I smiled at him. “It is a great honor to be starting with both Kallorwegian princes. I value the opportunity to get to know both you and your kingdom better.”
I surreptitiously watched Darius out of the corner of my eye, wondering if my reference to all of us starting together would garner another reaction from him. But he had himself under better control now, or else I had misunderstood his reaction earlier. The Ardannian court might guess at the reasons why the crown prince of Kallorway was two years late starting at the Academy, but it looked like I wasn’t going to have those theories confirmed or denied by the prince himself.
I suppressed a sigh.
“I confess to great curiosity about Ardann,” Jareth said, starting enthusiastically on his food. “I hope you will share about some of the differences you see here.”
“Most gladly.” I started to feel a little more hopeful.
The reports that Jareth was more open than his brother appeared to be true. I had been sent to understand not only the future king but all those of his generation who would shape the Kallorwegian court of the future. Perhaps my opening would be through the younger prince.
The rest of us returned to our sweets, giving Jareth a chance to eat his meal. Raelynn began a conversation with the duke about the various classes that would be starting the next morning, and I knew I should take the opportunity to learn what I could. But I struggled to focus on their words, my attention instead taken by the two princes now sitting directly opposite me.
Darius leaned toward his brother, murmuring something in a voice too quiet for me to catch. Jareth looked at him, replying with what must have been a quip, a ready laugh in his eyes.
The crown prince shook his head, but a slow smile spread across his face, the first I had seen on him. He was intimidating when serious—even to me who had grown up among royalty—but he was striking when he smiled.
“You’re hopeless, Jareth,” he said softly, under the other conversations in the room. “I don’t know why I put up with you.”
“Because I’m a better-looking version of you?” Jareth suggested. “I remind you of what you might one day hope to become.”
I choked down a snort, and both princes looked in my direction. I quickly pretended intense interest in my plate. When I glanced back up at them, Jareth had returned to his meal, although a smile lingered on his face. Darius still watched me, however, his face shuttered, and his eyes once more dark.
The effect was even more intimidating after seeing him transformed with his brother, but I met his eyes, not backing down this time. I quirked an eyebrow upward, an unspoken challenge. Impossibly, his expression grew even more closed, and he returned his attention to his plate.
I sighed and glanced down the table at Layna who was deep in conversation with Captain Vincent, her brow furrowed but her pose open and engaged. At least one of us was making some progress.
When the meal at last concluded, a servant appeared to show me to my suite. Layna followed along, a single pace behind me, her presence reassuringly solid at my back.
“What did you think of Captain Vincent?” I asked, not turning to look at her. Layna had been my assigned shadow for long enough that we were used to these sorts of conversations.
“Not what I expected,” she said. “But I feel better about having to leave you now that I’ve met him. I thought he was a little young for such a senior post, but apparently he only took up the position at the beginning of the summer. He was appointed directly by the king, and I suspect he was sent here in anticipation of the princes’ arrival. The Academy is remote, and it would be easy to grow complacent at a post like this. And complacent guards are sloppy guards. But Captain Vincent is fresh from the capital and has spent the summer improving the state of the Academy Guard.” Her voice turned sour. “I don’t think I would have liked the old captain he replaced.”
“It makes sense King Cassius would take the safety of his sons seriously. Especially since they’re both here at the same time. Kallorway is less stable than Ardann, even after so many years.” I paused. “I just hope he feels the same dedication toward protecting me.”
Layna hesitated, and I felt guilty, knowing how much it pained her to leave me behind without her protection. When she did eventually speak, she sounded thoughtful.
“I sincerely hope his resolve on that matter will never be tested. But he sounded sincere when he spoke of his duty to his charges—all his charges. I believe he would consider it a dishonorable failure to allow harm to come to any member of the Academy—trainee or instructor.”
The servant in front of us had stopped at a plain wooden door, so I didn’t attempt to reply. The older woman dropped a simple curtsy.
“This is to be your suite, Your Highness,” she said. “All the royals have suites on this corridor, along with the senior staff. The other students are higher up on the first year level.”
I nodded and thanked her, although I was distracted by her words. When she said all the royals, did she just mean the two princes and me? What other royals were there?
She bobbed another curtsy and disappeared down the corridor. I watched her go, blinking in confusion. That was it? I needed more information on the Academy than that. I didn’t even know how to get to the dining hall in the morning.
But it was too late to go chasing after her demanding a more thorough introduction, and I was exhausted after our journey. Pushing open the door to my suite, I took a single step into my new room before halting, my hand still on the door, my body blocking the opening.
I hadn’t expected the Academy to provide as luxurious accommodations as a palace, but I had been expecting a suite assigned to royalty to contain basic, pleasant furnishings and some kind of simple decoration. What greeted me was utter mess and chaos.
Overturned furniture filled the floor space. Chair legs poked up in every direction, and my scattered belongings decorated the carpet. Something white and soft—at a glance it looked like feathers—had been thrown over everything, and words glimmered on the far wall in a sickening red.
I didn’t take the time to absorb their meaning, spinning around and shutting the door sharply behind me. I tried to slow my racing heart, not letting any of my emotions show on my face.
“You know, on second thought, maybe it would be best for us to say our farewells here and now,” I said to Layna. “The Academy officially begins in the morning for me, and you will no doubt be off early.”
Layna narrowed her eyes, looking from me to the closed door. After a loaded pause, however, she nodded and bowed.
“If that is your desire, Your Highness. It has been an honor to serve you, and I would gladly resume the role on your return to Ardann.”
I tried to pull my whirling thoughts into order, pushing away images of the room behind me so I could give her the farewell she deserved.
“You have shown yourself to be both loyal and skilled, Layna. I could not have asked for a better guard. I thank you, most sincerely, for your service.”
She bowed again, and when she straightened, she had something in her hand. She held it out to me, and I saw it was a stack of parchments.
“I hope it will not be impudent of me to offer you a parting gift, Princess. I thought these might come in useful…given the circumstances.”
I frowned, taking her offered gift slowly. My family had already ensured I was supplied with a collection of compositions designed for my protection and safety, created by some of the strongest mages in Ardann. What did my personal guard feel I still lacked?