Kingdom of the Sea, page 6
Daniel helped Luciana to her feet, then he took a seat in her chair, crossing his legs and looking far too comfortable. “Please have a seat,” Daniel said.
Without thinking, Luciana sat at her piano bench. Then she scowled as she realized she’d actually listened to his command. “How did you get in here?” Luciana asked. She’d been so shocked at his presence that she still hadn’t been able to ask all of her questions.
“Same way as you,” Daniel explained calmly. “The passageways.”
“Well, obviously, but how did you—”
“I saw you use one. Then yesterday when I saw you playing in here, I was able to figure it out.” Daniel shrugged. Luciana thought back to the mud that had caked her riding boots the day before. She must have led him right to her.
Luciana squirmed in her seat. How had she been so careless? She wasn’t usually hiding anything. She just liked her space. Only now she had the letter from her supposed cousin rolled up tight and shoved inside her flute for safe keeping. When her eyes darted over to where the flute was stored, it didn’t seem to be disturbed.
Luciana cleared her throat. “So, what did you wish to talk about?”
Daniel laughed. “Oh, now you’d like to know. I kept trying to pull you aside to tell you sooner.”
“Tell me what?” Luciana asked impatiently.
“I made a deal with my father on our way here,” he said.
Luciana sighed. “What does that have to do with me?”
“Everything.” Daniel smiled.
Luciana motioned for him to continue.
“I don’t wish to marry you any more than you wish to marry me. I’ve been trying my best to get to know you this week, but it’s only because my father gave me an exit opportunity. Should I dislike you, we can cancel the engagement.”
Luciana’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I have until the night of our engagement ball to decide as long as I pursue you in earnest. If we don’t have a connection by then, I will be allowed to return to Osmain alone, and we will both be free to go about our lives. I only hope Rey Nicolas won’t be offended when the contract is left unsigned.”
“Given my behavior toward you, why haven’t you simply given up already?”
“Because that was his stipulation. I had to try. I can’t just give up before the ball. I could lie, but my father would see through that in an instant. With my servants here and your family watching our every move, I’ve tried to make our interactions very public until now. I’m sorry, but this was the only way to get your attention. If we don’t agree to his terms, you and I will be married by the end of the season.”
Luciana practically choked. “That soon?”
“That is the plan. Didn’t you listen to your uncle discussing it with my father upon our arrival?”
“My mind was somewhere else.”
“Clearly.”
Luciana was growing impatient. What was he trying to say? “Get to the point. You made a deal, then what?”
“Well, I figured I would give you a chance. I obviously didn’t know what you’d be like and I certainly didn’t expect what I got.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“I wouldn’t,” Daniel laughed.
Luciana couldn’t think of a retort fast enough, so she sputtered, “What happened next?”
“I’m getting there!” Daniel leaned forward, and Luciana’s heart skipped a beat. “Maybe if you stopped interrupting me…”
Luciana wanted to say more just to spite him, but as long as their eyes were locked together, she couldn’t come up with words. She was speechless as they sat there, Daniel daring her to say anything else. She simply crossed her arms and that seemed to satisfy him.
Daniel cleared his throat dramatically before he continued.
“Anyway, I’ve always had a fantasy of marrying for love. My parents loved each other, and I want the same for myself and my future bride. But I suppose I waited too long to find her, and the next thing I knew, my father was dragging me here.”
Luciana knew how he felt. She had never really thought much about marriage, always found herself much too busy to fool around with the idiots in the Askanese court. Still, if she married, she would want it to be because she loved her husband.
Luciana smiled a bit as she said, “My mother loved my father, too. They made it look so easy.” Then she paused, remembering how it had been when her father had passed away, how deeply her mother had grieved. “I miss him.” She looked up as Daniel’s chair scraped against the wooden floors, inching it closer to her. There was a certain look in his eyes. It wasn’t pity, as she had expected, but understanding. She should have been disgusted that he was coming closer to her or terrified that she didn’t want him to move away. But try as she might, she couldn’t look away from him.
Then once again, he seemed to look right through her. “I lost my mother, too,” he whispered.
Luciana, for the first time, gave Daniel a smile. A real one. It wasn’t exactly ideal to bond over the deaths of their parents, but somehow it was comforting to know that someone else besides Camila had experienced the same pain as her.
Luciana’s father had always been so lively, and when he’d gotten sick, her family might as well have, too. Nothing had been the same since he’d died. Natalia was distant from her daughters, serving as a mother only when eyes were trained in her direction. Luciana had to remind herself every once in a while that her father would never truly disappear. He lived on through Camila and Luciana—especially Luciana. She was the spitting image of her father, and the only bit of Natalia that Luciana had inherited were her uncommon blue eyes.
The prick of tears formed in said eyes, and she quickly changed the subject. “Anyway, I get what you mean. About wanting to marry for love.”
Daniel looked as if he’d just been snapped out of a trance, his look of concern replaced with business-like swagger. Their time for grief was over and it was back to the matter at hand— their marriage. “Yes. So, as I was saying, I was willing to take the chance and get to know you. But your total disinterest has decided for me. I’ll call off our wedding at the engagement ball.”
