4.

“Damn, this is nice!” Said Kinari while flopping onto the bed and sinking into it with an audible groan of enjoyment. “It’s been a while since we had an actual bed. But this? Damn, I can feel myself sinking into it.”

She giggled to herself, which sounded odd coming from her usual gruff voice, and closed her eyes and let herself sink in. When she turned her head, she realised the sheets had been recently cleaned and faintly perfumed.

She had never experienced anything like this. A bed with actual sheets, not burlap or straw, was already a luxury. A clean bed was the height of extravagance in her eyes. So it was in stunned silence that she lay there in awe that such a bed could actually exist, and that she was now lying on it.

But, after a moment of enjoyment, she sat back up and looked at Damien, who had not commented on her enjoyment but instead sat silently on a chair with his empty eyes facing nothing in particular. There was a small frown on his brows as he propped his chin on one of his hands, deep in thought,

“Alright, I get it!” Said Kinari, chuckling as she nodded at him. “You wanted to live the good life for a day before continuing our escape, is that it? Hah! I get it! You missed these comfy beds and warm bedrooms and your private baths in milk with your naked women and your fancy sponges.”

“Huh?” Damien raised his head and turned to her.

“Is that why you’re going along with all this nonsense? To sleep one night in a nice bedroom like you used to back in your palace?” She asked again, a knowing smile on her lips.

He smiled back at her. “You have to admit this is a rather substantial improvement over our usual fare.”

“Sure is!” She got up and sat on the chair next to him. After another satisfied groan as she leaned back and adjusted herself for maximum comfiness, she asked him in a low voice, “alright, so what’s the plan to get out of there then?”

There was a pause, then another polite smile from him. “I’m thinking about it right now. It takes some time to plan these things.”

“Sure. But if you tell me what you’re thinking, maybe I can help!” She leaned it, lowering her voice even more. “I’m thinking tonight, early morning. This place has shit security, and my bet is most people’s sleeping soundly by then. Only a skeleton crew on the night shift, no real rotation. There might be a few more eager guards because of us, but I don’t think any of them are ready for the Royal Voice except the ones in front of our door. So long as we’re careful, I’m confident we can get out without waking everyone up!”

Damien paused to consider this. “Yes, I suppose this makes sense… But perhaps we can stay here a few more days? Lull them into a false sense of security?”

Kinari frowned. “Hey, you’re not getting blinded by all this comfort, are you? I know it sucks to sleep on straw mats and eat only whatever boiled vegetables we can scrounge, but we have to leave here as soon as we can if we want to get you back to your kingdom.”

“My kingdom will last another few days without me,” He said while shrugging. “And these are some comfy chairs, huh?”

She narrowed her eyes and stared at him, which had absolutely no effect. So she changed her approach.

“I know you’re used to comfort and all this fancy stuff,” she hissed in a low voice. “But this is a real fucking bad idea!”

He tilted his head. “How so?” He asked, also keeping his voice low.

“This place is not run in a professional way. These guys aren’t kidnappers or soldiers, they’re merchants! Fucking peddlers with extra money!”

“Noted,” said Damien. “But doesn’t that work in our favor?”

“Sure, if we escape fast enough!” She replied. “But if we decide to stick around scratching our arses, how long do you think before the servants start gossiping and word reaches someone nasty? A noble soldier or an agent… Or even just a jumped-up fuck who thinks getting their hands on that sweet reward on our heads would be pretty damn swell?”

“Heidi could order them to be quiet and maybe…?” Said Damien, but there was doubt in his words, and they trailed off into silence. Kinari pounced on this moment of hesitation.

“Bullshit! No matter how much she orders, you know servants are going to talk. This isn’t like a noble castle, where there’s generations of loyal servants and a whole fucking army breathing on their necks to keep everyone nice and terrified. All merchants do is pay people. And some don’t even pay well. And no matter how much they pay, it won’t be more than the reward they’re offering. Someone will talk.”

