The Princess, page 14
“Perhaps I have a place for you after all, my little friend,” he told the squirming cub. “But first, I think we need to get you cleaned up. We can’t have you meeting a duchess and a princess smelling like this.”
Chapter 21
Luca hadn’t prepared himself for how intimidating Duchess Rhiannon of Solis and Lady Brynn of Pern Coen were. As the two women scrutinized him, he felt like he was eight years old again and had snuck out to the stable without his mother’s permission. Had he been mistaken in thinking they could help him?
He swallowed as he adjusted his hold on the wildcat cub, glancing nervously around the common room. Aurelia’s chambers were their own sort of intimidation. Elegant mosaics covered two of the walls, depicting dolphins, waves, and beautiful shimmering shells. The marble floor sparkled beneath his feet and the blue paint on the walls was richer and more vibrant in color than anything he’d ever seen.
At least the cub smells better, he thought, the creature wiggling in his arms for what felt like the hundredth time. He’d bathed the creature before bringing it up to Aurelia’s chambers and had also discovered that it was a she and that she was a scrappy little thing. There had been quite the clash over her need to be bathed, and he bore a few claw marks on his hands and wrists from their tussle.
“And you say you found this cub down at the docks?” Rhiannon asked. “You had nothing to do with its capture?”
“I discovered it in the hands of sailors when I was riding to the palace,” Luca replied.
“Why is the poor thing so thin?” There was a hint of accusation in Brynn’s tone as she narrowed her eyes.
He told them what the sailors had said about the capture of the cub’s mother and siblings and the refusal of the Imperial Hospitis to take the cub.
Rhiannon’s mouth turned down at the mention of the Imperial Hospitis. “And where did you say that you’re from again, Captain Lucanus?”
“Darnic,” he answered. “My father is Duke Remus.”
“Lady Fiona is your mother, yes?”
“Yes,” he said, his shoulders tensing ever so slightly. By the gods, he hoped neither Rhiannon nor Brynn would hold that against him. While he was not ashamed to be his mother’s son, the stigma of her tainted, impure blood still remained.
Rhiannon tapped her chin before giving a slow nod. “I believe there is a solution to be found here. My husband and Brynn have experience taking in orphaned wolf cubs and raising them among humans. I would wager that a wildcat could not be all that different.”
“You are thinking to try and tame it?” Brynn asked. “To take back to Pern Coen?”
“I am thinking of a possible companion for Aurelia,” Rhiannon said. “One that will not look at her differently or judge her despite her condition.”
Luca couldn’t stop his jaw from dropping open, his eyes widening. The cub as some sort of pet for Aurelia? Surely he had misheard.
“You object, Captain?” Rhiannon asked.
“I…” He cleared his throat, his mouth growing dry. “It’s only that… it’s still a wild creature.”
“It is,” Rhiannon said. “And its wild nature will have to be respected, but our options are less than ideal. I agree with you: The menagerie is no place for this cub. Quite frankly, it is no place for any of the creatures that Alekos keeps locked away there. And it cannot survive in the wild on its own. But I think there is another path here that is possible. Do you agree, Brynn?”
“I think it is worth trying,” Brynn said before holding out her arms to take the cub.
If they are used to wolf cubs, a wildcat cub cannot be that different, Luca told himself as he hesitantly handed the cub over to Brynn. At least they aren’t going to kill it. The cub began to fuss again when Brynn took it, but she seemed nonplussed by its antics, speaking quietly to it as she adjusted how she was holding it. Luca slipped a hand into his pocket, fidgeting with the hair comb he had fetched from his saddlebags before leaving the barracks.
“I also have a gift for Her Highness as well,” he said. “If one of you would perhaps be kind enough to give it to her for me.”
Rhiannon tilted her head, studying him with another scrutinizing gaze that left him shifting where he stood. “Would you not like to give it to her yourself?”
Temptation coursed through him, his pulse picking up. Do not forget what Emperor Alekos said, he reminded himself. He was not to be spending any time in the company of the emperor’s daughters, and certainly not inside the very palace itself.
