51. Dagmara

Dagmara felt like she was going to faint.

Claude rose to his feet. In unison, the rest of the audience straightened. Even Annette stood, her face red with embarrassment.

“Let us eat!” Claude yelled, though his voice was muffled. He was miles away from Dagmara. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from Sabien, and the Captain of the Guard wasn’t backing down either as the magic faded from his eyes.

Music flooded the room once more, and the clattering of plates and utensils turned into a cacophony of noises.

“Are you alright?” Claude placed his hand on Dagmara’s lower back.

“Y-Yes,” Dagmara stammered. “I just need some air.” She yanked away from Claude. Hiking up her wedding dress, she raced out of the room through the closest door.

Once the door had slammed shut behind her, she nearly collapsed into the wall, leaning her shoulder against it to keep her upright. She felt sick to her stomach.

It was him. Sabien Renaud. He had created the wolf figure in the air. He had water magic. There was no other explanation. She remembered their first interaction in Azurem and how he commented on the wolf sculptures in the tavern. She remembered shoving him into the rapids—

It made perfect sense now that she saw him for who he was. The rapids had healed his injury. He must have commanded the water to bring him to safety. That was the only explanation for how he had survived.

Then why would he step in and create the scene in the banquet hall? Why let everyone think Dagmara had magic? He made it seem like she had healed Claude, and then he put on the show with the wolf figure in the water. Why didn’t he let the truth be exposed? It didn’t make sense.

“Princess.”

Dagmara whirled at the voice, coming face to face with Martine.

“Are you alright?”

Breathless, Dagmara nodded.

“What happened in there?” Martine asked, her eyes full of concern.

Dagmara leaned her back against the stone wall, clutching her chest. She avoided the direct question. “You followed me?”

“It is my job to watch you,” Martine said. She took a step closer, taking Dagmara’s free hand. “But I am not only your guard. I would like to be a friend.”

Another pang radiated in Dagmara’s chest. She was lying to everyone, even Martine who knew she wasn’t a guardian.

“You are a good friend, Martine. There are things I wish I could tell you, but you are still Ilusaurian.”

“I may be Ilusaurian, but that doesn’t make us enemies. As your guard, everything I do is for your safety. And as your friend, everything I do is because I want to help.”

Dagmara smiled. “It feels good to have a friend again. I—”

Another voice interrupted them.

“Hello, Princess, or shall I say, Queen.”

Dagmara’s head snapped up to meet Sabien’s gaze. He approached them, his chocolate eyes burning with ferocity.

“Martine, a moment with my queen,” Sabien ordered, not even glancing in her direction.

Instinctively, Dagmara gripped Martine’s hand tighter.

“I…” Martine started to argue, but Sabien cut her off.

“By order of your captain, I command you to leave us.”

Martine straightened her posture. “I don’t answer to you anymore, Captain.”

Sabien’s brow furrowed. “What did you say to me?”

Dagmara released Martine’s hand. It was time she spoke to Sabien alone. “I’ll be alright. Thank you.”

Martine gave a curt nod. She fired a suspicious glance at Sabien before leaving.

Dagmara was alone with Sabien, and he stared down at her expectantly. This was the man who caused the scene in the ballroom, making everyone believe she had water magic. It was exactly like what Aleksy had done on behalf of Magdalena during the coronation.

This man was a Guardian of Life.

Sabien took a step toward Dagmara, and she immediately countered. “Stay away from me,” she said under her breath, holding her hand out defensively in front of her.

Sabien’s expression darkened. “That is no way to thank me.”

Dagmara let out a sharp, short laugh. “Thank you?”

“They would’ve torn you to shreds if they knew you were an imposter.”

Dagmara could feel the heat rise in her cheeks. She glanced around the hall to be certain they were alone before she stuck her chin in the air.

“How dare you accuse me of being an imposter,” she scowled. “And how dare you let me believe…” she stopped mid-sentence.

How dare you let me believe that I was special? She thought she was the one who had healed Claude in Sailonne.

“Pierre was watching,” Sabien said as though he could read her mind. “Otherwise, we could have had this conversation much sooner.”

“Who are you?” asked Dagmara. “How do you have Life magic?”

Sabien shrugged casually. “I don’t know.”

“Liar.”

“Why do you think I was at the coronation?” he asked.

Dagmara froze. “What does that have to do with my question?”

Sabien stepped closer, dropping his voice to a whisper.

“I went to the coronation to find out why I have these abilities,” Sabien said. Although his voice was quiet, it was sharp. “I thought that I could be a bastard king to the Azuremi throne. I went secretly to speak with King Bogdan, and nobody was supposed to know. The coronation was the perfect time for a chance to speak to him without explaining myself to all of his knights. But he was murdered before I had the chance.”