“Well…”

“And when they do, the Adran blue bloods will know exactly where we are. So even if we get out of here, everyone will be searching the nearby area for us. If we’re not careful, they will encircle this whole area and lock it down tighter than princess Muria’s chastity belt. The faster we get out of here, the faster we can outrun this search party. So we get out soon, right? Tonight? Or tomorrow, at the latest?”

Demian did not reply, his face still frozen in that polite smile that revealed nothing, as he tapped his finger idly on the chair.

“Hey, are you listening? This could be really bad!” Said Kinari.

Damien was silent for a moment longer. “Hmm.. I realised I haven’t thanked you properly yet.”

“What?”

“When I asked you to trust me, back then… And you were probably surrounded by guards and servants. To ask you to drop your weapon like that… It must have been so scary.” He leaned forward, closer to her, and lowered his voice to a whisper. “But you still did it. Thank you. Thank you so much for putting your trust in me like that.”

Her cheeks flushed as she backed away. “Oh. That. Uhh, yeah… No problem.”

“And… I would be very grateful… If you could put that trust in me again. One more time.” He smiled at her, eyes closed, and leaned in more. “Please?”

She wriggled uncomfortably in her very comfortable seat. “It’s not that I don’t trust you!” She said defensively, while looking away. “But I don’t want the Adran nobility to find us, you know? That’s why I said that.”

“And I am very grateful you did,” he said, nodding at her. “But… What if there was a way to make sure that nobody would know we were here?”

“It’s too late for that,” she said. “The servants will all know by tonight. And tomorrow? Who knows how far that rumour will spread? ”

“But what if there was a way for us to stay here? Undetected?” His voice had a pleading tone now, and under the polite smile there was a nervousness oozing through, like blood under a door.

“How?” She asked, looking sceptical.

“Well…” He swallowed nervously. “I have a plan.”

She frowned and, for a tense moment, said nothing while looking him up and down.

“Tell me what’s the plan,” she said, cautiously.

“Let go! Get your hands off me!”

Kinari’s voice was not subtle or weak. It boomed across the corridors and was followed by annoyed snarls and the thumping of many feet. Naturally, this commotion attracted the attention of any servants nearby, who did their best to see what was going on while still looking busy.

Those that were close enough, saw Kinari and Damien being escorted by two guards and with Wenzel at the front, a stern expression on his face. Both prisoners did not look happy with these circumstances, and Kinari’s glare along with Wenzel’s icy demeanour kept the servants from approaching them directly, so after the commotion had passed they whispered to each other.

“What was that about?”

“Weren’t those our new… Guests? Or prisoners? Y’know? The wanted ones?”

“Heard her ladyship found out they were fakes…”

“Fakes?”

“Her ladyship got taken for a ride, did she? Hah! Not the first time…”

“Oh, I figured they were con men! From the moment I laid my eyes on them I thought: ‘no way these are royals’!”

“No you didn’t!”

And the rumour mill kept turning, digesting this new information with curiosity and relish.

The prisoners were escorted to the coach house, where most workers were told to go away before they closed the doors. When they opened again, the coach was harnessed and ready, its curtains drawn shut and preventing anyone from looking inside.

“Take these wretches as far away from the estate as you can,” Wenzel told the driver atop the coach. “I do not want to see them sniffing around again. And do not bother trusting anything they say. They are a couple of swindlers, nothing more.”

The driver nodded curtly, before setting the carriage moving, the horses slowly pulling it away from the manor. After a pause, Wenzel looked at the other servants and raised an eyebrow. He did not even need to speak anything to make them quickly disperse, leaving him alone in the coach house except for the two guards by his side.

Later these two guards entered another bedroom, followed by four servants paired up and carrying two large and heavy boxes, which they gingerly brought to the centre of the bedroom and laid them down on the ground.

This was a more modest bedroom than the one before. There was still a large bed and a wardrobe, as well as some comfortable plush chairs and a rug covering the wooden floor. But this bedroom was much smaller, and the furniture was less ornate, some even had small chips or showed signs of wear. The chairs had cushions of cotton, rather than velvet. And there were no windows to let any sunlight in, with only two dingy oil lamps providing any light to the room.