“I thank you for such an offer,” he said, “but I am afraid that arrangement would not be seen as acceptable to His Majesty.”
Rhiannon muttered something under her breath before schooling her features to be pleasant again once more. “There are times when what Alekos doesn’t know will not hurt him. If you would like to give her the gift yourself, you are welcome to. As far as the emperor is concerned, I will contend with him, I promise you that.”
Luca hesitated, his desire to see Aurelia battling with his fear over what Alekos’ reaction would be if word did get back to him, But damn it all, if he didn’t want the chance to see Aurelia again, even if it was brief. He still remembered those stolen moments with her in the archives and along the beach, and he had worried for her since the fateful news had come that she had fallen to the plague. He had heard through Dimitri that her recovery had been difficult, and that the last few months had been a challenge for her. He knew better than to tempt fate and the emperor’s wrath, but he couldn’t seem to bring himself to say no.
“I would appreciate that, Your Grace,” he replied.
“Brynn, can you sit with the captain while I let Aurelia know he’s here?”
“Of course,” Brynn replied.
Brynn motioned for Luca to follow her out onto a balcony that had a pristine view of the bay. The untouched beach stretched for miles, and the light breeze carried a hint of salt on the air. Brynn and Luca both took a seat in the wooden chairs on one side of the balcony, the cub looking around with interest. Brynn stroked the cub on the back and soon, its eyes drifted shut as it began to doze.
“What made you do it?” Brynn asked, gesturing to the cub.
“She didn’t deserve to die,” Luca replied. “Those men took her from her home because of their own pride and greed. They likely bear the blame for her mother’s death. I had the chance to spare her, and I couldn’t walk away from that.”
A smile tugged at Brynn’s lips. “Very well put, Captain.”
Luca turned his gaze to the calm waters of the bay, fighting to push down the quiver that was trying to settle in his middle, even as eagerness at seeing Aurelia also fought for the dominant place in his tumultuous emotions. His Majesty will not know, he told himself. You will not stay long, and Duchess Rhiannon has promised. He had to trust that she would be true to her word.
Chapter 22
Aurelia was more nervous about seeing Luca than she wanted to admit. Despite the recent improvements in her health, she was far from cured, and she was very much still the center of the palace gossip. Unsavory comments about her had been constant among the scribes since she had first fallen ill, and time had not dulled their critiques of her. It didn’t matter how many times she tried to return to the prominent place in society she’d once had, or how hard she tried not to misstep, misspeak, or let her symptoms get the better of her in the presence of the nobility. It was never enough. Brynn and Rhiannon’s presence had shielded her some from the unkindness of others, but that was only a temporary reprieve. They would leave at the end of the summer, and she would be on her own once more, trying to meet the expectations of those around her and trying to present herself as an attractive prospective bride to the noblemen. Think of this as practice, she told herself as she slowly crossed her bedchamber, making her way to the door. For catching the eye of a future husband.
“Please fetch Her Highness’ cane, Tullia,” Rhiannon said from the doorway, her gaze fixed on Aurelia.
“Yes, Your Grace,” Tullia said, hurrying over to one of Aurelia’s bedside tables to grab the newly crafted cane.
Aurelia took it from her, fighting to suppress the slight churning she felt in her stomach. Her cane had not been well accepted by the nobility and just two days prior, one of the scribes had alluded to her use of it being nothing more than a desperate plea for attention, but the unfortunate truth was that she moved better and felt steadier on her feet with it. And with the fatigue she was battling, she knew it would be wiser to use it.
Shortly after breakfast, she had gone swimming with Brynn, pushing herself in the water a bit more than she had previously. When they’d returned to her chambers, Brynn had advised that she take the rest of the day to rest, to allow her body to recover and make certain that she would be able to withstand the rigors of the night’s banquet, the first of many over the next seven days. Most of the attention of the celebration would be focused on Dimitri, as it had always been for as long as she could remember, but she would still be expected to attend the festivities.
