"Your Majesty has my deepest gratitude. I shall endeavour not to fail you," Kevin said, bowing low.

"I have to know from Ruelle that you have attended my son in his studies and kept a careful watch over him. I have no doubt you shall conduct yourself admirably here, within the castle," the king stated calmly. "I will have the word sent to Sexton so you can join. I do have some payments to make."

"I hope you are going to pay him handsomely, Father. Kevin joined classes to become stronger," Edward stated.

Ruelle felt the strong urge to confront Edward, perhaps even seize him by the shoulders and shake him. Not for answers, but because of what his one letter had done. But the prince would blabber without a thought and others would bear the consequence for it.

’I do not wish to see him displeased, and I would hate for another rift to appear between us,’ the king’s warning rang in her ears.

She would not rush forward blindly, not right now. Only a fool would charge ahead when the ground beneath her had already begun to give way.

"Seven and a half silver coins should be sufficient? Perhaps we should make it eight," the king answered nonchalantly.

Kevin bowed once more, unable to disguise the quiet brightness that had overtaken his features. He said, "Thank you for your generosity."

Ruelle noticed how Kevin stood there with gratitude, entirely unaware. There was nothing generous in what had been offered. She had refused the king’s reward and Hermes had paid for her defiance with his own flesh, and right now the king had chosen the next person for it.

Footsteps were heard and one of the servants appeared before them. The servant informed, "Your Majesty, the Earl and his wife have come to visit you."

"Kevin, you can go observe the training. It is better to have a head start." King Septimus turned to look at the humans and his son before saying, "Let us see each other at dinner then." With that, he left the place, while Kevin followed the king’s words.

Watching Kevin leave, the prince turned to the nearby maid and ordered, "Prepare three rooms for them."

"Hailey and I will share the same room. There is no need for two," Ruelle said quickly, and Hailey’s face brightened.

"Right," Hailey nodded with enthusiasm that they were finally going to share the same room.

"Are you sure? You can have the whole room for yourselves." Edward raised his eyebrows.

Ruelle offered him a small smile and responded, "Yes."

"By the way, Ruelle, do you still feel like throwing up?" Hailey asked.

"What, throwing up? Are you not well?" Edward asked with a frown. Turning to the nearby maid, he ordered immediately, "Go fetch the physician right away—"

"No!" Ruelle’s response came quickly before she repeated, "No, I am fine now. There’s no need for the physician. I just need to eat something light. Porridge." She had been helped enough for the day...

Edward snapped his fingers and the maid bowed before leaving for the kitchen.

"You think a woman can join as a royal guard?" Hailey commented as they began to walk through the corridor. "How much are servants and maids paid? Surely, it should be more than the average."

"If I am not wrong, it should be a silver," Edward answered thoughtfully.

Hailey looked offended. She said carefully, "That’s discrimination. A servant’s work is arduous."

Edward rolled his eyes. "They don’t put their lives on the line. Servants are ever the first to hide when harm befalls. The royal family invests in the royal guards as they are later turned to Halflings."

Ruelle, who walked through the corridor beside them in silence, found her thoughts drifting elsewhere. She did not comment, as these walls had ears.

Her mind turned to Lucian despite herself. It had become almost instinctive to think of him when things began to slip beyond her control, and with it came a quiet sense of shame.

She didn’t doubt Lucian would help her, but what would follow if he did? The king was not a student to be silenced, nor a minister to scare off. This was a person who stood at the highest rank in strength and bloodline. She couldn’t afford to be reckless.

"I thought you were going to follow the fortune teller’s words or have you decided to be a maid?" Edward huffed softly to Hailey’s earlier words.

"I think you should wait too, Hailey," Ruelle replied, her tone quiet as she felt Hailey loop her hand around her arm.

Something then struck her mind and she wondered what if she were to turn Edward’s attention elsewhere? And her eyes fell on Hailey. If his interest could be drawn away from her, maybe it could help her. But would that make her selfish?

"I will be back," Ruelle turned and began to walk.

"Where is she going?" Edward asked with a slight frown and he was about to follow Ruelle when Hailey commented, "Your Highness, she’s probably visiting the bathroom," and it had him stop immediately.

Ruelle stepped out of the castle and caught sight of Claude still standing next to the carriage.

"Claude, you may return to Sexton," Ruelle let him know while noticing Hermes arrived at the entrance as if following orders. "All of us have decided to remain at the castle tonight. Prince Edward is hosting a dinner for us, and we will return tomorrow evening."

The coachman blinked, clearly taken aback by the change of plans. But he responded,

"Very well, Miss. Could you tell me what time I should come and fetch you tomorrow?"

"I think around four in the afternoon, if it is alright with you," she added with a polite smile, and at a distance, she noticed more guards at and near the walls of the gates.

"I shall arrive an hour early, just in case," Claude replied with a bow and she watched the carriage leave. With the coachman not allowed inside, it made sense to return. This way, Lucian would know where she was, should things not go as expected.

When she turned, walking up the stairs and arriving at the entrance, she asked,

"Am I going to be followed from now on?"

