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Aleksy knew her well, and that meant she didn’t want to discuss anything in front of the nurse. He read her thoughts and said, “I can take it from here,” before crossing to the nurse and taking the bandage from her.

“Your Highness…”

“I assure you, the patient is in good hands with me.” The prince gave her a soft smile that would convince someone of anything.

The nurse gave a hesitant nod before making a swift exit.

Aleksy stepped closer to Dagmara, and her face flushed. She had grown up with Aleksy, moving to the castle when her mother was hired as King Bogdan’s assassin. She acknowledged that he had grown more attractive as he aged. However, ever since he acquired his gift, he had been pulled more into the inner court, and they hadn’t crossed paths as often. When they did get a moment to see each other, there was far more tension.

Aleksy reached for the bowl of water on the side table, and a blue magic sparkled at his fingertips. The misty water swirled around his hand as he raised his fingers to her.

“I don’t want you to heal it,” Dagmara said. Healing open wounds and minor injuries was simple magic for Guardians of Life, but she needed the scar as a reminder. She wanted to feel the pain for much longer—it was the price she would pay for taking the Ilusaurian’s life when she didn’t have to.

Aleksy’s eyes stopped glowing ice-blue, and the dusting of water evaporated. He inclined his head, about to argue, but he must have thought better of it. “Then let me help you without magic.” His fingertips grazed the back of her palm, and he guided her hand down so he could see the laceration across her shoulder.

Aleksy’s voice was sensitive. “Tell me what happened.”

Dagmara kept her hand at the top of the chemise, making sure it didn’t drop too low. She was already acutely aware of how revealing she was.

“You can’t tell your father,” she said.

“I won’t.”

“There was a complication.”

Aleksy let out a soft laugh. “I gathered that much.” He began to wrap the bandage around her shoulder, safely covering the gash. Yet every time she spoke, he made sure to maintain eye contact.

“Someone saw me. I don’t know how...” Dagmara muttered. “Then I just thought about how my mother was caught, and I reacted.”

“You won’t die like your mother did,” Aleksy said.

“I’m not afraid of death. I’m afraid of being tortured and leaving my brother to fend for himself.”

“Teos is stronger than you think,” Aleksy said. “In fact, he has no mercy when it comes to cards.”

Dagmara’s laugh was soft as she thought about her brother Teos.

The prince smiled.

“Maybe…it’s because of your condition?”

“What?” Dagmara jerked back.

“I-I’m just wondering…if it’s getting worse,” Aleksy said.

“Other people have it worse than me.”

“Most people aren’t assassins. Maybe we need to find you a new…occupation.”

“You don’t think I can do this?”

“I worry about you,” he admitted. “What if you got into a chase? You can’t outrun them.”

“I have other solutions.”

“Potions and smoke bombs won’t work forever.”

“They aren’t just any potions.”