Luca was seated on the balcony across from Brynn, the two of them carrying on a conversation. As much as Aurelia tried not to notice, it was impossible to completely ignore Luca’s undeniably good looks. His shoulders were broader and more muscled than when she had seen him last, and his hair showed lighter blond streaks, no doubt from ample time spent in the sun. Control yourself, she reminded herself as she and Rhiannon drew closer to him. He is not the sort of man you will wed. Alekos would accept nothing less than a duke or a duke’s heir for his eldest daughter, and those were titles that Luca would never be granted.
“Your Highness,” Luca said with a smile, getting to his feet to deliver a bow.
She couldn’t stop herself from returning his smile as she sat down next to Brynn, the warmth in his expression and his tone easing some of the knots in her belly. As Aurelia caught a glimpse of something in Brynn’s arm, she frowned, tilting her head to get a better look. Her eyes widened as she discerned that the object Brynn was holding was a tiny wildcat cub.
The little creature looked far too thin, but it was sleeping peacefully. Aurelia’s brow wrinkled as she tried to place what sort of wildcat it was. She had read about them in books in the archives, and she was well acquainted with the handful of wildcats that Alekos kept locked away in the menagerie. The blood sport that Alekos and the rest of the nobility found entertaining was barbaric in her eyes and had been since she had seen her first wildcat killed when she’d been ten, but she had long been fascinated by the magnificent creatures. As she studied the cub’s tawny coat, which was speckled with dark spots, she was finally able to place it. It was a Harena Cat, one of the smallest of the Kelnorian wildcats.
“What is this?” she asked, motioning to the cub.
“An opportunity, if you are open to it,” Rhiannon said, taking the seat on the other side of Brynn. “Captain Lucanus found the cub on the docks earlier today. Sailors had apparently captured her, her mother, and her siblings. Unfortunately, her mother has passed, as has the rest of her litter, and when she became too ill for the sailors to make coin off of her, they were preparing to kill her when Captain Lucanus stepped in. I had thought you would perhaps be interested in giving the cub a home and future. I agree with the captain that the menagerie is no place for her, and Brynn and I are willing to help you. It will be an undertaking, and it will be challenging at times, but I have seen Conor and Brynn successfully raise orphaned wolf pups to live among humans. I believe that with time and patience, this wildcat cub could be taught to do the same.”
Aurelia bit her lower lip, her gaze on the sleeping cub. She shouldn’t take on such a large responsibility, not when her focus needed to be on attracting a husband, but she couldn’t help herself. She’d never had a pet before. Her brothers had all been given horses as soon as they’d grown old enough to ride on their own, but as a daughter, not a son, she had never been allowed such luxuries. Her parents would be appalled by any animal, much less a wildcat, living in the palace, but the cub clearly needed someone to care for it. And she could not bear the thought of it being sent to the menagerie where its innocent life would be stolen in the name of gruesome blood sport.
“I would be up for such a challenge,” she said. “If you and Brynn are willing to help me.”
“We will,” Rhiannon said as she and Brynn both smiled. “And we will make certain that you and the cub have all the tools you need before we return to Pern Coen.”
Brynn passed Aurelia the cub, which woke from its slumber. As Aurelia carefully cradled it in her arms, the cub yawned, showing her its tiny, sharp teeth before batting at the long, billowing sleeve of her light blue gown. She couldn’t hold back a soft laugh.
“You lost everything, didn’t you, little one?” she murmured, her throat thickening even as a little warmth filled her when the cub began to purr. How well did she know such loss?
“Thank you,” she said to Brynn and Rhiannon before turning her focus to Luca. “And thank you for saving her.” The cub batted at Aurelia’s sleeve again, and as she glanced back down at it, her gaze was drawn to the brilliant blue of the cub’s eyes. “I think I’ll call her Sapphirus.”
“A fine name for a royal wildcat,” Rhiannon said. “Brynn and I have a few things to attend to before the banquet tonight. We’ll leave the two of you out here, but if you have need of us, we’ll be right in the common room.”
