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“Well, I can’t seem to figure out how a hidden kingdom like this would exist outside the view of the modern eye, or why. A city this size surely draws enough power to be noticed, and it must have supplies shipped in, not to mention being visible on Google maps even. So why haven’t I ever heard of it, or any others like it?”
“Because we have a long standing agreement with the global leaders to stay hidden. It benefits them as well as us, and it has worked this way for centuries. Outsiders do stumble upon us from time to time, and there are methods of handling those cases. Usually they are brought in, most of the time with their entire families are given lands and titles to entice them to stay, or the person disappears--it depends on the kingdom and the king. As for the why, well, the Shrouded Kingdoms hold more power in global politics than all but a handful of countries, which is only possible because they are exempt from the vast majority of global regulations. This allows them to serve as a neutral third party. Everybody wins. But this isn’t what is really most pressing on your mind, is it?”
“He wasn’t what I expected,” I say finally. “Prince Titus.”
Calian nods, as if he already knew what was on my mind. “What will you do?” he asks.
“You ask like I have a choice,” I say. I’m going to run. Run far away as soon as you crazy people leave me alone.
“You haven’t asked if you’re allowed to go back to your old life,” he notes, raising an eyebrow.
“Am I?”
“No,” he says. “Trying to leave would only draw the Prince’s ire. And Prince Titus is not a wise man to cross. But you already figured that out, didn’t you?”
I nod, swallowing hard. “Are you going to tell him about this?” I ask. About what I don’t know exactly, but it seems like Calian is seeing straight through to my intentions, and if he’s going to go to Prince Titus with what he suspects, I don’t think I’ll make it far.
He favors me with a small smile, looking down in a wistful way as he hefts a glass paperweight from a desk. “Officially, I’m an arm of the royal Burkewood family. I do precisely as they command without question. But between you and I? I was never officially asked to report my suspicions about you to the Prince. I was only asked to bring you here safely and teach you what I could about our city.”
I smile, feeling like I’m seeing Calian for the first time since he picked me up outside the restaurant only a few hours ago. It already feels like days ago--like it was in another life entirely. “Thank you.”
“Please, don’t thank me,” says Calian. “In truth, you would be wise to avoid telling me anything you don’t want the Princes or the Queen to know. If they thought to ask me a direct question, I would answer them truthfully.”
“I understand,” I say.
He sets the paperweight down carefully, finally looking back up to me. “Running away would be a terrible risk, Princess. Prince Titus holds grudges as lovingly and with as much care as some people keep pets. If he put half as much effort into being a good Prince, he would have united the Shrouded Kingdoms by now.”
“Noted,” I say carefully. “What do you know about his brother?”
“Roark?” asks Calian with a sly grin. “You wouldn’t be the first who looked past the younger brother for the older. Prince Roark Burkewood is something of an enigma to me, I must admit. His younger brother and mother have no problem ordering me around and using me like a common slave, which means I overhear very much and have opportunities to see what kind of people they are. Prince Roark seldom uses my services, and when he does, he’s purely professional about it.”
“So you can’t tell me anything more about him?” I ask, trying not to let the disappointment in my voice show through too much.
“I didn’t say that,” says Calian. “You asked what I knew. I know very little, but if you had asked what I suspect or what rumors I can share, then I would have much more to talk about.”
“Okay, then what are the rumors about him?”
“Some say he was the one who killed his father--”
“The king was murdered?”
“Most likely,” says Calian. “Unless he rolled over in his sleep and suffocated himself on his own pillow.”
“Do you think Roark did it?”
“Personally? No. Prince Roark has never struck me as the type to sneak around and play subtle games. He’s a man of direct force and conviction. I believe if he wanted his father dead, he would have killed him in broad daylight or whenever the conviction struck him, and he would have paid no mind to who saw.”
