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“If you haven’t seen them, then you can’t presume they were in their chambers.”
“You’re right, sir. I can’t presume.”
“Then your answer to the question about the whereabouts of the king and queen during the night should be I don’t know.”
The princess nods. “Yes, sir.”
“Moving on. Tell me how your husband died.”
“Stabbing.” She swallows. “By stabbing.”
“You stabbed him?”
“No! I thought you believed me. I swear on my family, I didn’t touch him. Well, I did?—”
I raise my hand, and she stops talking. “What is the correct answer to things you presume, but aren’t sure about?”
Her eyes light up. “I don’t know?”
“Are you asking me or telling me?” Far too kind. Naive. They’ll devour her.
“I don’t know,” she says firmly.
“Good. You’re a quick learner. Why did you come here?”
“My brother said you would honor your friendship, and that if I ever needed anything, I could come to you. Will you help me?”
“Only if you are innocent.” She is. The messenger told me so.
“Do you not believe me?”
“No,” I lie.
“Is it because I can’t prove anything?”
“I must investigate and speak with my king.”
“I’ve heard the Summer king can read minds.”
“Maybe. In the meantime, I must secure your person.”
“Will you lock me up?”
“Our dungeons aren’t for you.” And she might be able to escape them. I have a feeling her magic can override the wards and the portals, but that’s a puzzle I’ll solve another span. “You said there were people who came into your chambers and they came to kill you too. I want you to think about them, really listen to their voices, and tell me everything you can about them, even recall their scents.”
The princess starts picking at her thumb. “I want to help you, Commander. I really do, but every time I think about standing in the closet alone in the darkness listening to the people who were trying to kill me, and his footsteps, and his breath, and his face, and his knuckles with the king’s ring on one finger, and… Oh.” Her eyes widen. “There was a tattoo on his wrist. Oh yes!” She scoots to the edge of her seat. “A leather bracelet.”
The hair on the back of my neck stands on end. “A leather bracelet or a tattoo?”
“A tattoo around the wrist that looks like a bracelet.” I hear her heart beating harder and harder, almost as if she’s about to have a panic attack, which would be normal for people who have suffered trauma and were then asked to go back in time and relive it. But I can’t go soft on her. I’m responsible for thousands of lives in this court, not to mention the protection of our royal family.
“Three braided stacks that made up a bracelet tattoo.”
I stare at the princess. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. Do you know this tattoo? This man?”
I move toward the door. “I’ll see that you’re settled and attended to under my care. While you’re under my care, you will make yourself available whenever I call. Clear?”