After putting the crates down, the two servants left, followed by the guards. Everything was quiet in the room for a few moments. Then, very slowly, one of the boxes was opened from the inside, and Kinari emerged from it, looking around until she confirmed there was no one in the room. Without making any noise, she went to the next box and opened it, allowing Damien to uncrouch and stand up.

“Sounds like it worked,” he said, his voice soft.

Kinari grunted back while looking around the room and inspecting everything.

“This should allow us to remain here more safely,” he said with a content smile. He carefully climbed out of the box, holding onto its sides, and then offered his hand. “Kinari, would you mind leading me to a chair? My knees are really stiff from all that crouching.”

She grabbed his hand and guided him to a chair. While not as comfortable as the previous one, it was still welcomed with a satisfied sigh from him.

“I suppose this room is not as comfortable as the previous one?” He asked. “Which makes sense. We requested somewhere more private, anyways. But it’s still much better than a straw mat, wouldn’t you say?”

“It’s still not safe,” she muttered.

He sighed at her remark. “Is there any place that is truly safe? Out there or in here?”

“Don’t get all high-minded with me! This is still real fucking dangerous!” She hissed back. “And I don’t get it! Aren’t you eager to get back to your kingdom? You know? Where you’re actually safe? Because we’re still not in the clear here. There’s still people who could betray us, just less people now.”

“We’ve lowered the risk to acceptable levels, I believe,” said Demian. “Wenzel said he would pick discreet people to be in on the secret, and I trust him. Now only he, Heidi, and five others are keeping our secret. I think we can stay here a while without raising any suspicions.”

She scoffed. “The only sure way to keep a secret is to be the only person who carries it. If it spills to someone else, then it’s only a matter of time.”

Demian frowned. “You’re awfully untrusting, aren’t you? But you still put your trust in me, when I asked for it. And didn’t that trust pay off?”

She glowered at him. “I trusted you because you’re kind to me and smart and… And because I’m a huge fucking idiot. That’s why.” She paused. “Shouldn’t have done it,” she muttered to herself.

He fidgeted in his chair, growing uncertain. “Now, that’s a rather uncharitable thing to -”

“And you’re going through all this scheming, and putting us at risk just to -to… What?” She gestured around her. “For fancy beds? Comfort? Is that really worth putting your life, and my life, on the line? For the sake of some fancypants merchant girl and her fancy bedroom?”

Demian winced. “Is it really that bad in here? Does this place make you feel… Out of place or upset?”

“I just don’t get why you’re so dead set on staying!” She sighed angrily. “For someone who’s so smart most of the time, you’re being really fucking stupid about this…” There was a pause as she saw his hurt expression, and remembered who she was talking to. “Uh… Your Highness,” she added at the end in complete contrast to what she said before.

Demian stifled a laugh, despite his hurt expression. “Now, you address me as Your Highness? After calling me stupid?” He smiled at her.

“I… Shit, I sometimes forget you’re supposed to be royal blood,” she muttered, looking away. “You’re just so… Kinda small and meek?”

“Ouch,” he said, still with the same weak smile. “You really don’t mince words, do you?”

It was her turn to wince. “Shit.” She covered her eyes with her hand. “Fuck. Sorry about that. If… If I say something stupid like that, uh… You can use that Voice of yours and shut me up. If you want to. Um. Your Highness.”

He shook his head emphatically. “I would never do that. You put your trust in me, didn’t you? If I used my Royal Voice and took control over you like that, what kind of person would I be? Certainly, not someone worthy of your trust?”

She sighed. “Huh. You’re really not how I imagined a royal would be.”

“Sounds like that’s a good thing,” he said. “Maybe I shouldn’t act the way people expect royals to act.”

She smirked. “Yeah, I guess. Um. Sorry if I said something shitty to you, now or before.”

He shook his head again. “Don’t be,” he said. “Someone once told me that honesty is a precious thing in your subjects. Someone you can trust is worth their weight in gold.”

