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Letting a long breath out of my nose, I look at the kid. He’s surely over 6-foot, and not so wiry that he wouldn’t be able to overpower me if he had been taught. He’d likely still die at my blade but is it not better to die fighting than to not try at all? It disappoints me that the king did not teach his son to defend himself or even post sufficient guards.

“Where does your father keep his doxies? Have you seen the Gifted Princess Ofnemoris recently?”

Eryn’s face changes, to almost…excited? Happy? I cannot tell in the darkness, but his voice is quick and punchy. “You’re here to rescue her?”

“So, you know that she didn’t go home?”

“I saw her once after my father had said she’d left two weeks prior.”

I sigh, relaxing my blades slightly. “This is the first good news we’ve received since…well, since she went missing.”

“The doxies are in an entire wing in the East. Their windows are guarded, though.”

“Thank you. Knowing they’re in the east wing is already a massive help. We can figure it out from there. Why are you helping me?”

“Besides those knives aimed at me?” he laughs nervously. “She was always nice to me and helping her get away from my father is the least I can do.”

This boy is either an exceptional actor or… “Do you want to be kidnapped anyway? I have it on high authority the Silent Assassin won’t kill you.”

“Why?” the prince drags the word out slowly, inquisitively.

I shrug, slowly pulling my knives away from their threatening position. “To get you away too.”

“He would find me, somehow. How do you know the Silent Assassin wouldn’t kill me?” he asks, studying me.

“Retired,” I say as I put my knives away, getting off him gently so he can sit up.

His face lights up. “You’re her!” he hisses.

I rub my face. The last few nights of shitty sleep are catching up to me. “Yes. But as I said, I’m retired.” Why did I just admit who I am to this kid? I adjust my hood to ensure my features are still hidden.

“I thought you’d be scarier. I’m bigger than you!”

I snort derisively. “And yet you didn’t try to overpower me, my darling prince.”

“Rude,” he says, feigning indignation.

I watch him for a moment, his innocence and enthusiasm reminding me of Bitty. He stares back at me pleasantly, not acting in any way I would have expected a first-born Prince Oferdu to behave.

It also isn’t the first time that someone has realized I am the Silent Assassin and reacted…differently. I’m so conditioned to the Osraed response of spitting on me or being obviously disgusted by me as a person. This…excitement? I’m not sure which makes me more uncomfortable.

Standing to stretch my back, I ask him, “So how do I trust that you won’t go running to your father the moment I leave?”

He moves to sit on the edge of his bed. “You’ll have to trust my word, as I’ll trust yours, that you’re here to do exactly what you’ve said and nothing more.”

“There’s the Royal backbone I was looking for,” I tease.

Walking to the window, I peer out to make sure it's clear.

“What’s your next move?” Eryn asks.

“I wouldn’t be the Silent Assassin if I told everyone what my plans were, kid,” I chuckle.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a projectile heading toward me. Throwing myself back into a flip and unsheathing both knives, I land in a crouch, poised to throw.

As a pillow hits the sofa seat, plopping softly onto the ground.

Eryn’s face is stricken; he holds his hands up in panicked surrender. “Sorry! Sorry. I was…I didn’t think!”