The Ring Keeper, page 15
“I’m sorry,” Allia said, taking another deep breath. “Who was that?”
“The prince, at least… one of them. The emperor has two sons.”
Allia breathed again. “I’m sorry, Tess. I remember now.” Even in the country, she’d heard of the emperor and his twin sons. “They’re identical? So which one was that?”
Tess gave a small shrug. “They look exactly the same. I can’t be sure. Prince Callonen is the elder, if only by a few moments, so he will inherit the crown and the Warding. Prince Haldreth is the younger.”
To Allia, it seemed impossible that Tess hadn’t felt the prince’s anger. She didn’t appear to have noticed anything unusual.
“I think that was Haldreth.” Tess shrugged. “He’s more likely to be annoyed by the staff. But I guess wrong sometimes.”
“You’ve been here for years, and you can’t tell them apart?”
Tess shook her head. “Just remember to always address them as Your Highness, and you’ll be fine.”
Realization flooded Allia’s mind. The young man she met yesterday in the hall hadn’t just been a soldier. He’d been a prince. At the time, Allia had no idea who he was. He’d been dressed exactly like all the other men she’d seen. Why hadn’t he told her? He could easily have been angry because she hadn’t treated him with appropriate deference. She hadn’t curtsied or addressed him properly.
He’d thanked her for helping him, just as if he were any ordinary guardsman. She’d sensed sincere gratitude and kindness from him, nothing like the scorching rage she’d felt a few moments ago. They couldn’t be the same person.
She must have met both of the princes. Maybe some crisis had caused Prince Haldreth’s feelings of anger today. She had no way of knowing where he had come from or what he’d just been doing.
His rage felt dangerous. A person who felt that strongly would take action on their feelings. What could she do about it? Tell someone?
She rejected that thought immediately. What could she tell them? The prince is furious, and I think he will act violently? She had no evidence, and he was royalty, while Allia was only a servant in the emperor’s palace. She couldn’t just march into the emperor’s audience chamber and accuse his son of—what, exactly?
Allia had no knowledge of wrongdoing. And in Sarine, if anyone did anything seriously wrong, the emperor would know about it because of the Warding. Wouldn’t he?
She would keep this to herself, for now.
Allia settled quickly into her new life. The work was hard, but no more demanding than what she had done back home on the farm. She still found time for fun after finishing her work.
In the evening or on their days off, she and Tess went out into the city and shopped at the market. The common room always contained games, laughter and music, and Allia often joined in.
She had no more encounters with Prince Haldreth, for which she was profoundly grateful.
One morning, when Allia had been in the city for two weeks, the household staff gathered in the wide kitchen so Mara could make the day’s assignments.
“There’s a royal banquet tonight,” Mara announced. “I’ll need extra help from everyone today.”
Tess groaned under her breath. “We’ll be working late,” she whispered.
Mara went through an endless list of assignments for the event. She passed them out one by one until she came to Tess and Allia.
“I want you two to attend to the drinks at the royal table,” Mara said.
It seemed for a moment as if Tess wanted to object, but instead she said, “Yes, ma’am.”
“I don’t have to tell you both to be careful,” Mara said, looking at them sternly. “Make sure your dresses are spotless, and I don’t want to see a hair out of place.” She eyed Tess’s red curls as if looking for stray strands.
Allia was nervous all day, and she pictured herself being dragged to a dark dungeon after spilling an entire pitcher into Haldreth’s lap.
“It will be all right,” Tess reassured her. “Just make sure their cups are always at least half full, and don’t spill. It’s best if they don’t even notice we’re there.”
“He will be there, won’t he?”
“Prince Haldreth? Of course. Don’t worry. He doesn’t even notice the servants. He probably won’t remember you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Just don’t draw attention to yourself.” Allia felt the flutter of nervousness in her middle. Hopefully, nothing would go wrong tonight.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Year of Warding 21, White City, Sarine
Allia
ALLIA TOOK HER PLACE in the grand hall with the other servants. The banquet began, and she stood rigidly—her face expressionless and her stomach tight. She wished she could move and stretch and wipe her damp palms on her apron.
Emperor Caldoreth entered, wearing a golden crown and flanked by his sons. Many members of his court and other guests followed them.
Allia remembered him. He appeared much the same as when she met him six years ago, except for the golden crown. Her eyes moved from him to his sons.