She frowned, digesting his words. “And what makes you trust me, then?” She asked, eventually. “What makes you so sure I’m not gonna stab you in the back when I get the chance?”

He smiled at her. “I think you’re more likely to stab me in the front, if you were so inclined. And give me a long piece of your mind beforehand. You’re not really that subtle.”

She laughed at that. “Yeah, I guess I’m not, she said. “You can always trust me to put my foot in my mouth though.”

“One of the many dangers of speaking one’s mind.” Damien smiled sympathetically.

There was another silence. Kinari sat down on a chair, calmer than before.

“But for the record,” she said, “I still think staying here any longer than we have to is a dumb idea.”

He hung his head, looking uncomfortable. “A few day, at least? Please?”

She huffed. “Fine.”

They heard hurried steps approach them from the corridor, and Kinari only had time to get up from the chair, before the door was opened and Heidi the second barged in, grinning from ear to ear.

“Oh, it worked like a beauty!” She said, not bothering to contain her voice. “They’re all fooled!”

Wenzel walked behind her and quickly shut the doors. “Indeed, mistress Heidi,” he said in quick, clipped tones. “And while few servants come near this room, I still would advise not to visit His Highness too much. If any servants overheard…”

“Oh, nonsense!” She let out a giggle. “They’re all fooled like little children! Oi, I have to say, that was real clever of you, Wenzel! Coming up with a plan like that was real smart! Although, of course, it all happened because of me!” She puffed her chest with pride, before stifling another giggle.

Wenzel glanced at Damien, then cleared his throat.

“Thank you, mistress…” Began Wenzel, only to be cut off again by Heidi as she ignored him and approached Damien.

“Alright! Now you’re here, all sweet and secret, it’s time for us to start planning how to get rid of that boorish fiance! You stay here too, Wenzel! I’m sure if we all put our heads together, we’ll come up with some fiendishly clever scheme!” She clapped her hands and rubbed them together in excitement. “Ooh, this is so much fun!”

Kinari winced, while Damien only smiled politely at her and replied:

“I am sure we will, Miss Heidi. Let’s sit down and calm down a bit, shall we? We’ll need to keep our minds cool and collected to craft our master plan.”

Half an hour later and the conversation had been derailed into fierce speculation about who Heidi might marry after getting rid of her suitor. It was not hard to guess who had been responsible for that.

“Raavi would be the best candidate, I think,” said Heidi with a faraway look in her eyes and a smile on her lips. “Not only is he from a good family and charming, but he’s a great dancer too, you know? Me and Sofia spent the whole evening at a ball once just prodding him into dancing - he’s so shy, you see - but when he did grant each of us a dance he was real good at it! Gentle - none of that dragging you behind like a ragdoll stuff - but still quick and sharp!”

“Sounds impressive,” said Damien. “I’ve never managed to get the hang of dancing, but I love music myself.” He still kept his polite smile, but was the only one of Heidi’s audience to do so. Kinari quickly realised she was out of her element, and retreated to a corner where she stood with her back against the wall, arms crossed and a surly expression. Wenzel, after a few abortive attempts to keep the conversation on the topic of the plan, now kept silent and glanced back and forth from his mistress to his prince with a conflicted expression.

Not that she seemed to mind. Damien made for a captive audience, despite his eyes always remaining closed, and Heidi delighted at his undivided attention.

“And I’ve seen him once do a thing with his hands, where flames came out of them and he moved his hands and the flames trailed after them… He thought nobody was looking, but I saw him! It was so pretty too!”

“Ah. So he’s from the Eryus family?” Asked Damien. “And gifted by Ellora too. Sounds like quite a promising young noble.”

“Yeah…” She sighed, then perked up and leaned towards the blind prince. “Hey! You wouldn’t know any big stuff about the Eryus family, would you? Like, secret stuff?”

The two others, while still silent, pricked up their ears at this new development. Damien laughed and hesitated for a moment, when asked this blunt question.

