Page 7 of The King’s Bodyguard (Catkin Trilogy #1)

“I’ve been here for a month, Your Highness,” Corrin said with no little amusement. “How could one not know at this juncture?”

“True,” I sighed. “Lord Elthorne and Gareth have shared their concerns with me, but we have as yet to catch him in the act. Honestly, the worst thing is that my cousin is just so... smarmy. I know he must have had quite a shock to discover that I had survived the War of Succession. To be honest, I was shocked as well!”

“Yet, here you are.” Corrin eased back a little, but he hovered close. If anyone were to attack me, he was positioned to protect me at all costs. The realization warmed my heart a little. “Something for which we are all grateful.”

“I don’t deserve gratitude though.” I felt a little guilty. “I did nothing.”

“You are leading us even now,” Corrin assured me. There was a warmth in his eyes that made my heart skip a beat. “You sacrifice your own happiness for your people even when they take you for granted.”

“If I was truly a good person, I’d be happier about my sacrifices, wouldn’t I?

” I had to ask the question that had burdened me from the day of the big decision.

“Ever since that day, I’ve been fairly miserable.

I don’t want to get married... and I bet Morne is waiting for me to rebel or make some mistake. ”

“Hm.”

Corrin grunted and then fell silent. He didn’t look happy about the mention of marriage. That made two of us.

“Perhaps Morne is, but he’ll have a long wait coming,” Corrin said. “As for the marriage... I can only give you one small piece of advice. Something I learned in the mountains—to take each day one at a time.”

“Thank you, Corrin,” I sighed. “I’ll try to keep it in mind.” I frowned and then glanced up at him. “Why are you here anyways?”

“Before this evening, Lord Gareth took me aside and asked me to take on a special assignment.”

“Really? Are you spying on Lord Morne?”

“No. On you.”

“M-me?” My voice suddenly seemed to pitch higher than usual.

“I am here to watch over you. You may think of me as your personal guard, your bodyguard,” Corrin told me.

Out here, the light was dim. There was a thin sliver of moon hanging in the sky with only the barest trace of clouds veiling the stars.

It was difficult for my eyes to adjust, but I noticed that the green rim of Corrin’s eyes had shrunk to a sliver.

His Munni ancestry gifted him the ability to see in the dark much better than I did.

Looking at him like this—dark, shadowed, and almost black-eyed—Corrin seemed wild and untouchable.

Tonight, he had opted for blacks. From his ebony black hair pulled back, half up, half down, to his black dragonhide boots, Corrin looked like he belonged in the mysterious night.

The muted color of his garb differentiated him from the standard uniform of Lady Hartford’s staff.

At the same time, it helped him blend in with the shadows.

The only thing that stood out was the pale skin of his face and neck.

Somehow I managed to drag my attention away and down to the glass in my hand. Alas. There was no mark on the glass where his lips had once been. I took a sip of the wine and contemplated the pastries.

“Will you take a bite out of the pastries as well?” I asked, trying to keep my voice even and failing.

“No, but I will if you prefer.” Corrin’s gaze was fixed on my face. What was he thinking? I shivered as his look dropped to my lips. He added, “I already double-checked the food and watched everyone who approached the table.”

“I see.”

So Corrin wasn’t going to take a bite out of my pastry then. I wasn’t going to be able to share it with him. No easy excuse came to mind. I took a small bite of one golden-brown pastry that was shaped like a square. Cinnamon and sugar mixed with apple flavors burst across my tongue.

“Mhmmm... This is so good!” I groaned. The words popped out: “Corrin. You ought to try one.”

“Hardly the time for me to swan about sampling pastries.”

“Well...” I hesitated and held up the pastry in my hand. “Just try a bite. A small one. Don’t eat all of it!”

Corrin, who had stationed himself at my elbow, turned his head and looked down at me. His dark eyebrow rose a little, but a small smile played at the corner of his mouth. Leaning forward, he nibbled on the edge of the pastry.

I found myself entranced at the sight of his tongue deftly swiping at the pastry.

That and the glimpse of his sharp white fangs.

Then his lips closed down, brushing against the tips of my fingers.

His lips had touched my hand before, but something about this moment felt so different.

Maybe it was the moonlight—or the fact that we were alone for the first time in a long time.

Something began to flutter about in my belly, and my skin suddenly prickled all along my spine.

I was beginning to find it difficult to breathe.

My heart began to race. Its beat within my chest felt so loud, I was surprised Corrin’s sharp ears did not hear it.

I held my breath, afraid to break the spell that the moon had cast over us.

The moon , I suddenly realized. The Goddess Meryn, the goddess of love. Entirely idiotic, but it felt right. The only thing that would make the world even better was if Corrin were to- if he was to... My thoughts screeched to a halt as I struggled to admit to myself where my heart lay.

In the distance, a refrain of stringed instruments struck up a slow melody. A waltz. I choked down the rest of the apple pastry and took another swig of wine.

“You are ready to go in?” Corrin asked, shifting a little to glance toward the door.

“Not yet, no,” I said. I added cheekily, “I just need to stretch my legs without my toes being endangered.”

“Your toes,” Corrin said quietly.

It seemed then as though he were about to say something else, but then refrained.

“You’re thinking of something else,” I said.

“No, it’s nothing,” he replied quickly. Too quickly.

“I would know what you are thinking,” I said softly, moving closer and gazing up at him in silent plea.

Corrin looked down at me then. His face now bared beneath the soft light of the moon and the stars. Some nameless emotion flitted across his face. His hand rose up to clasp me on the shoulder.

“You should not have to... endanger your toes for them,” he said.

His voice deepened then with emotion.

“You deserve better.”

So he had recognized the truth as well. No one in that room truly knew me.

Not many cared either. There was a certain cachet to take a turn about the room with the King of Sumarene, but that is all it was—a battle for prestige.

Once upon a time, I might have enjoyed dancing.

It had long since become yet another duty that I could not shirk.

“I am no longer able to follow my heart,” I explained carefully. I offered him a small smile, pained and a little bitter.

“Not even for a dance?” Corrin paused and then added, as if musing aloud, “Hm. To go through life without enjoying a dance. Now that is a shame.”

My hand rose to rest on his arm. Beneath my touch, his muscles tensed a little, but then his hand rose to cover mine.

Within my chest, my heart now shuddered to a stop.

I could barely breathe as his other hand drew me even closer.

Instinctively, I swayed toward him. Leaning forward, he whispered huskily in my ear a command I would gladly follow.

“Dance with me.”