This was the first time she’d seen both princes together. She was surprised by how alike they looked. How did anyone tell them apart?
No one sat until the emperor was in his chair, then his guests seated themselves around him. Everyone at the table wore fine clothes, and their jewelry sparkled in the light of thousands of candles.
In her plain gray dress, Allia stood behind the high table, a pitcher in her hands. Others of the palace staff served the first course, a soup, and everyone started eating. Tess and Allia kept a sharp eye on the cups, and they did their job correctly and invisibly until one of the princes turned around and beckoned to Allia.
She couldn’t tell them apart. Was he the angry one? She felt the urge to run. Handing the pitcher to Tess, she walked forward and curtsied, her heart pounding.
“Would you please ask Mara if she has any more berries? They are the ambassador’s favorite.”
“Of course, Your Highness,” Allia said. She didn’t sense anger from him, and relief flooded through her.
His dark eyes focused on her, as if he noticed her for the first time. “I remember you,” he said. “You provided some timely assistance with my armor.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Thank you.” His dark eyes held hers with an expression she couldn’t read. A quivery feeling began in her stomach, and Allia found it difficult to breathe. The room felt stuffy and hot. As if realizing he had held her gaze too long, he blinked and turned away, and Allia hurried to the kitchen.
While she still felt the pull of attraction, he had seemed so much more attainable when he’d been a soldier instead of the prince. She shook her head. He must think her an ignorant country girl.
Filling a big bowl with berries, she hurried back to the great hall and set it on the table.
“Thank you,” he said, and unexpectedly, he smiled at her. She sensed the same gratitude she’d felt in the hallway a few days ago.
Smiling briefly back at him, she retrieved the pitcher and returned to her place.
The dinner stretched endlessly. Allia couldn’t help but watch the prince, and since she stood behind the high table, she hoped this wasn’t too noticeable. She wanted to see his smile again. But he never turned around, and she wondered if he wished he could. It would surely have attracted undue attention to have the prince look behind him.
The meal seemed to take forever, but finally it ended, and the emperor rose and walked past Allia toward the door. The prince who had asked for the berries followed him and, for the briefest of moments, their eyes met. Then he passed her and disappeared. Callonen. He was Prince Callonen. His brother passed Allia a moment later, and though it was not focused on her, she could still sense his carefully concealed anger. Haldreth.
Even if their faces looked identical, she could tell the twins differed greatly from each other.
When all the guests departed, the palace staff began cleaning up. The process took hours, but finally the room sparkled, the dishes had been washed, and Mara dismissed them all.
Tess and Allia hurried back to Allia’s room.
“Well?” Tess exclaimed when they had huddled into the little room and safely shut the door behind them. “What was that?”
“What?”
“What about not being noticed? We aren’t supposed to talk to them!”
“He asked me to bring more berries,” Allia said. “What was I supposed to do, ignore him?”
“He was looking at you like—” Tess broke off, as if she wasn’t sure what to say. “Maybe like he was entranced or something.”
“No,” Allia protested. “That couldn’t be it.” She wasn’t sure what to think. “I never thought I was that noticeable,” she said.
“Oh, he definitely noticed you. He stared at you like you were painted green.”
Allia laughed. “I probably had dirt on my face, food in my teeth, or something else like that.”
Tess couldn’t help but laugh.
“He certainly wasn’t the same prince we ran into in the hall.”
“No,” Tess agreed. “I’m fairly sure that was Haldreth. He barely glanced at you that day. Prince Callonen was definitely looking at you.”
“He… He is handsome, isn’t he?” Allia asked.
“They’re both handsome,” Tess pointed out.
The next morning, Allia and Tess were cleaning the floor in one of the hallways. Looking up, Tess gasped. She nudged Allia, whispering, “Stand up.” They stood against the wall.
A prince was coming down the hallway toward them. Which one? Resplendent in his formal clothing, he looked appealing. They bowed to him as he passed, and Allia caught a hint of carefully controlled fury before he walked by them as if they didn’t exist.
No sooner had they gone back to work than footsteps returning down the hall interrupted them a second time. “He’s back,” Allia whispered, and they got up again. This time, the prince stopped in front of them.
Allia sensed uncertainty, a twinge of embarrassment, and an undercurrent of attraction, but no anger.
He cleared his throat. “Could I have a word with you?”
She stared at him, not sure what to say.
Tess jogged Allia with her elbow and said, “Of course, Your Highness.”
