Chapter 17

Prince Kohl looks at me like he's angry. I'm sure he thinks I'm going to piss now. "Did you not see the burns on her face? Of course there was boiling water in that godsdamned pitcher, what else could it have been?"

I keep quiet. Prince Kohl must have seen the burns as well, not because of his elevated voice. Additionally, I am certain that the pitcher did not contain any hot water.

But before I can consider it further, Prince Kohl lets out a sigh. Then he motions for me to follow as he passes by. "Come with me."

"Where?"

"To my quarters. You're part of my council now, so it's time I introduce you to the others."

I flinch. "I thought I was just going to be your maid?"

"No," he answers. He's quiet for a short while. He continues, "You will be my spy from now on," but I can't see his face

I stare at Kohl in shock. I'm positive that I misheard. "Pardon?" He looks at me slantwise. "You're going to be my spy, I declared. Unless, naturally, you'd prefer to be a maid.

I give a headshake. "No, no, of course I would but it's just... why me?" Kohl shrugs at a steady rate. "You'd make an excellent spies. You're little, crafty, and, above all, unremarkable. You are totally beneath the radar and nobody would suspect you."

"However, given what just transpired, I can't possibly be overlooked. There will undoubtedly be suspicions now about me."

Kohl sighs and a grim expression appears on his face. "Yes, that is a little setback, but my dad won't hang around for too long. He never considers women to be dangers, much less someone who is disabled like you."

That's when something in his words stands out to me, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. "Your... father?"

"Listen, Agnarys—" "Naomi."

"Agnarys," Kohl says, staring at me obliquely. "We are facing a serious situation. This is something we haven't seen in decades. There are adversaries inside our walls who could very well be among us."

I scowl, a little uneasy. "I thought... I though the attack was coordinated by rogues?"

False. It was an inside job, that strike. We found the offenders among our own guard, and we have no idea how many more are traitors in waiting. We must quickly ascertain who is responsible."

"And who is the key suspect?"

Kohl stays silent for a while while we move through the hallways. I'm too caught up in the chat to realize we've entered a different area of the palace or how many stairs we've climbed.

"My father."

My mouth falls open. I hiss and let my voice die. "The king? Why not?" 

Kohl says, "I'll explain why later." "I merely need to introduce you to my council for the time being. You should keep your mouth shut about my suspicions because they are unaware of them.

"I thought only the king can have a council?" I respond, forcing myself to look over his harshness.

"It's not official." My father is unaware of it. That's how it should remain." "And why are you trusting me with all this information?"

He stops and looks across at me. We are in a sort of foyer at that point, an empty room with two double oak doors on one side and two black ones on the other, I realize. He gestures toward the tan doors.

"Agnarys, since no one else wants you. You have no one else to serve; you are about to be banished as far as the king is concerned, your family has all but forsaken you, and you no longer hold a maid post. I know that you would be nothing without this, and I do too. I'm confident you'll protect my secrets because of this."

We both know he is correct, even though his comments literally pain my chest. I am not wanted by anyone. No one wants to be the invalid who has crossed too many boundaries. Even still, I think he could have expressed it a little more clearly.

Kohl gestures casually toward the oak double doors, as if he hadn't just crushed my ego. "The council room is this. "My room is that one," he says, gesturing to the ornate, black-painted double doors across the room. strictly off-limits, do you get it?"

I give a nod. He then flings open the doors by placing both hands on the doorknobs.

The big wood table in the middle of the room is the first item that catches my eye. It's square in shape, with black, throne-like chairs at the head and straight-backed chairs arranged all around it. A map of Raelia is spread out across the surface of the table, and from this distance I can't make out individual features, but I can tell the broad contours of our continent. The majority of the wall space in the room is taken up by dark oak shelves filled with worn and ancient books, leaving only gaps for the brackets holding the unlit torches. With a sense of vertigo, I realize how far up we are—the big, tinted window at the rear of the room is the only source of open space. And we must be in one of the spires of the palace, based on the black roofs of the buildings below. 

That's when I start noticing the folks. Or rather, I am noticed by them. I walk in and immediately get several looks, and I quickly figure out that there are around ten individuals seated around the table. I realize with a twinge of anxiety that all guys. Among them is not a single lady. While some of them are clothed in guard uniforms, others are wearing something that I'm not entirely sure what to call.

But as soon as I see a person I recognize, my anxiety fades. My eyes meet his, and for an instant I am speechless, and the man stands up.

"Alex?" I inquire.

"Naomi?" He turns to face Kohl. "What is the lady doing here, your highness?"

I scowl. Even though I am aware that he does not try to be disparaging, it still stings a little.

"She works as my housekeeper. "I felt it would be best if she became acquainted with my inner circle," Kohl sneers, glancing around the room. "Hello, everyone. I'm Lady Agnarys. Please extend a warm greeting to her."

I scowl. Why does he insist on not addressing me by my first name?

Everyone says hello in a mumble. Kohl puts his hands behind his back and walks over to the table. He walks up to a black-clad, greying man and gives him a shoulder pat. "Krovut, General.

Any updates regarding the guard?

"Yes, Master. We were able to exclude certain individuals based on their suspicious behavior after some observation. Here is a list of the guards that I have compiled."

The man extends a piece of white paper scribbled in black. Kohl nods, taking it.

"Good," he remarks after looking over the list of names. He then gives General Korvut a quick back pat before turning to face another council member. "And Sir David, did you manage to gather any information on potential motives?"

"No, sire, regrettably not. Nonetheless, we can rule out the chance that a region other than Raelia is involved in this. This whole thing was an inside job."

He gives him a shoulder clap and says, "Good enough," before turning to leave. I'm momentarily taken aback by his love for these folks. I can tell he values these folks greatly as he walks around the table asking for updates, and he's not hesitant to show it with back pats and unusually upbeat remarks. He is friends with these people. I mistrust the veracity of the purported curse once more. A evil prince, in my opinion, could not pull off such a con, especially when it appears so real.

I believe he is just chilly toward Alex since he avoids eye contact with him when delivering his report.

Alex glances at me a few of times while Kohl goes around the room. He asks, "Are you okay?" at one point, to which I respond with a look that indicates, "I'll explain later." He glances away, nodding.