“Oh. Well…” His expression turned into a thoughtful frown. “I’ve heard that Duke Nikolaus, the head of the Eryus family, was responsible for starting the civil war by killing Queen Muria and her daughter. And they say he did it because -”

“No, not that!” Interrupted Heidi. “You know, gossip stuff! Or things that could help me win Raavi’s trust! None of this boring political stuff!”

Any interest the other two had mustered was quickly drained. Kinari looked away with a bored expression while Wenzel stiffened, but said nothing.

Damien, after another stunned silence, suggested, “I’ve heard that Nikolaus doesn’t care much about enforcing many rules on his court? He lets people do as they please.”

Heidi perked up. “Really? So you think he would let me marry a gifted noble of his house if he was in love with me?”

“Maybe…?” Said Damien with a small frown. “He is said to be very liberal in many ways. Somewhat of a rebel, compared to the other houses. But, to be honest, I’ve never heard of any noble family approving a marriage between a Gifted noble and a non-noble before.”

“Well I could be the first!” She said, undaunted by his attempt to temper her expectations. “A hundred years ago no noble would ever dream of marrying one of their own to a merchant before! Even for a third child it was a scandal to consider marrying anything but another third child! Bleeding hell, I mean, we couldn’t even own land! But now my friend - remember Sofia? Anyways - she was married to a second son six months ago! Of the Tarsus family! And I’ve even heard the story of another merchant family in the West that married into the Lycoris family and managed to produce a Gifted child!” She said the last few words with the reverent tones one would normally use when describing a miracle. “Can you imagine? A merchant family rising not only to mingle with the nobility but becoming nobility!”

Damien raised his brows in surprise. “I hadn’t heard that story before.”

“Oh, of course they didn’t shout it from the rooftops, did they?” Heidi chuckled. “But I read it in the marriage gazette. When that happened my friends and I wouldn’t talk about anything else for weeks! Imagine! A commoner becoming part of a noble family! The only stories we’ve heard where something like this happens are in fairytales! You know? A Gifted noble making a blood pact with a commoner! Stuff like that! ”

Kinari fidgeted at that, but nobody noticed her discomfort.

“A commoner getting elevated to nobility through a blood pact has actually happened a few times, here and there,” said Damien. “But usually the family keeps it a secret. And the last time this happened was about… Fifty years ago, I think?”

“But now it’s not just desperate blood pacts, is it?” Heidi beamed a smile of pure, excited glee. “Nobles are getting married to merchants! It’s a sign of the times, isn’t it? Like papa said, it’s only a matter of time until us merchants become as powerful as any noble family!”

There was another subtle change in the atmosphere, when Heidi said the last sentence, which an Elloran priest would consider blasphemy and a nobleman could see as treasonous. Kinari looked back at them with interest, while Wenzel, wide-eyed and stiff as a board, opened his mouth to protest only to look back and forth between his two masters and, at loss for words, shut it again.

Damien remained calm however, asking in a deceptively mild tone. “Really, as powerful as a noble? How?”

“Well, I’m not really supposed to tell you,” said Heidi, fidgeting and showing uncertainty for the first time in their entire conversation. “I mean… This is not something I should tell just anyone… Especially not people with noble blood…”

“Who would I tell?” Damien laughed softly. “It’s not like I’ll meet many people while in this room, right? And a prince of the enemy kingdom can hardly even count as a noble, I’d say.”

“True,” she nodded, accepting the idea and shedding her uncertainty as quickly as she could. “Yeah! And there is the fact you are my employee right now, right? I mean, if the son of a noble house - a royal house even! - can be working for a merchant’s daughter then doesn’t that prove my point even more?”

“Interesting, I hadn’t considered that,” said Damien with an encouraging smile. “But the fact I am working for you now does prove what you say is true!”

“I know!” She was excited now. “My father and a few of his friends get together all the time. Unfortunately I’m not allowed in - which is a shame, I tell you! Aren’t I a merchant like them? Anyways - I hear them talk now and then and they’re planning on banding together. All the big merchant families and businesses! If they can agree to work together without the nobles noticing, they can control the prices even more and get even more rich and powerful! The nobles don’t hold all the cards anymore, you see? They need us! And soon enough, they’ll need us more and more, until we become a part of the way things are. It’s our destiny!”