Luciana didn’t react at all for a moment. Was he joking? But no, he sat there, entirely serious, and a tremendous weight lifted off her shoulders. This would make her appeal to become Reina much easier. Reina. Perhaps Daniel could help her there, too. He seemed to understand her so well already, perhaps if she simply told him…
“Are you alright?” Daniel asked.
“Yes, quite,” said Luciana unconvincingly.
“What is it? Isn’t this what you want?”
Luciana just nodded and made up her mind. She couldn’t tell him about her desire to be Reina. As much as he seemed sympathetic to her right now, they weren’t friends. A secret that big could only be told to someone who could be trusted.
“It’s settled then,” Daniel said. “I’ll call it all off and you and I can part as friends.”
“Is there a catch?” Luciana asked. It seemed almost too good to be true.
Daniel smiled, a grin that caused nervous butterflies in Luciana’s stomach. “Of course,” he said. “Spend time with me.”
Luciana bit her lip, weighing her options. She didn’t want anyone to see her with the Principe. They would have to hide away in the music room. But it was still better than marrying him.
“Deal,” Luciana said, extending her hand for a shake. “You get thirty minutes.”
6
Day 18 of Summer
The bells from the watchtower tolled, signaling a guest entering the castillo grounds. Luciana looked up from her daily paper in shock. She hadn’t expected a visitor today. Alora hadn’t said anything about it either, although she was still grieving the loss of her brother. Things were bound to slip through the cracks.
Luciana walked as quickly as she could to the throne room, prepared to greet whoever might be entering the castillo. When she arrived, she found herself to be the only one present. Camila’s absence was to be expected at this point, so that didn’t surprise Luciana in the slightest. Her mother must have heard about the visit and decided not to attend the meeting, meaning it probably wasn’t someone of great importance. As for her uncle…
He would undoubtedly be there to greet his guests, right? Luciana sat on her throne, anxious. As the minutes ticked by and no one came inside, she found herself squirming in her seat. Who could these visitors be?
The door opened slowly and a page stepped forward. As he saw only Luciana sitting on her throne, his eyes widened in surprise. He cleared his throat.
“Your Highness,” he said, “I present to you, the Barón of Heilo!”
A small elderly man hobbled into the throne room. He was so feeble he could barely bow before Luciana. He eyed her up and down, and she stared right back at him. She’d met the Barón once, but it had been several years ago, and without Nicolas there to greet him, Luciana felt awkward.
“It’s wonderful to see you, señor,” Luciana said as diplomatically as possible. “What brings you to the castillo today?”
“I must speak with Rey Nicolas immediately,” the Barón said.
“I understand,” Luciana said. “I’m sure he will be here any moment now. In the meantime, can I help you?”
“With all due respect, Your Highness, I must speak with someone who has the power to help me.”
Luciana narrowed her eyes. “Perhaps I can relay a message.”
“You’ll tell him my request?” The Barón asked.
“Of course,” Luciana said. “I’d do anything to help my people. What exactly do you need?”
The Barón shook his head. In disappointment or disbelief, Luciana wasn’t sure. But in the end he said, “Alright.”
Luciana sat up straight, ready to listen. She’d prepared her whole life for this. Now here she was speaking with a nobleman about his concerns. It was exhilarating.
“It’s the rebels,” he said.
Luciana’s heart dropped as he said it. She seemed to be hearing more and more about the rebels each day.
“What’s happened?” Luciana said, trying to keep her voice calm.
“Nothing yet, Your Highness. But they seem to be slowly marching across Askaña. They’ve been burning villages and our already sparse crops.”
“So I’ve heard. I was very saddened to hear about what happened in Nieve,” Luciana said.
“A horrible tragedy, indeed. I’ve come here today to avoid that fate for Heilo. We are positioned between Nieve and the castillo, and as such we are likely to be in the direct path of the rebels’ attack. I cannot defend my land and my tenants without assistance from your uncle and his militia,” the Barón explained.
“I understand completely,” Luciana said, nodding in sympathy. “I don’t wish for any more innocent blood to be spilt or for any more food to be destroyed. I will speak to him as soon as possible to work on a solution to your problem.”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” the Barón said, “but that’s only part of the issue.”
Before Luciana could decipher what that meant, her uncle entered the throne room.
“The Barón of Heilo,” Nicolas said, sweeping through the room and onto his throne. “Greetings, Señor! I apologize for my tardiness. I’ve had much to attend to this morning. What’s the occasion for your surprise visit?”
The Barón said, “I’ve just explained some of it to Princesa Luciana, but I was just getting to my largest concern.”
“Which is?”
“My people are turning on me,” he said solemnly.
“Turning on you?” Nicolas asked, a slight hint of annoyance in his tone.
“Yes, my tenants are dividing amongst themselves. Most are still loyal to the crown, but there are some who have decided to join the rebellion. And their numbers are growing. I am worried about the fate of Heilo. Either the rebels will burn my land down from the outside, or they will destroy it from within. I’ve already heard stories of nobility in the border regions slain by their own subjects who turned to the rebellion. I need your help to ensure that doesn’t happen to me, too,” the Barón said.