Brynn and Rhiannon took their leave, closing the heavy canvas curtain that blocked off the balcony from the common room. Luca pulled something out of his pocket, holding it out to Aurelia.
“I, ah, brought you a gift as well,” he said. “For your birth celebration.”
“Thank you,” she said as she took the beautifully engraved hair comb from him, fighting to squash the flutter that tried to settle in her chest. The hair comb itself was small, but with its fine craftsmanship and intricate engravings of waves and various forms of the sea goddess, Procella, it still could have been costly. While she did not know if Luca’s father paid him an allotment like most noblemen did with their sons, she did know how little Alekos paid his soldiers.
“You’re welcome,” he replied.
“It seems that congratulations are in order,” she said. “Dimitri mentioned in his last letter that you were granted a new ranking.”
“I was, yes. Thank you, Your Highness. I am grateful for the opportunity.”
“Aurelia is truly fine. Or rather, in the confines of my chambers, at least,” she said. “Brynn and Rhiannon don’t regularly use such titles, and I’ve found that I’m growing accustomed to it.”
Alekos found such actions scandalous, but he had always made exceptions where Rhiannon was concerned. And there had been something about being addressed as Aurelia, instead of Her Highness, that had begun to make her feel as if perhaps the speaker saw her. Not just her title.
Luca gave a slow nod. “If that is what you prefer.”
“How long will you be staying at the palace?” she asked.
“The week,” he answered. “Then I’ll have to return to Ignis.”
“Your father is here as well, is he not?”
“Yes. Along with my half-brother, Cato.” He paused, jutting his chin toward Sapphirus, who had once again begun to doze. “If any of you need any help with the cub while I’m here, I’d be happy to offer assistance, if I’m not already otherwise occupied.”
A warmth curled in her chest again. “That would be most appreciated; thank you. I’m not sure what all she will need, but I’m certain that Rhiannon and Brynn will be able to sort that all out.” She leaned back in her chair to get more comfortable and ease the slight ache between her shoulder blades. “Tell me about Ignis. I’ve never been there, or to Viribus, for that matter, which I believe is where Dimitri said you were stationed before. I’ve heard that the coastlines in the more northern provinces are beautiful, and that the fish delicacies of the people of Viribus are unlike anything in the rest of the empire.”
Luca seemed happy to answer all of her many questions, far more than most men at court would have been, but the longer they conversed, the more she found herself having to rein in her wayward thoughts. There was an easiness to being around Luca that she had not experienced with other men, and she found herself craving more of it. You are a princess, she reminded herself as he regaled her with a story of a group of dolphins he and some of his men had seen during an early morning patrol along one of the docks in the city of Mador. Her future was already chosen for her. She could not change that, not without harming both her family and all who called Kelnore home. The survival of the House of Vepi depended on her marriage and the sons she would one day bear. Whatever feelings Luca stirred up inside of her, they didn’t matter. She would do her duty, just like every princess of the Imperial House before her.
Chapter 23
Luca stared longingly at his sword as he finished buttoning the last of the buttons on his leather vest. He would have far rather been strapping his blade to his waist and going to the training yard than meeting with Remus for breakfast. He was growing weary of snide words and disapproving looks being directed at him since he had stepped foot onto the palace grounds and he was eager for a bit of time with his sword to work off some of his building tension.
Later, he reminded himself. As soon as he was done dining with his father, Luca had every intention of retreating to the training yard before he would be expected to attend the spectacle of games and entertainment that would be held in one of the palace’s outdoor theatres later in the afternoon. The performance was supposed to center around a reimagining of Kyveli the Conqueror’s great defeat of the Siren Queen of the South Sea in the Bay of Aegir, and there were rumors that Emperor Alekos would have some of the creatures from the menagerie taking part in the performance. Thank the gods that Sapphirus won’t be one of them, he thought. While he still had some reservations about Rhiannon’s plans for the cub, Aurelia had seemed almost immediately smitten with the creature, and Brynn, in particular, had seemed to have a knack for handling the cub.