“I wonder if I might ask your names?” he asked hesitantly.
Allia’s eyes widened. Why would the prince care who they were? She sneaked a sidelong glance at Tess, whose eyebrows were raised in surprise. But of course, they had to answer.
Tess spoke first. “I’m Tess, Your Highness.”
He turned to Allia, his dark eyes meeting hers. Just like last night, the hallway felt much too warm. He waited for her to speak.
“I’m Allia,” she finally said. Why was he asking their names? She noticed then, while he wore clothing similar to the man who had walked by a few moments ago, it differed slightly. This had to be the other twin.
“I’m Callonen,” he said, “But maybe you already knew…?”
Tess couldn’t help but smile. Quickly wiping the expression from her face, she said, “We guessed that, Your Highness. Can we do anything for you?”
His eyes met Allia’s, and it felt like her lungs had forgotten how to take in air. For just a moment, he smiled. Then he glanced up and down the hall. “It… appears that you are doing an excellent job here. I’ll be sure to mention it to Mara next time I see her.”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” they said.
The sound of footsteps heading their way echoed down the hall.
“I’m happy to have met you both,” Prince Callonen said. Then he disappeared around a corner before several members of the emperor’s court passed by.
When the hall was empty again, Tess exclaimed, “What was he doing?”
Allia giggled. “It was funny, wasn’t it?”
Tess turned to look at her, her hands on her hips. “If I were to guess, I’d say he was looking for you.”
“He was not,” Allia protested, her face heating. “Don’t tease me like that. You know I like him.”
“I wasn’t teasing,” Tess said.
Allia remembered the warmth of his gaze. Would he find a way to meet up with them again?
Allia went to sleep that night thinking of Callonen and trying not to hope she would see him again soon. She woke up early the next morning and spent a little extra time on her hair. She sighed when she looked at the gray dress. Maybe if she wore something beautiful… “No,” she told herself firmly. “He’s the prince, and I’m… I’m just myself. No money, no fame, nothing unusual.” But maybe that wasn’t so bad. Allia smiled a little in her mirror.
“You look really pretty this morning,” Tess said as they began their work.
“Thanks,” Allia said gratefully. “I’m sure it won’t matter.”
“We’ll just have to see if he finds us again today,” Tess said.
But Mara, with her uncanny awareness of everything going on in her domain, sent them to clean a series of storage rooms in one of the remotest corners of the palace. It took them a while to even get there.
“That’s it,” Tess said. “Pretty hair won’t help. He won’t be able to find us down here, even if he wants to.”
“And he probably doesn’t want to,” Allia said. “He is the prince, and I’m cleaning his floors. Do you think Mara sent us here on purpose?”
Tess shrugged. “It doesn’t matter if he wants to see you. He’s supposed to marry some princess. The emperor has been begging him to get married for years. Everyone in the palace knows that.”
“Why hasn’t he?” Allia asked, trying to cover the disappointment burning in her chest.
“I don’t know,” Tess said. “Maybe he will. The emperor will probably make him.”
“I’m sure you’re right,” Allia said, trying to put his warm, dark eyes out of her mind. “Princes have to get married, don’t they?”
“Yes! Especially if they are going to inherit the empire and the Warding.”
The day wore on slowly until late afternoon, when they were ready to start the last of the storage rooms. Allia concentrated on forgetting Callonen and focusing on her work. They entered a large room stacked with crates and boxes and began cleaning. She had nearly succeeded in putting him out of her mind when she heard footsteps in the hall outside. She drew in a breath and let it out slowly, reminding herself that it couldn’t be him. He would be busy in the halls above, meeting important people, and…
The door opened, and Callonen entered. Allia felt a smile tickling the corners of her mouth.
“Your Highness.” Tess and Allia bowed.
“Hello,” he said with a sheepish smile.
“Can we help you with something, Your Highness?” Tess asked.
“Well, I was actually looking for… I mean, I came to find…” he fell into an awkward silence. Then he glanced around at the barrels and boxes stacked everywhere. “There are so many…”
He took a deep breath, appearing to gather his thoughts. “I believe when I had some books put in storage recently, I included one I’d meant to keep. If we can find it, I’d like to take it back.”
“As you wish, Prince Callonen,” Allia said.
He turned quickly and stared at her. Startled, she froze for a moment. Had she done something wrong?
“You called me by my name. I am quite sure they instruct all the staff to address my brother and I as Your Highness. Few people can tell us apart confidently enough to use our names.”