Luciana shook her head. This went deeper than she’d thought. First the border regions, then Nieve, and now Heilo. The rebellion was like a plague spreading throughout Askaña.
“That does seem concerning,” Nicolas said, considering the Barón’s request. “But it also seems like your problem. I can provide some men as personal defense to keep you and your estate safe, but as for your rowdy tenants, I can’t help you with that, can I?”
Luciana wanted to argue that he could, in fact, help. He could figure out why people were joining the rebellion, meet their demands, and let them fizzle out on their own. Luciana knew she was on shaky ground with Nicolas already. She knew he was growing tired of her constant nagging to help him around the castillo. So, despite every fiber of her being telling her to speak out against her uncle, she stayed silent.
“Please,” the Barón said. “I need help to keep things under control. Personal protection can only go so far. I need to keep people from joining the rebellion or the situation will only get worse.”
“It is not my job to make sure you do your duty,” Nicolas said coldly. “Now I believe we’re done here.”
Without saying another word, he stood and left the throne room. Luciana looked at the Barón, sadness in her eyes. As he turned to leave, he said, “Thank you for trying, Your Highness.”
As Luciana continued about her day, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread. The rebellion was becoming a big problem and Nicolas refused to fix it.
“I can’t even imagine what Esmeralda is going to be saying about us,” Luciana said that evening as she sank onto her piano bench.
Daniel shrugged from the chair he’d begun to claim as his in the corner. “Who cares?”
“I do. It matters to me that any talk surrounding me is true,” Luciana said.
Doing his best impression of Esmeralda, he said, “Did you hear? The Principe and the Princesa sit in silence at dinner and glare at each other! How romantic!”
Luciana rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t prevent a small laugh from escaping. When he put it that way she did sound a bit ridiculous, but this was Esmeralda they were talking about. She could make a compelling story out of anything.
“She’s probably going to start telling people that we sneak off together after dinner,” Luciana said.
“That’s technically true,” Daniel replied.
“But they won’t know that talking is all we’re doing. We could be… well…” Luciana trailed off, the heat of a blush rising in her cheeks. She’d managed to avoid thinking of Daniel in any kind of romantic way up until this point and she didn’t plan to start now. But she would have to make sure no rumors had spread that she’d lost her innocence. If she wanted any chance at all of being an Ambassador of the Sun, she’d have to make sure her image stayed completely clean.
“We could be,” Daniel agreed. “But instead, we’re in here, doing absolutely nothing.”
“We can’t very well go outside together,” she objected. “Someone could see, and I don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea about us. They can’t have any hope that it will work out.”
“We will have to be more cordial at meals. I think if you write him a letter confirming that we spent time together he will believe it, but I want to have a few accounts from other people that we were friendly just in case he asks.”
“That’s fine.” Luciana shrugged. It could be worse.
“It’s not exactly what I had in mind, but we will do something in here,” Daniel said.
Luciana looked around. “There’s nothing in here but instruments. Besides, you get thirty minutes. That’s all. What exactly could we do in thirty minutes?”
Daniel didn’t respond, but he grinned awkwardly, his eyes wide. As soon as she’d said it, Luciana realized exactly what two people could do in thirty minutes. Especially if marriage was in their future. She bit her lip. This might complicate things. She had to spend time with him to get out of the marriage—that wasn’t an option. But if they were caught, this would practically guarantee that she would have to marry if she ever became Reina, whether she’d done anything or not.
Daniel cleared his throat. “We don’t have to talk if you don’t want to.”
“So, we’ll sit here in silence?”
“Just do what you’d do if I weren’t here,” Daniel said. She knew he was just trying to make her feel more comfortable, but it put pressure on her instead. What exactly would she be doing if she were alone?
Her eyes drifted to the piano in front of her. She’d almost certainly be practicing. But she couldn’t just play the piano for Daniel. He’d already heard her play once, and that should have been enough.
“I don’t know what I’d be doing,” she lied.
“None at all?” Daniel said, leaning forward almost as though he were making a challenge. “All these instruments in here and you wouldn’t be playing even one?” His gaze swept the room. “How many do you even have? I can see five just from here.”
“There are seven,” Luciana corrected.
“Seven?” Daniel said, raising his eyebrows. “How are you not known for your music talents throughout the realm?” He looked impressed, which made the corners of Luciana’s mouth curl into a small grin.
“I just like having this to myself. As far as the rest of the realm knows, I only play the violin.”
“And you’re an expert at them all?” Daniel asked, amazed. Luciana couldn’t help it as a swell of pride made her smile.
“I’m better at some more than others,” Luciana admitted. “But I can play a few pieces on each.”
Daniel smiled. “Show me what you can do.”
“I can’t,” Luciana said.
“Why not?”
“I just told you. It’s very personal for me.”
“I’ve already heard you play,” Daniel reminded her, smiling devilishly. He had dimples when he smiled. Luciana had never noticed them before. She’d spent so much time pushing him away that she’d forgotten to look at the little things. It unsettled her that she’d been so blind.
