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“Wait,” I interrupted. “Does the Duke visit her chambers?”

“He hasn’t, but it is not an impossibility.” A muscle ticked in Vikter’s jaw, and I didn’t like the looks of it. He quickly moved on. “She will sometimes sit in the atrium, usually in the early afternoons when it’s empty. She also likes to take walks on the castle grounds in the mornings, and especially after supper. When she is moving about the grounds, she will not interact with others…”

My brows inched closer and closer together as he spoke and had to be nearly connected by the time he reached the very short list of things the Maiden did. That couldn’t be it, but something he said made me think of Lord Mazeen.

“What about the Lords and Ladies?” I asked. “Do they interact with her?”

“Some do,” he confirmed. “They do not see her unveiled.”

“But is she to be alone with them?” I pressed.

“Not usually. They could, of course, request to speak with her in private, but that is rare.” He studied me. “Why do you ask?”

“Just want to make sure I know exactly what is and isn’t allowed.” I folded my arms. “And I’ve heard that some of the Lords and Ladies are known to disrespect personal boundaries.”

Vikter’s left eye squinted. “A few are known for that.”

“Any that I should be aware of when it comes to the Maiden?”

A moment passed. “I do not let the Maiden stray too far in Lord Mazeen’s presence.”

My jaw tightened. For the Lord to have carried the Maiden’s scent, someone had allowed it, but I didn’t believe it was Vikter. “Is he a…problem?”

“He can be.” He drew a hand over his armored chest. “But only to the point where he makes a nuisance of himself.”

From what Britta had shared, I wouldn’t consider Lord Mazeen’s behavior a nuisance. But there was only so much Vikter could say about the Ascended—or would, considering he didn’t exactly trust me.

But I knew enough to know to keep an eye on Lord Mazeen. I changed the subject. “So, that’s all she does?”

“Other than attending the City Councils, that’s about it,” Vikter confirmed. “She doesn’t go out in public.”

Oh, yes she did, but that was beside the point. I glanced at the closed doors behind me as Vikter continued on with a much longer list of things she couldn’t do. She was not to speak to others, eat among company, leave the castle grounds—the list went on and on until I wondered if she was allowed to visit the bathing chambers without permission for fuck’s sake. “What does she do with the rest of her time?”

He frowned. “Why do you ask?”

“Why?” I faced him. Was he serious? “She spends the majority of her time in her chambers? Alone?”

That muscle was ticking double-time now. “Yes, and other than the situations I listed above, it will be rare for you to find yourself in her chambers.” His chin dipped. “Very rare. And when you do, the doors should be left open. She is aware of this.”

I didn’t respond to his clear warning, and silence descended between us. I was stuck on the fact that the Maiden truly spent the entirety of her time alone or being watched. I’d known the latter, but I’d assumed her days were spent doing…well, whatever it was the so-called Maiden did.

Apparently, this…this was it.

Damn. I dragged a hand over my head. Her existence had to be a lonely one. Damn.

“You used her name.”

My attention cut to the Royal Guard. “What?”

“When you spoke your vow,” Vikter said, “you used her given name. Why?”

A slew of lies rose to the tip of my tongue. I could just claim that I didn’t know why, but after what I’d learned? “I just wanted her to know that someone saw her.”

Vikter inclined his head, but there was no other acknowledgment. No reprimand, either. I didn’t think he had an issue with it, and my reluctant respect for him grew.

And that was a damn shame.

Because if we were summoned to the capital, he would be one of the guards escorting her. Which meant it was likely that Vikter Wardwell would have to die for me to succeed in what I’d come to do.

MADE A NEW FRIEND

The acrid scent of cold-cut steel filled the air as I lifted a gloved hand and removed the loosened brick on the blacksmith’s shop. A slip of parchment passed through an intricate chain of supporters and spies had been tucked behind the loose block. It was unsigned and included only five words.

I’ve made a new friend.

My lips curled as I tucked the note into the interior pocket of my cloak. I’d destroy it later, leaving no trace of its existence. I made my way to the mouth of the alley, where puddles from the quick, drenching downpour formed narrow streams in the pitted cobblestones.