“We’re sorry, Your Highness,” Tess said. “We apologize for addressing you incorrectly.”
“No,” he protested, looking at Tess. “It wasn’t incorrect. I am Callonen.” He turned back to Allia. “How are you so sure which one of us you’re addressing?”
She sensed him more strongly now. He felt… happy. He liked being with her and enjoyed that she knew for sure it was him. People constantly mistook him for Haldreth.
“You’re nothing like your brother, Prince Callonen,” she said.
He smiled at her.
“Well,” he glanced around at the stacks of boxes. “I’d love to find that book. Tess, would you please ask Mara if she knows where it might have been stored? I will search here, for now, if perhaps you would assist me, Allia?”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Tess curtsied and left with a quick glance at Allia.
Allia’s middle filled with butterflies as she realized she was alone with him.
“Are you nervous because of me?” he asked. “I didn’t think you felt that way the first time we met.”
“I didn’t know who you were!”
He took a few steps nearer and met her eyes. “Does it really make such a difference? You don’t know how refreshing it was to have someone treat me like an ordinary person,” he confessed. “And you were kind. Not because you were doing your job or because I’m a prince. You were kind to me. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Your Highness.”
The corners of his mouth turned down. “Please, you don’t have to call me that when we’re alone.”
Allia’s heart pounded. He made it sound like that might be often. “I… I don’t?”
“No. In private, you may call me Cal.”
Allia took a deep breath, trying to calm the butterflies. Except for the way his presence affected her and the fact that he was the prince, she might have felt comfortable with him. Talking to him felt natural.
“Very well then, Cal. Shall we find your books?”
He smiled, gesturing to the stacks of boxes. “They could be anywhere.” He turned abruptly, looking toward the back of the room. “Did you hear something over there?”
“I don’t think so,” she replied.
He turned back to her and smiled. “What kind of imperial palace would this be if we had rats in the storage rooms?”
“We didn’t see any sign of them in the other rooms,” Allia said. “Let’s try to find your books.” She examined the floor. A thick layer of dust coated the room, but someone had left tracks. They led to the back wall where some dust-free containers had been stacked. “Why don’t we look at the newest ones first, if they were stored here recently?”
“The prince, at least… one of them. The emperor has two sons.”
Allia breathed again. “I’m sorry, Tess. I remember now.” Even in the country, she’d heard of the emperor and his twin sons. “They’re identical? So which one was that?”
Tess gave a small shrug. “They look exactly the same. I can’t be sure. Prince Callonen is the elder, if only by a few moments, so he will inherit the crown and the Warding. Prince Haldreth is the younger.”
To Allia, it seemed impossible that Tess hadn’t felt the prince’s anger. She didn’t appear to have noticed anything unusual.
“I think that was Haldreth.” Tess shrugged. “He’s more likely to be annoyed by the staff. But I guess wrong sometimes.”
“You’ve been here for years, and you can’t tell them apart?”
Tess shook her head. “Just remember to always address them as Your Highness, and you’ll be fine.”
Realization flooded Allia’s mind. The young man she met yesterday in the hall hadn’t just been a soldier. He’d been a prince. At the time, Allia had no idea who he was. He’d been dressed exactly like all the other men she’d seen. Why hadn’t he told her? He could easily have been angry because she hadn’t treated him with appropriate deference. She hadn’t curtsied or addressed him properly.
He’d thanked her for helping him, just as if he were any ordinary guardsman. She’d sensed sincere gratitude and kindness from him, nothing like the scorching rage she’d felt a few moments ago. They couldn’t be the same person.
She must have met both of the princes. Maybe some crisis had caused Prince Haldreth’s feelings of anger today. She had no way of knowing where he had come from or what he’d just been doing.
His rage felt dangerous. A person who felt that strongly would take action on their feelings. What could she do about it? Tell someone?
She rejected that thought immediately. What could she tell them? The prince is furious, and I think he will act violently? She had no evidence, and he was royalty, while Allia was only a servant in the emperor’s palace. She couldn’t just march into the emperor’s audience chamber and accuse his son of—what, exactly?
Allia had no knowledge of wrongdoing. And in Sarine, if anyone did anything seriously wrong, the emperor would know about it because of the Warding. Wouldn’t he?
She would keep this to herself, for now.
