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Or was there nothing to buy?

Father had asked if I was in love with Neve.

Burning Fates, was I?

I’d never been in love before, and I felt things for Neve that I’d never experienced. That I wished to protect her, almost to an outrageous degree.

Allowing her to go shopping without me, guarded by six elite soldiers nonetheless, had taken a tremendous amount of convincing.

I swallowed.

I . . . I think I do love her. Stars, when did that happen?

“Vale, you all right, brother?” Vidar asked. “You look pale.”

“I-I’m fine.”

Physically, anyway.

Vidar didn’t look so sure, nor did Sian. Qildor was too engrossed in his third meat stick to notice my internal crisis.

He used the very stick to point at me. “You should gether a sword of her own. Custom-made like that one you gave Caelo on his name day. I bet Master Smith Urgi would love to make a sword for a princess.”

“Good idea,” I agreed because it was. Neve had been using practice swords and occasional live steel to get used to the weight, but the swords we kept on hand were too big for her. I was willing to bet that she’d love a custom-made blade. “I’ll stop by the forge as soon as?—”

Someone knocked.

“Come in!” Qildor called out, his face brightening at the prospect of more visitors.

Filip Balik strode in and met my eye. “I have your message from Lärling Duran, my prince.”

I stood. After we’d finished morning training, I’d sent Filip to the House of Wisdom to receive an update from my friend. It had taken the squire longer than I’d anticipated to return, which I hoped meant that Duran had been retrieving the Liar’s Salvation for him.

“Duran?” Vidar leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees. “What’s he up to? I haven’t seen him in so long.”

“Studying. Like usual,” I replied. “Excuse me. I have to read this. Qildor, I hope you continue to recover. I’ll stop by again soon. I shouldn’t have waited so long.”

“Don’t worry about it, old friend. Good to see you.” He held up his meat stick. “Bring more next time, will you?”

“I’ll have more sent tonight,andbring some with me when I visit,” I promised.

Always observant, Sian’s eyes narrowed and fixed onthe letter, but no one said anything as I left the room, then the healers’ sanctuary. I made my way down the corridor for a couple of minutes before stopping in an alcove and tearing open the letter.

Our stock was empty. I am already making more of what you require, but I was wrong in my guess that I’d need a week to brew. It will, however, take six days. As that’s my day off, I can bring it when I visit my father.

I appreciated that he’d kept the letter vague and hadn’t named either me or him. I’d burn the missive too, to be safe. If anyone discovered their new princess was drinking Liar’s Salvation, many, especially in the palace, would be angry.

I folded the letter and stuck it back in the envelope. The Liar’s Salvation would be done in six days, but the full moon was five days away. Which meant Neve only had five until the potion in her veins stopped working. We couldn’t rush the potion brewing process, so there would be a single day in which she couldn’t lie.

A single day in which her magic should appear.

Would it be powerful? Weak? Would it unravel or burst from her? And would the appearance cause problems?

I swallowed down the anxiety rising inside me. There was no use in chasing worries that may never come to pass. No matter how we spun this, Neve would be like any other fae.

Chapter 21

VALE