No one watching the match seemed to notice her. Being in Russek, she had the unique opportunity to do something to foil their invasion of Emperion. She would need to be vigilant so when an opportunity presented itself, she would be ready to act.
After sparring with a few more men, the prince came over to Allyssa. “Follow me.”
He wiped his sweaty forehead with his arm. She put a few feet between them since he stank of body odor. In the corner of the room, they went down a long, narrow hallway lined with several doors.
“Most of these are offices. A few are meeting rooms.” At the end, he pulled out a key and unlocked the last door. She stepped into a small office lit by a single window. Kerdan moved to the door at the back of the room, unlocking it. He waved her forward. She stepped inside the dark room, the door clicking shut behind her. “Hang on,” he mumbled. “I need to light the oil lamps. There we go.”
“What is this place?” The room contained one small cot, two chairs, and a dresser.
“This is where I live when I’m not at the castle.” He sat on one of the well-worn chairs.
“Why?” The castle wasn’t far from here, and this place wasn’t very befitting for a prince.
“Isn’t it obvious?” He leaned forward on his arms, his eyes intense. She didn’t like the way he seemed to be always watching her—assessing her every move.
She broke eye contact and examined the room in greater detail. His bedchamber at the castle had no personal possessions. This room had stacks of books on the floor, tapestries of horses on the walls, and several weapons scattered throughout. It somehow felt familiar and comfortable.
“I find you rather puzzling,” she said, sitting on the empty chair next to him. Did he truly dislike his stepmother and stepsiblings so much that he would rather live at the garrison? Did Soma really try to kill him? Where did the lies end and the truth begin? “I’ve dealt with enough deceit from Prince Odar; I don’t have the energy to handle yours as well. How about we be frank with one another?” She slumped back in the comfortable chair, too exhausted to maintain her pristine posture. If she was going to stop Russek, she needed to begin with this man. He could be the key to saving Emperion.
“I hoped you would say that.” His eyes flickered, warming infinitesimally. “Tell me, are you really Princess Allyssa of Emperion?”
“Why do you keep asking me that?”
“To make sure the queen and her children aren’t concocting some sort of ruse.”
She lifted her hand, revealing the ring that identified her as the heir to the Emperion throne. “What makes you doubt my identity?”
He scratched the back of his head. “I was informed they interrogated you twice in the dungeon.” She nodded. “And you refused to answer any questions, which resulted in you being caned and then having your fingernails removed.”
She shuddered from the memory of the cane slicing through the air and striking her back. Of the metal instrument pulling out her nails one by one. Hatred for Jana, Soma, and Shelene boiled inside of her. “That is correct.”
“Why didn’t you comply? Why put yourself through that?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” she replied, using the same words he had.
Kerdan chuckled, leaning back in the chair. “A princess who fights, is loyal, and can undergo torture but not break. I didn’t think someone like you existed.”
The room became confining. She stood, heading for the door, unable and unwilling to take this man’s compliment. He was cunning, ruthless, and he had a plan for her.
“Please don’t leave. Just listen to what I have to say. I promise every word I speak in this room will be the truth.”
She paused, her shaking hand on the door handle. Run.
“Allyssa, please, I beg you.” His voice turned soft, pleading, revealing a man not much older than her. “Let me explain.”
Bloody hell. She released the handle and sat back down. “I still don’t trust you.”
“I didn’t ask you to. And, frankly, I would be disappointed if you did.”
“What do you want from me?” she asked.
“When I was a child, the king was kind and a fair ruler. Russek was a peaceful kingdom. Then Jana arrived at our court, and things began to change. My mother became ill, my father started to lose his temper, and Russek fell into financial hardship. When the queen died, the king became…unreasonable. He remarried the day the mourning period ended. That’s when his obsession with conquering Emperion took root.”
Kerdan had stated the facts, leaving out his opinions, so she could draw her own conclusions. But it was easy to figure out what he was inferring—Jana had something to do with the queen’s death. Looking at the facts, there were too many coincidences for it to be otherwise. So, if the events he so plainly stated were indeed accurate, then he had a very good reason to despise the queen. However, what of the king? Did Jana poison him as well in order to get what she wanted? Or did something else change him?
Folding her hands together on her lap, she tried to process everything. “When did Jana come to your court?” Rema banned Eliza and Jana almost twenty years ago. Instead of forcing them to another kingdom, she sent them to a small cottage in northern Emperion under the guard of a dozen soldiers. They managed to disappear several years ago. Her mother should have executed them when she had the chance.
“About four years ago.”
“And how long after that did she marry the king?”
“Less than two years.”
“And Soma is skilled in the art of poison. How convenient.”
“That he is. Coincidentally, I ate some food laced with poison not long ago. I, too, almost died. Thankfully, I keep several antidotes on hand and have been studying the smell and taste of various toxins.”
A knock resounded through the room. “Captain,” someone called from the other side of the door. Interesting that the man used Kerdan’s title of captain instead of prince. “Can I please have a word with you?”
“If you’ll excuse me.” Kerdan stood.
“Are you going to leave me here, alone, in your room?” she asked.
“You’ll be safe. No one can harm you here.”
“I mean, do you trust me enough to leave me alone in your room with your personal possessions?”
“I trust no one.” His large body filled the height and width of the door, making the room feel even smaller.
“Then why not have me wait out in the hallway?”
“Because I am running out of time and something must be done.” He yanked the door open and exited.