Allia settled quickly into her new life. The work was hard, but no more demanding than what she had done back home on the farm. She still found time for fun after finishing her work.
In the evening or on their days off, she and Tess went out into the city and shopped at the market. The common room always contained games, laughter and music, and Allia often joined in.
She had no more encounters with Prince Haldreth, for which she was profoundly grateful.
One morning, when Allia had been in the city for two weeks, the household staff gathered in the wide kitchen so Mara could make the day’s assignments.
“There’s a royal banquet tonight,” Mara announced. “I’ll need extra help from everyone today.”
Tess groaned under her breath. “We’ll be working late,” she whispered.
Mara went through an endless list of assignments for the event. She passed them out one by one until she came to Tess and Allia.
“I want you two to attend to the drinks at the royal table,” Mara said.
It seemed for a moment as if Tess wanted to object, but instead she said, “Yes, ma’am.”
“I don’t have to tell you both to be careful,” Mara said, looking at them sternly. “Make sure your dresses are spotless, and I don’t want to see a hair out of place.” She eyed Tess’s red curls as if looking for stray strands.
Allia was nervous all day, and she pictured herself being dragged to a dark dungeon after spilling an entire pitcher into Haldreth’s lap.
“It will be all right,” Tess reassured her. “Just make sure their cups are always at least half full, and don’t spill. It’s best if they don’t even notice we’re there.”
“He will be there, won’t he?”
“Prince Haldreth? Of course. Don’t worry. He doesn’t even notice the servants. He probably won’t remember you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Just don’t draw attention to yourself.” Allia felt the flutter of nervousness in her middle. Hopefully, nothing would go wrong tonight.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Year of Warding 21, White City, Sarine
Allia
ALLIA TOOK HER PLACE in the grand hall with the other servants. The banquet began, and she stood rigidly—her face expressionless and her stomach tight. She wished she could move and stretch and wipe her damp palms on her apron.
Emperor Caldoreth entered, wearing a golden crown and flanked by his sons. Many members of his court and other guests followed them.
Allia remembered him. He appeared much the same as when she met him six years ago, except for the golden crown. Her eyes moved from him to his sons.
This was the first time she’d seen both princes together. She was surprised by how alike they looked. How did anyone tell them apart?
No one sat until the emperor was in his chair, then his guests seated themselves around him. Everyone at the table wore fine clothes, and their jewelry sparkled in the light of thousands of candles.
In her plain gray dress, Allia stood behind the high table, a pitcher in her hands. Others of the palace staff served the first course, a soup, and everyone started eating. Tess and Allia kept a sharp eye on the cups, and they did their job correctly and invisibly until one of the princes turned around and beckoned to Allia.
She couldn’t tell them apart. Was he the angry one? She felt the urge to run. Handing the pitcher to Tess, she walked forward and curtsied, her heart pounding.
“Would you please ask Mara if she has any more berries? They are the ambassador’s favorite.”
“Of course, Your Highness,” Allia said. She didn’t sense anger from him, and relief flooded through her.
His dark eyes focused on her, as if he noticed her for the first time. “I remember you,” he said. “You provided some timely assistance with my armor.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Thank you.” His dark eyes held hers with an expression she couldn’t read. A quivery feeling began in her stomach, and Allia found it difficult to breathe. The room felt stuffy and hot. As if realizing he had held her gaze too long, he blinked and turned away, and Allia hurried to the kitchen.
While she still felt the pull of attraction, he had seemed so much more attainable when he’d been a soldier instead of the prince. She shook her head. He must think her an ignorant country girl.
Filling a big bowl with berries, she hurried back to the great hall and set it on the table.
“Thank you,” he said, and unexpectedly, he smiled at her. She sensed the same gratitude she’d felt in the hallway a few days ago.
Smiling briefly back at him, she retrieved the pitcher and returned to her place.
The dinner stretched endlessly. Allia couldn’t help but watch the prince, and since she stood behind the high table, she hoped this wasn’t too noticeable. She wanted to see his smile again. But he never turned around, and she wondered if he wished he could. It would surely have attracted undue attention to have the prince look behind him.
The meal seemed to take forever, but finally it ended, and the emperor rose and walked past Allia toward the door. The prince who had asked for the berries followed him and, for the briefest of moments, their eyes met. Then he passed her and disappeared. Callonen. He was Prince Callonen. His brother passed Allia a moment later, and though it was not focused on her, she could still sense his carefully concealed anger. Haldreth.
