Page 18

Chapter 18

Olivia

T heir arrival back at the palace caused a small sensation, thanks to Mildred’s presence. Stares and whispers followed them through the grounds, and Olivia tensed, worried she was doing damage to Julius’s royal image. But he didn’t falter, and she watched the way his confidence affected those around them. It was a clearly abnormal situation, but Julius made it ordinary and acceptable with his manner alone. Would she ever be able to do the same thing?

He flagged down first a gardener, then a groom, then a guard, and finally the castle steward. On each occasion, he introduced them to Mildred and instructed them to spread the word about her protected status. And every one of them accepted the palace’s newest resident without batting an eye.

Mildred kept up with them easily, trotting along trustingly at Olivia’s side. It had been a relief to see her come over the hill, her soft ears twitching. Olivia was just grateful she had managed to stay hidden for so long.

“She must eat an enormous volume of seeds and grains,” Julius murmured, eyeing Mildred dubiously. “Or does she prefer something else?”

Olivia gave him an amused sideways look. “I know there aren’t many mice in the capital, but didn’t you learn about them in lessons on the Legacy? They are a part of Sovar’s unique landscape, after all.”

Julius said nothing, and she shook her head. He must have been taught by tutors rather than attending school like most Sovarans, and she could only assume mice weren’t considered as necessary to the education of a prince as to a farmer’s daughter.

“They might be enormous,” she explained, “but their size is sustained by the Legacy’s power. They don’t eat much more than a regular mouse. Naturally speaking, the anatomy of a mouse isn’t designed to sustain the pressures of such a large size. She’s definitely smarter than normal mice, too. I’ve heard even our normal, cat-sized mice are smarter than regular mice in other kingdoms. A little like the parrots in Glandore, I suppose. Although Mildred doesn’t talk. Sadly.”

She gave Mildred an affectionate look and a pat, her face softening as it always did when she interacted with the sweet creature. Julius quickly glanced away, clearing his throat.

She eyed him, wondering if he was more upset than he was letting on about her adoption of Mildred. But it didn’t matter since she wasn’t willing to back down on that point. She wasn’t going to leave the mouse to fend for herself.

“Do you want to house her in a stall in the stables?” he asked, no longer showing any hint of annoyance.

Olivia considered her options. “I would prefer to have her sleep in my sitting room if it wouldn’t upset the servants too much.”

Julius chuckled. “I’m sure we can unearth at least a few palace servants who aren’t afraid of mice.”

Olivia snorted. “You have no idea how tough some servants are. But that doesn’t mean they appreciate extra cleaning.”

To her surprise, he only chuckled again at her reference to her previous status. “I defer to your greater experience, my lady. Feel free to request as many servants as you feel the job needs.”

Olivia huffed. “Please, just call me Olivia. You, at least, should be able to do so safely. I feel like a ridiculous fraud every time someone calls me lady .”

Julius gave her a piercing look that made her heart skip a beat. “You have no reason to feel like a fraud. You’ve been working hard since the moment you arrived to earn that title.” His mouth twisted. “From what I understand, you’re back in lessons this afternoon.”

Olivia sighed. By the time she finished with all the lessons, she would know the etiquette of court better than someone born to the position.

Julius didn’t leave her until servants had arrived to begin making arrangements for Mildred. At that point, she had to leave herself or risk running late for her lessons, so they parted at her door in unexpected amity. She returned in the evening to find Mildred settled on a giant nest of straw tucked into one corner of her sitting room.

But her warmer feelings toward him evaporated when she tracked him down the next morning. She managed to make it all the way to his personal courtyard with only one stop for directions, and she arrived just in time to catch him and Cade finishing their final bout. None of the other three were in sight, so she dove straight into the topic of Marigold after the briefest exchange of morning greetings.

Julius clearly didn’t share her enthusiasm.

“I’m not convinced this is necessary,” he said with a deep frown. “You have quite enough to do here without wasting time trying to work out where Marigold is hiding herself.”

He cast a long-suffering look at Cade, but when he saw Cade’s expression of serious concern, he huffed and looked away.