“Quite an ambitious plan,” said Damien. “Would you say your father and his friends get together very often?”

“No idea, they don’t invite me,” she said with a sullen shrug. “Anyways, that stuff is boring! Let’s talk more about Raavi instead! Tell me some more stuff about House Eryus! Maybe it’ll give me some clue on how I can get him to fall in love with me!”

It took every ounce of Damien’s self control to keep his polite smile steady and say, “of course! I’ll help you however I can.”

It was night by the time Heidi finally left to have her dinner, and the only reason she did not have it delivered into their room was because Wenzel pointed out it would raise too much suspicion, something Damien also emphasised in his usual polite way. Now she was gone, and Wenzel too had left after bringing them some food inside a small box along with his apologies for the inadequate food he was forced to offer them, and promised that he would try to improve their because of the secrecy of their accommodation.

Kinari was dunking a piece of bread onto a bowl of chicken soup before chewing on it with gusto. “Hmmm,” she groaned, eyes closed as she savoured it. “Ellora’s tits, this food is good! I’d almost say it’s worth listening to the fancypants girl bore us to death if we get to eat this good every night.”

“I would say it was an instructive conversation,” said Damien, calmly munching on some grapes. He took a sip of water from the table and then carefully put it back, after feeling where it was. “I haven’t spoken too much with merchants before this. And certainly never with one as talkative as her.”

“Yeah, about that…” Kinari chewed the rest of her bread and swallowed before continuing. “That could be bad. The girl can’t keep a secret to save her life.”

Demian hesitated. “She just sounds starved for attention. I get the feeling that she doesn’t get many chances to talk with people like her. Outside of balls or parties, I mean. There are servants, I suppose, but she doesn’t sound like the type that chats with her servants a lot.”

Kinari scoffed. “Talks over them, more like it. The girl didn’t say a word to that Wenzel guy that wasn’t an order during that whole ass conversation.”

“So it seems unlikely that she would have many opportunities to spill our secret in the near future,” said Damien, smiling at Kinari.

Kinari made a non-committal grunt while chewing on her food, but she still looked skeptical. “Girl does talk a lot, though, I’ll give her that,” she said after swallowing her food. “And after you two talking the whole afternoon there’s still not even a hint of this plan in sight. No way this plan is ever going to happen.”

“Actually, I’ve already thought of a way to accomplish what she wants.”

“Wait. Really?” Asked Kinari.

“Yeah. There are many ways, with varying degrees of risk. But if we play our cards right, we can get her to break up with this noble and still keep everyone quiet about us.”

Kinari frowned. “And why should we help her do that?”

Damien hesitated at that. “It’s actually part of a larger plan”

“A larger plan?” Asked Kinari.

“Maybe… Once we help our friend Heidi with her little problem, maybe I was thinking we could offer our services to her father? Help him out with his plan?”

Kinari widened her eyes and choked on her soup, spilling some of it down her shirt as she coughed, still staring at the blind prince in stupefied disbelief. “What?!” She managed at last.

“Of course, if I choose that I will make sure to impress on them that we are a joint deal, as it were. I’m not leaving you behind,” said Damien. “Or, if you’d rather get paid and go on your way, I can maybe negotiate…”

“Hold on, let me get this straight!” Interrupted Kinari. “You? A royal prince of Viridya? You want to volunteer to help a bunch of fucking merchants in what sounds like some kind of conspiracy? You, from one of the most powerful noble families ever, plan to help a bunch of rich commoners get one over your fellow nobles? And you expect them to believe you when you say you want to help?”

Damien fidgeted, looking down without saying anything for a moment. His expression was grim. “Maybe it was a dumb idea,” he mumbled while rubbing his hands together nervously.

“I don’t get it! I really don’t get it!” Kinari stared openly at him in disbelief. “Don’t you care at all about going back to your kingdom?”

“I don’t want to go back,” he said quietly, his voice so low even Kinari could barely hear it.

