirled on her heel, prepared to head back into the castle. She had to clear her head and plan what she would say at lunch.

The world froze.

A man was walking to meet them on the lawn. He was tall and broad, with tan skin and dark hair down to the bottom of his ears.

It couldn’t be.

“Ah, just in time,” Claude said, passing Dagmara’s frozen stature to introduce the new guest. “My close friend and captain returned this morning. Princess, I’d like you to meet Sabien Renaud.”

She locked eyes with him. He was supposed to be dead. She remembered driving a knife through his stomach and sending him over the bridge into the rocky waters. This wasn’t possible.

“Sabien,” Claude continued, “meet Princess Magdalena Krol.”

Sabien Renaud.

Captain of the Ilusaurian guard.

Sabien’s chocolate eyes twinkled with curiosity. He towered over her as he proceeded to reach her side. He took her hand and kissed the back of her gloved palm, his lips lingering. It took everything inside her not to pull away. She tried desperately to hold her composure.

“Princess,” Sabien said, his sonorous voice rumbling deep in his throat. The side of his mouth raised into a smirk. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”