It would be easier if they could tell Julius the truth about Marigold and Cade. It would not only bolster their claims but provide Julius an incentive to help find her. Surely he would want to help his best friend if he knew. But it had to be Cade’s decision to tell Julius, not Olivia’s. She wasn’t going to betray the confidence she had forced out of him.

“We can’t just abandon her, Julius,” Olivia said instead. “How can I enjoy my new life in the palace when my friend might be in serious danger?”

Julius wiped the back of his neck with a cloth and began replacing the various items of clothing he had discarded for the bout. “I know you feel responsible for everyone around you,” he said as he buttoned his vest. “But extending that to the friend who stabbed you in the back and then ran away is going unnecessarily far. We don’t actually know she’s in danger, and for myself, I have no desire to see Marigold again any time soon.”

Olivia cast a despairing glance at Cade who grimaced and shrugged.

“But what if she didn’t run away?” Olivia asked, trying again.

“Oh, what if she only stabbed you in the back, you mean?” Julius shrugged into his jacket.

“If I’m not upset about that, I don’t see why you should be!” Olivia shot back.

Julius tugged his clothing into place as he looked up and met her eyes. “Maybe because she stabbed me in the back too? I’ve known Marigold far longer than you, remember?”

“I thought you didn’t even want to marry Marigold,” Cade said quietly.

Julius shot him a look, and Olivia was instantly consumed by curiosity. They had clearly discussed the situation of Julius’s betrothal, and she wanted to know what else Julius had said.

But neither of them gave anything else away, an uncomfortable silence falling between them all. Marigold’s betrayal of Julius might not have been personal, but she had done more damage to the royal family than she had done to Olivia, so Julius’s point was still valid.

“Perhaps we can convince Kasper to assist in the search instead?” Cade murmured.

Julius groaned. “Let’s not make this any messier than it already is. I said yesterday that I would help you, Olivia, so if you’re fully committed to this then of course I will. I just wish you would reconsider. You’re already tackling one monumental task here at the palace.”

Was he worried about her or worried that the search would distract her and her role at the palace would suffer as a result?

Determination filled her. If Julius didn’t want to be involved, she would find a way to search for Marigold without him. Despite their early interactions, Olivia knew Julius took his role as the gallant prince very seriously. The last thing she wanted was to use that to manipulate him into doing something he didn’t want to do. Knowing Marigold had betrayed the royal family only made it worse. Olivia couldn’t use their resources when the whole search was based on nothing more than her hunch.

Olivia might not be able to give the resources of a princess to the search, but she could still give her own time. She just hoped that would be enough to find some sign of Marigold.

Julius seemed relieved that Olivia didn’t push further, although Cade looked concerned. She would have to find a private opportunity to let him know that she hadn’t given up on Marigold. It would be even better if she had some progress to report to him when she did.

But despite her best intentions, it was two days before her packed schedule presented her with an empty afternoon to make a start on her plan. Remembering her promise to Julius, and not wanting to be reckless, she approached the stables first and was directed to the stable master.

The older man was delighted at her request for a horse, producing a lively mare who won Olivia over instantly with her perfect lines and cheeky attitude. The stable master was equally as proficient at providing a groom to accompany her, so Olivia rode into the city with the satisfaction of knowing she had followed royal protocol for once. Julius would have nothing to upbraid her for this time.

For a while she had to give her full attention to navigating the flow of traffic—a very different experience on horseback than on foot. But as she became more comfortable with the city from the back of a horse, she put more attention into the direction of her path. She hadn’t been sure of her destination when she'd left the palace, but the salt in the air pulled her toward the sea, and she followed her instincts. When the vast expanse of shimmering blue came into view, she smiled, pleased with her choice.

She had reached the shore to the south of the docks, where a long stretch of grass met the sand and provided the perfect spot for picnics. As usual on a bright, sunny day, the grass was littered with small pockets of people enjoying a few leisure hours.

Olivia dismounted, handing her reins to the groom, and walked among the picnicking groups. The ordinariness of the scene refreshed her, but she hadn’t come to the shore to enjoy an afternoon off. She was searching for information, and she needed to consider where she had the best chance of obtaining it.