Dagmara’s mind ran wild with thoughts. If he were telling the truth, she had to keep Magda’s powers a secret now more than ever. If the world knew Magda had the magic of Flaustra, and Sabien had the magic of Azurem, he would have a claim to the throne.

This was worse than Dagmara ever imagined.

“Then I came to find out Claude and Bogdan were working together to assassinate anyone with magic who wasn’t a guardian. It meant they would come after me and kill me. So, I paid the Azuremi border knights to have my name removed from the border list. I couldn’t risk there being a record out there, or to have someone question why I went to speak with Bogdan,” Sabien continued. “Can you imagine what would happen if Claude found out about my magic?”

“Claude would never have you killed,” Dagmara objected.

“How are you so sure?” Sabien asked.

Dagmara wasn’t sure. She wasn’t sure about anything anymore. Everything she thought she knew had been shattered.

“Now,” Sabien’s voice brought her back to her senses. “I told you who I am. I feel it is only fair for you to tell me who you are.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I am Queen Magda—”

He came toward her in a fury. Before she knew it, he pinned her to the wall, his body flush against hers, and his hands on either side of her head. She could feel his hot breath against her lips when he growled, “Stop lying.”

“I’m not lying!” She tried to squirm away from him, but it only created friction between their bodies. Her heart lurched in her chest as she felt his muscles stiffen. He was like a rock against her. And he was staring at her lips.

She froze once more, her breathing shallow.

No…he wasn’t staring at her lips. He was staring lower.

His fingers trailed her neck, sending shivers through her body, and grasped the fabric of her sleeve. Slowly, he pulled the shoulder of her dress to the side, revealing her collarbone and the scar. With one shoulder of her dress hanging, she knew her bodice dropped dangerously low.

“I knew I recognized you.” His breath was warm against her face. He traced his thumb over the scar. The scar he had given her the night she shoved him off the Azuremi bridge.

He smiled. “Hello, Dagger.”

Her mission had officially been compromised.

Dagmara was suddenly aware of how firm he was against her and how her curves were pressed against him. She recognized the warmth flooding through her body and the bottomless pit of emotion in her stomach. She couldn’t let her mission be compromised now. She finally had access to the royal chambers.

“You’re wrong,” Dagmara said.

“I know the face of the woman who tried to kill me.”

Heat rose in her chest. It was all over.

Then a thought struck her.

“I’ll tell Claude about you.”

“Blackmail?” He let out a sharp laugh. “Claude will never believe you.”

Was that true? Dagmara knew she wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t seen the magic with her own eyes.

But if she told Claude about Sabien, she would have to confess how she knew. She would have to admit that Sabien was the one who had created the wolf out of water and that she didn’t have magic. She would have to confess who she really was.

Sabien seemed to read her thoughts as though she professed them out loud. He gave her a smirk. “Don’t worry, I’m very good at keeping secrets.”

“What?”

Sabien fixed the shoulder of her dress, covering her scar. Then he took a step back, finally giving her room to breathe. “I have no intention of outing you, Dagger.”

“Then why confront me in the hallway?”

“I figured I should explain that I have magic, and you don’t,” Sabien said casually, “and I wanted you to admit you’re not Magdalena. Very risky move by the way. Why go through with the wedding and not kill Claude earlier?”

“I have no intention of killing Claude,” Dagmara said.

He crossed his arms. “Sad excuse for an assassin then, aren’t you?”

“I’m here to find proof that he killed King Bogdan and Prince Aleksy, nothing more. If you knew I was an assassin, why not tell everyone to protect Claude?”

“I…was mad at him for killing Bogdan before I had the chance to discover the truth. And I told you, Claude and Bogdan were using assassins to kill people with magic. Claude is the type of king who would kill me if he knew I had this magic.”

Dagmara tried to read Sabien, but his face was a mystery to her.

“Fine, don’t believe me, see if I care,” Sabien shrugged. “But at least let me help you.”

Dagmara hesitated. “Why?”

“I need to know who I am and why I have Life magic,” he said. “If I help you, maybe you can get me an audience with Queen Bernadette? Or Princess Magdalena? They have to know something. I need to know who I am.”

Dagmara didn’t like anything about this. Her top priority was maintaining Magdalena’s secret. No one could know she didn’t have Life magic.

“You and I are on the same side,” Sabien continued, taking a step toward her. “Claude killed King Bogdan moments before I was going to discover the truth about my magic. We both need the truth.”

“Do you have proof Claude was behind the assassination?” Dagmara questioned.

“I’m not positive but…” Sabien paused. “No, it’s nothing.”

“Tell me.”

He let out an exaggerated sigh. “I know it may be unrelated, but he signed some false documents a few days before the coronation.”

False documents? Those had to be the three identities Teos had told Dagmara about.

Sabien continued, “And one time I thought I caught him with…a mask.”

“A mask?”

“Maybe it was nothing. But I could’ve sworn it was the symbol of the First Prince.”