Another moment of stupefied silence. “Why?” Asked Kinari, at last.

They were interrupted by a knock in the door. After a moment of hesitation, Kinari put her bowl of soup down and got up to answer the door.

It was Wenzel, carrying a large rolled up fur rug in his arms. Kinari welcomed him in.

“Your Highness, I apologise once more for the rudeness of my mistress,” he said, taking another deep bow after entering the room. “As you can see, she has no concept of respect and constantly forgets her place. I’m afraid her father did not bother teaching her any manners, and while I’ve tried my best to teach her, my position as a servant of her and her family makes this somewhat… Difficult.”

“It’s fine, Wenzel. Don’t worry about it,” said Damien, his voice only faintly cracking from his previous emotions, which were now barely visible in his polite smile. “I don’t blame you for anything your mistress says or does, and the fact you care so much for her marks you as a fine majordomo. ”

Wenzel shook his head, any flattery sliding off him like water on an oilskin. “It aches me that so many people today do not recognize the true leader of our fractured land, and it is my wish that when a new Vyrion is crowned king, he will cleanse this land of all those who doubted or defied him and bring back the good old times under our rightful leaders.”

There was a moment of silence, before Damien nodded politely at his words. “I am moved by your devotion to our family, Wenzel. It is a rare thing in times like these.”

Wenzel finally straightened from his bow and cleared his throat. “Thank you, Your Highness. And would you like me to remove your servant from your room while you sleep? Or would you prefer to have her sleep on the floor beside you?”

Another moment of silence, in which Damien frowned and turned towards Kinari.

“I’ll stay,” she muttered.

“Yes, I would prefer she stayed in my room,” confirmed Damien.

“Understood,” said the majordomo. “In this case, I brought a rug to be placed beside your bed, if you would allow it, Your Highness. I understand that your servant may be used to sleeping on the floor, but…” Wenzel hesitated. “I wouldn’t like to make even your servant uncomfortable, if I could help it. As long as you approve, Your Highness.”

“Thank you, Wenzel,” said Damien. “It’s a very thoughtful gesture, and one I’m sure my servant will appreciate.”

There was a moment of silence, before Kinari remembered herself.

“Thanks,” she said with a curt nod. Wenzel nodded back at her before passing the rug.

“We are all servants of the Royal Blood here,” he said. “This sacred duty elevates all who perform it, even a beast like you.”

She silenced a growl in her throat and did another curt nod, not trusting herself to speak.

“If that will be all, Wenzel?” Said Damien. “Only, I am getting quite tired, see…?” And he yawned for emphasis.

“WIll you require any assistance before bed?” Asked Wenzel.

“No, thank you. Kinari will help me, if needed,” replied Damien with a smile. Kinari did not smile back, staring at Wenzel instead.

“Understood. Have a good night, Your Highness.”

And so he left, plunging the room back into awkward silence.

“Uhh, I’m sorry about what he said.” Damien rubbed his hands awkwardly. “Of course, if you want to sleep on the bed that’s alright with me-”

She dropped the fur rug on the floor, with a thump, and walked up to him.

“No. Fuck that. Nevermind the goddamn bed. You tell me what’s going on and why you’re so fucking keen on staying here.”

Damien hesitated. “Ah, about that…” He stopped, then lowered his head. “Could I please ask you to trust me on this…?” He pleaded, his voice small.

“Trust you?” she hissed, also keeping her voice low. “I’ve done nothing but trust you! I’ve trusted you with my life, when we fought back in that goblin sewer! And when you asked me to surrender to miss fancypants and her goons, I did that! Because you asked me to trust you! And now I’m keeping up with this charade and I’m about to sleep on the fucking floor! Because of you! I’ve trusted you plenty! So now it’s your turn to trust me! Tell me why the fuck you want to avoid going back home so hard! Because I can’t fucking understand that right now!”

He said nothing for a moment, head hung low as his hands were clenched into fists. The hands trembled slightly.

“Alright,” he said. “Very well. I’ll tell you why.”