Her eyes drifted over a number of couples, all of them too wrapped up in each other to welcome interruption. Some youths were laughing and splashing in the shallow water, and several clumps of either mothers or nannies watched gaggles of small children. None of them seemed like ideal candidates.

But finally she noticed a group of girls playing a complicated game of handball—one she remembered from her own youth in Henton. Sidling up to them, she waited until the small sack filled with dried beans flew off course, in danger of falling to the ground. Intercepting its fall with the back of her hand, she propelled it straight upward. As it fell back toward her, she whipped her hand around and hit it for a second time, this time with the heel of her palm. It flew across the small circle to the girl directly opposite.

The girls acknowledged her inclusion in their circle with grins but didn’t break their movements, continuing to pass the ball between them. Olivia received it twice more before it finally flew wide, plopping to the grass before anyone could reach it.

The girls relaxed.

“One hundred and twenty,” one of them said with a smile. “That’s our best effort in a long time.” She turned to Olivia. “I didn’t know noble girls played handball too.”

Noble girls? Olivia blinked before suddenly remembering what she was wearing. When had she gotten so used to wearing finery that she forgot all about it? She should have changed into one of her old gowns before venturing into the city.

“Wait,” one of the girls whispered to her neighbor, “isn’t that the new princess?”

Overlapping murmurs spread through the group until one of the more confident girls spoke. “You are Princess Olivia, aren’t you?”

The others fell silent to hear her answer.

“Yes, I’m Olivia,” Olivia admitted. “But I’m not a princess yet.”

Fresh murmurs broke out among the girls, this time even more excited.

“That doesn’t matter,” said the speaker. “You will be one soon. We all think it’s terribly romantic. But what are you doing here?”

Olivia glanced at her accompanying groom. He was some distance away, occupied with walking both their horses back and forth along the street that bordered the grass. The street ran parallel to the shoreline, and the far side of it was lined with a mix of shops and houses, all facing toward the sea. The traffic was heavy enough that she lost sight of him for a moment before he circled back. But she was hardly at risk from a group of fifteen-year-old girls.

“I came to see the ocean.” Olivia hesitated. “And because I want to ask you a question.”

“Ask us?” one of the other girls asked, shock making her bolder.

Olivia nodded. Her theory was that if Marigold had been abducted but no ransom demand had been made, then she couldn’t have been the only young woman to go missing. And girls the age of the ones in front of her tended to pay attention to the girls a few years older as they anticipated their own arrival into adulthood.

“Have any of you ever heard of girls my age going missing?” she asked. “Perhaps being abducted?”

“Did someone try to abduct you?” the boldest girl asked, a gleam of excitement in her eyes.

Olivia’s hands flew up in repudiation, her head shaking urgently. She couldn’t risk such a juicy piece of false gossip spreading through the city.

“No, no,” she rushed to say. “Nothing of the sort. Everyone I’ve met has been most kind.” Or at least, mostly everyone. She wasn’t counting Lady Emerson. “I was just curious because I heard a story about something similar, and I wondered if it might be true. And I’m betting girls like you know everything that goes on around you.”

The girls exchanged pleased grins at her assessment of them.

“Adults always think they know better,” the main speaker said, “but they have no idea how much we see and hear.”

Olivia nodded. “I know because I was you not so long ago. Girls like you listen and watch everything going on—with both the adults and the children.”

Several heads nodded agreement.

“See,” one of them whispered to another, “the prince really is marrying one of us.”

Olivia flushed slightly, feeling like a fraud on every front. These girls thought she’d been welcomed into the palace with open arms, not realizing the royal family were working for a way to free themselves from her—and that she was encouraging them to do so.

“I haven’t heard of any abductions, though,” the main speaker said thoughtfully. She glanced around the cluster of girls. “Have any of you?”

Most shook their heads, but one girl pushed herself forward from the back of the group.

“I’ve heard of one,” she said.

Olivia’s heart lifted. “You have? When? Where? Do you know what happened to the girl?”