A sick feeling rose in Dagmara’s stomach. Her mind flashed back to the day of the coronation and the assassin who had killed Aleksy. The man had stared her down in the center aisle. The man had worn a white mask with the symbol of the First Prince.

It couldn’t be.

“If Claude was responsible, why hasn’t he tried to kill me by now?” Dagmara asked.

“Well why would he before tonight?” Sabien countered. “He wants to claim Azurem. First he killed your family to convince you to marry him. Now that you’re legally wed he can kill you and take Azurem for himself…”

“Magdalena!” The call came from around the corridor. She recognized that voice immediately. Claude was approaching.

“Where is this mask?” Dagmara asked in a whisper, suddenly in a hurry.

“Has to be in his room,” Sabien’s voice was quiet. “I can sneak in—”

“No,” Dagmara cut him off. “Leave it to me.”

Then Claude appeared at the opposite end of the corridor, jogging into sight. “There you are!” he exclaimed, approaching at a slower pace. He glanced once at Sabien before returning his attention fully to Dagmara. “Are you alright?”

“A little overwhelmed,” Dagmara said, forcing a laugh. “Your captain wouldn’t let me escape.”

Claude shifted his gaze to Sabien. “I appreciate you trying to help, Sabien, but I can take it from here.”

“I admire your confidence,” Sabien replied. “I would be humiliated if my bride ran from me at my own wedding.”

“Sabien,” Dagmara scolded, no more than a whisper.

Claude’s jaw ticked. “For you to have a wedding, Captain Renaud, you would need a bride first.”

“Yes, well, at least I know I can find one who isn’t simply marrying me for my title.”

“That’s enough!” Dagmara snapped. “Leave us, Captain.”

“Of course, my Queen,” said Sabien. Then he gave Claude a sidelong glance. “Your Majesty,” he finished before disappearing down the corridor.

As soon as he was gone, Dagmara spoke first. “I wasn’t running,” she blurted out. Sabien almost ruined her entire plan, and now she had to cover her tracks. “I was overwhelmed and needed to breathe.”

Claude cleared his throat and shifted in his stance. “I’m sorry it’s overwhelming,” Claude said. “What do you need from me?” The tenderness to Claude’s voice surprised her. She nearly didn’t recognize him. Was it true he had the mask the assassins wore?

She needed to know now.

“I think I need a moment to rest to touch up my makeup and loosen this corset slightly. Just twenty minutes before returning to the party. Everyone’s eating now, so I’m sure they wouldn’t notice.”

“Of course,” Claude said. “Do you want me to come with you?”

“No,” Dagmara said, a little too quickly. She paused for effect, then added, “but Urszula said they were moving all my things to the royal quarters now. I don’t know where to go.”

“You can rest in my chamber,” the king said. Then his face shifted, and he added, “If you’re comfortable with that.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, let me walk you,” Claude said. Without waiting for an objection, he took her hand and began escorting her around the corridor and toward the large staircase that led them to the royal chamber.

“You don’t have to,” Dagmara said, hoping she wasn’t sounding too suspicious. “I know the way.”

“I know, but Martine isn’t here to keep you safe,” Claude replied, “And…” he paused to sweep her off her feet.

Dagmara’s heart lurched in her chest as Claude swiftly picked her up into a cradle. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, a shriek of shock slipping from her lips. “Claude!”

“...I know how much you dislike stairs,” he said as he proceeded to climb the large staircase. He made it seem effortless, and his breathing was barely labored.

“I don’t dislike stairs!” Dagmara objected, but she could feel the warmth in her chest and the smile cresting her face.

“I watch you glare at the steps every time we go to Lionel’s manor,” said Claude.

Dagmara felt like her heart was about to break. This couldn’t be the man who ordered Bogdan and Aleksy’s assassination…how could a ruthless monster hold her so gently? Unless this was all part of the act. As Sabien had said, Claude could still be planning to kill her tonight.

He set her back down on her feet once they reached the top of the staircase. Dagmara selfishly didn’t want him to let her go. She wanted him to carry her all the way to his bed, and then stay there with her.

They arrived at his chamber too soon, which was blocked by two guards.

“I know you want a minute alone,” Claude said before softly caressing her cheek. His hand was gentle against her face, and his thumb brushed against her skin. “But if you’re gone for too long I’ll come find you. I don’t want to be away from you tonight.”

She nearly melted at his words. She tilted her head against his palm. “I just want to freshen up,” she said, quoting Queen Bernadette.

He nodded, his eyes lingering on her lips. “By the guardians, this Azuremi tradition of waiting until midnight on the wedding day will be the death of me. Soon,” he promised. He addressed the two on guard. “Make sure she remains safe.”

Then he turned away from her and disappeared down the hall, returning to his subjects at the wedding.

She tried to bury her feelings for him as the guards let her pass into the royal chamber. The time had come to finally find proof.

Proof that would seal her future forever.