Even if their faces looked identical, she could tell the twins differed greatly from each other.
When all the guests departed, the palace staff began cleaning up. The process took hours, but finally the room sparkled, the dishes had been washed, and Mara dismissed them all.
Tess and Allia hurried back to Allia’s room.
“Well?” Tess exclaimed when they had huddled into the little room and safely shut the door behind them. “What was that?”
“What?”
“What about not being noticed? We aren’t supposed to talk to them!”
“He asked me to bring more berries,” Allia said. “What was I supposed to do, ignore him?”
“He was looking at you like—” Tess broke off, as if she wasn’t sure what to say. “Maybe like he was entranced or something.”
“No,” Allia protested. “That couldn’t be it.” She wasn’t sure what to think. “I never thought I was that noticeable,” she said.
“Oh, he definitely noticed you. He stared at you like you were painted green.”
Allia laughed. “I probably had dirt on my face, food in my teeth, or something else like that.”
Tess couldn’t help but laugh.
“He certainly wasn’t the same prince we ran into in the hall.”
“No,” Tess agreed. “I’m fairly sure that was Haldreth. He barely glanced at you that day. Prince Callonen was definitely looking at you.”
“He… He is handsome, isn’t he?” Allia asked.
“They’re both handsome,” Tess pointed out.
The next morning, Allia and Tess were cleaning the floor in one of the hallways. Looking up, Tess gasped. She nudged Allia, whispering, “Stand up.” They stood against the wall.
A prince was coming down the hallway toward them. Which one? Resplendent in his formal clothing, he looked appealing. They bowed to him as he passed, and Allia caught a hint of carefully controlled fury before he walked by them as if they didn’t exist.
No sooner had they gone back to work than footsteps returning down the hall interrupted them a second time. “He’s back,” Allia whispered, and they got up again. This time, the prince stopped in front of them.
Allia sensed uncertainty, a twinge of embarrassment, and an undercurrent of attraction, but no anger.
He cleared his throat. “Could I have a word with you?”
She stared at him, not sure what to say.
Tess jogged Allia with her elbow and said, “Of course, Your Highness.”
“I wonder if I might ask your names?” he asked hesitantly.
Allia’s eyes widened. Why would the prince care who they were? She sneaked a sidelong glance at Tess, whose eyebrows were raised in surprise. But of course, they had to answer.
Tess spoke first. “I’m Tess, Your Highness.”
He turned to Allia, his dark eyes meeting hers. Just like last night, the hallway felt much too warm. He waited for her to speak.
“I’m Allia,” she finally said. Why was he asking their names? She noticed then, while he wore clothing similar to the man who had walked by a few moments ago, it differed slightly. This had to be the other twin.
“I’m Callonen,” he said, “But maybe you already knew…?”
Tess couldn’t help but smile. Quickly wiping the expression from her face, she said, “We guessed that, Your Highness. Can we do anything for you?”
His eyes met Allia’s, and it felt like her lungs had forgotten how to take in air. For just a moment, he smiled. Then he glanced up and down the hall. “It… appears that you are doing an excellent job here. I’ll be sure to mention it to Mara next time I see her.”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” they said.
The sound of footsteps heading their way echoed down the hall.
“I’m happy to have met you both,” Prince Callonen said. Then he disappeared around a corner before several members of the emperor’s court passed by.
When the hall was empty again, Tess exclaimed, “What was he doing?”
Allia giggled. “It was funny, wasn’t it?”
Tess turned to look at her, her hands on her hips. “If I were to guess, I’d say he was looking for you.”
“He was not,” Allia protested, her face heating. “Don’t tease me like that. You know I like him.”
“I wasn’t teasing,” Tess said.
Allia remembered the warmth of his gaze. Would he find a way to meet up with them again?
Allia went to sleep that night thinking of Callonen and trying not to hope she would see him again soon. She woke up early the next morning and spent a little extra time on her hair. She sighed when she looked at the gray dress. Maybe if she wore something beautiful… “No,” she told herself firmly. “He’s the prince, and I’m… I’m just myself. No money, no fame, nothing unusual.” But maybe that wasn’t so bad. Allia smiled a little in her mirror.
“You look really pretty this morning,” Tess said as they began their work.
“Thanks,” Allia said gratefully. “I’m sure it won’t matter.”
“We’ll just have to see if he finds us again today,” Tess said.