“Really, Bess?” one of the other girls asked. “I never heard about that. Who was it?”

Bess shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t remember her name. It was at least two years ago. I only heard about it because my father worked for her father, and I overheard them talking about it. I don’t know if anyone outside the business even knew.”

“Why did the girl’s father keep it a secret?” Olivia asked, frowning. “Didn’t he want help from the guards?”

“The abductors demanded he keep it quiet,” Bess said. “They wanted a ransom, and they told the girl’s father that if he reported it to anyone, they would kill his daughter.”

Several of the girls gasped, but the topic was removed enough from them that their horror was edged with an excited thrill.

“What did they demand for the ransom?” Olivia asked. The situation Bess was describing differed significantly from Marigold’s, but it might still be connected in some way.

Bess shrugged. “I didn’t hear that. But I know the father paid, and his daughter was returned safely. So I suppose it was a happy ending.”

“Depending what he had to give up to save her,” Olivia muttered, mostly to herself. “You said you don’t remember the name of the girl, but could you direct me to her father? I’d like to ask him some questions.”

“Sorry,” Bess said. “They moved away from the capital as soon as they got her back. My father said they wanted to get as far from the city as possible. They completely abandoned their plans to expand their business and everything. I guess the owner lost the heart for business matters. He hired my father to manage his existing contracts and walked away from it all.” A brief look of guilt passed over her face. “So our family ended up benefitting from what happened.” She looked down. “I think of them sometimes because of that.”

“Don’t feel bad, Bess,” another girl said firmly. “Your family has only profited because your father is a trustworthy and dependable person. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s not like you abducted the girl.”

The other girls chimed in, echoing their agreement, and Olivia nodded along. Another abducted girl was intriguing, but she had no way of knowing if it had any connection to what had happened to Marigold. And apparently there was no way for her to follow the incident up to find out further information, either. But it was something that the girl had been returned unharmed. That, at least, was encouraging.

“Thank you for telling me,” she said to Bess. “I appreciate your help.”

Bess glowed, curtsying prettily and flushing. “My ma is never going to believe I helped a princess today.”

Olivia didn’t attempt to correct her on the title a second time. She had a request to make, and she wanted them as receptive as possible.

“Actually,” she said, “I would prefer if you didn’t mention the details of our conversation to anyone else. I wouldn’t want anyone to think?—”

“Umm,” one of the girls interrupted, “about that…” She gestured at the grass around them, her face apologetic.

Olivia scanned the surrounding groups, her dismay rising. She had been so focused on Bess that she hadn’t noticed a couple of the girls slip away. Apparently, they had been so eager to share the news of her presence that they had already begun the task, flitting with glee from group to group. Many of the other people on the grass were already making their way in her direction.

Olivia stepped backward and looked again for her guard. He was down the far end of the road, only just turning back in her direction.

“Your Highness!” A group of men and women hurried over, curtsying and bowing politely.

Some of Olivia’s nervousness abated. These people didn’t wish her any harm, quite the opposite. They all looked excited to see her.

Another group arrived and another. Olivia kept smiling and nodding at them all as they called her name and shouted excited questions. One woman patted her arm in a motherly way, but it unleashed a flood of hands reaching for her. They patted her arms and her hair or grasped at her hands.

She tried to look for the groom again, but she could no longer see through the wall of people. Panic rose up in her throat. She was trapped, and the growing crowd kept pressing closer and closer. No one was trying to harm her, but her overwhelmed senses received it as an attack, screaming at her to get away.

She ripped her hands free of the reaching fingers and flung her arms up to shield her face. Pushing blindly, she struggled through the throng, bursting free onto the edge of the street.

But the crowd followed, still calling to her with so many overlapping voices that she couldn’t catch the individual words. She plunged blindly across the street, weaving through traffic. Ducking behind a moving wagon, she put herself momentarily out of view of the people coming behind her, but the cover wouldn’t last long.

With a burst of speed, she reached the other side of the street. Before she could call for the groom, a hand shot out from an alley between two shops and seized her arm. With no time for more than a squeak, she was yanked off the street and into the dark shadows beyond.