"Forgive me, Miss Ruelle. I am required to follow my orders." Hermes bowed. His response had Ruelle internally sigh.

Ruelle was about to pass where Hermes stood when she paused, the movement drawing his attention. She turned and said,

"Let us walk together. I am heading to where Hailey and Edward are."

Hermes appeared momentarily taken aback by the invitation.

Rather than walking past him and inviting suspicion, Ruelle chose to do the opposite. It would be easier, she thought, to let him know she was following the king and his words so that when time came, he would drop his guard.

​​Returning to where Hailey and the prince stood, they were led along the corridor lined with paintings that spoke of wealth and taste.

"My great-grandfather was the one who collected most of these," Edward said as he moved ahead, pausing before one of the larger canvases. "There have been a few additions over the years." He tilted his head slightly, studying it with idle interest. "Exquisite, isn’t it? I was told several versions were made and were sold right away before the auctions. This was the last one." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Hailey gave a small nod, her gaze fixed upon the brushwork. "The technique is rather distinct. Who was the artist?"

Edward lifted a shoulder in a careless shrug. "There is no name marked. If there ever was one, it must have long faded."

Ruelle’s eyes moved to the painting they were admiring, and she noticed the grey and white tones used, the quiet winter captured across the canvas. At its centre stood a lone tree, its branches bare yet holding red blossoms that seemed almost out of place against the snow.

Suddenly a sharp pain pierced her head and she heard a boy’s voice,

’Where’s my gift?’

She blinked before looking around but there was no boy there and she only met with Hermes’s face. She turned around. Did the fortune teller have something to do with it? Because it felt like she was hallucinating voices since then. It made her head feel heavy and as though someone were squeezing it.

She hadn’t forgotten the flower pot. Briefly, she wondered if she touched the garden, which was frosted from the weather... would it come back to life?

There was a large portrait of the royal family, and when Ruelle’s eyes fell on the king, her jaw tightened while uneasiness crept into her. Not bothering to look at the other people in the painting, she walked past it.

When they reached the circular library that was filled with books on the shelves against the wall, she walked towards one of them.

"Is it alright for me to borrow the books?" She asked, picking up a book which looked well kept, even though the pages had faded. "I wanted to note down a few things from it."

Edward’s eyebrows furrowed and he replied, "That’s the only section that cannot leave the room. You write down right here. You will find the ink, quill and the parchment in the drawer."

Ruelle brought the book to the table at the corner and pulled out the parchment. She noticed Edward talking to Hermes.

"Did your shoe tear? Or is it just getting old for you to walk funny?"

"The shoe sole inside is missing, Your Highness," Hermes replied promptly. Like she thought, the attendant wasn’t going to utter a word.

"Then you ought to buy a pair of shoes," Edward continued to chatter with his attendant, while Ruelle dipped the quill in the ink and began to write.

Hailey, who had made more than a circle around the library, appeared next to Ruelle and asked,

"Are you writing for the night creature history class? If we had another test you would score first..." and her voice faded, as she read what Ruelle had written on the parchment—

’Please don’t react but I am in need of your help. The King has decided that I am to be given to Edward as his mistress, either just before or soon after the bidding in Sexton. He has already taken Hermes’ toes. Do you think you can draw Edward’s attention toward yourself... if you would consent to be his mistress?’

"You must be tired. Here, let me write," Hailey responded, taking the quill from Ruelle’s hand.

She took hold of another parchment and folded it to busy herself, while Hailey took a second to process what she just read.

’Is that the reason he hired Kevin?’ Hailey wrote, before glancing at Ruelle, who nodded. ’The king must have really liked you to go so far. Well... I am going to end up as a maid or someone’s mistress.’ After taking moment to adjust the book, she added, ’But I don’t think it is going to work.’

Ruelle felt her stomach twist and she tucked the folded parchment into her pocket. Hailey continued to write, ’Not even a single Elite or human in Sexton has spared a single glance my way. Trying for the prince is ambitious for me. You will have more luck by talking to the pri–’ she wrote, only to scratch it out twice. ’Maybe not.’

’What if the king finds out? There’s going to be blood everywhere if your roo—’

"I know this passage," Ruelle replied, and took the quill back and she dipped it in the ink. "This is the one we need to study."

’I know. I know it well, so stay quiet about it,’ Ruelle wrote and she paused for a moment. Maybe it was a terrible idea, she thought to herself. It would be impossible to shift the prince’s attention in the next three days, especially with his personality...

"You needn’t copy it all. Hermes can assist you with the rest," Edward said as he made his way toward them, his attendant close behind.

"I would rather not trouble him. This will suffice for now," Ruelle replied, folding the parchment she and Hailey had written before slipping it into her pocket.

Hermes stepped forward and stated, "It is no trouble, Miss Ruelle. I will be happy to help."

Hailey then pushed the book and asked, "This part?"

The attendant took the book, nodding, before asking, "Let me continue it in the parchment you wrote," and he looked up from the book to meet Ruelle’s eyes.

Did he notice?

Hailey looked like she was going to faint and she held the edge of the table when Ruelle slipped her hand into her pocket and handed the parchment to the man.