But Mara, with her uncanny awareness of everything going on in her domain, sent them to clean a series of storage rooms in one of the remotest corners of the palace. It took them a while to even get there.
“That’s it,” Tess said. “Pretty hair won’t help. He won’t be able to find us down here, even if he wants to.”
“And he probably doesn’t want to,” Allia said. “He is the prince, and I’m cleaning his floors. Do you think Mara sent us here on purpose?”
Tess shrugged. “It doesn’t matter if he wants to see you. He’s supposed to marry some princess. The emperor has been begging him to get married for years. Everyone in the palace knows that.”
“Why hasn’t he?” Allia asked, trying to cover the disappointment burning in her chest.
“I don’t know,” Tess said. “Maybe he will. The emperor will probably make him.”
“I’m sure you’re right,” Allia said, trying to put his warm, dark eyes out of her mind. “Princes have to get married, don’t they?”
“Yes! Especially if they are going to inherit the empire and the Warding.”
The day wore on slowly until late afternoon, when they were ready to start the last of the storage rooms. Allia concentrated on forgetting Callonen and focusing on her work. They entered a large room stacked with crates and boxes and began cleaning. She had nearly succeeded in putting him out of her mind when she heard footsteps in the hall outside. She drew in a breath and let it out slowly, reminding herself that it couldn’t be him. He would be busy in the halls above, meeting important people, and…
The door opened, and Callonen entered. Allia felt a smile tickling the corners of her mouth.
“Your Highness.” Tess and Allia bowed.
“Hello,” he said with a sheepish smile.
“Can we help you with something, Your Highness?” Tess asked.
“Well, I was actually looking for… I mean, I came to find…” he fell into an awkward silence. Then he glanced around at the barrels and boxes stacked everywhere. “There are so many…”
He took a deep breath, appearing to gather his thoughts. “I believe when I had some books put in storage recently, I included one I’d meant to keep. If we can find it, I’d like to take it back.”
“As you wish, Prince Callonen,” Allia said.
He turned quickly and stared at her. Startled, she froze for a moment. Had she done something wrong?
“You called me by my name. I am quite sure they instruct all the staff to address my brother and I as Your Highness. Few people can tell us apart confidently enough to use our names.”
“We’re sorry, Your Highness,” Tess said. “We apologize for addressing you incorrectly.”
“No,” he protested, looking at Tess. “It wasn’t incorrect. I am Callonen.” He turned back to Allia. “How are you so sure which one of us you’re addressing?”
She sensed him more strongly now. He felt… happy. He liked being with her and enjoyed that she knew for sure it was him. People constantly mistook him for Haldreth.
“You’re nothing like your brother, Prince Callonen,” she said.
He smiled at her.
“Well,” he glanced around at the stacks of boxes. “I’d love to find that book. Tess, would you please ask Mara if she knows where it might have been stored? I will search here, for now, if perhaps you would assist me, Allia?”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Tess curtsied and left with a quick glance at Allia.
Allia’s middle filled with butterflies as she realized she was alone with him.
“Are you nervous because of me?” he asked. “I didn’t think you felt that way the first time we met.”
“I didn’t know who you were!”
He took a few steps nearer and met her eyes. “Does it really make such a difference? You don’t know how refreshing it was to have someone treat me like an ordinary person,” he confessed. “And you were kind. Not because you were doing your job or because I’m a prince. You were kind to me. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Your Highness.”
The corners of his mouth turned down. “Please, you don’t have to call me that when we’re alone.”
Allia’s heart pounded. He made it sound like that might be often. “I… I don’t?”
“No. In private, you may call me Cal.”
Allia took a deep breath, trying to calm the butterflies. Except for the way his presence affected her and the fact that he was the prince, she might have felt comfortable with him. Talking to him felt natural.
“Very well then, Cal. Shall we find your books?”
He smiled, gesturing to the stacks of boxes. “They could be anywhere.” He turned abruptly, looking toward the back of the room. “Did you hear something over there?”
“I don’t think so,” she replied.
He turned back to her and smiled. “What kind of imperial palace would this be if we had rats in the storage rooms?”
“We didn’t see any sign of them in the other rooms,” Allia said. “Let’s try to find your books.” She examined the floor. A thick layer of dust coated the room, but someone had left tracks. They led to the back wall where some dust-free containers had been stacked. “Why don’t we look at the newest ones first, if they were stored here recently?”
