“The scandal,” Saeldian murmured. “Go on.”
“But when Azaelea showed up to arrange a chance meeting with her, he met Jadiris and forfeited the wager. He would have no one else, he had said, and set his sights on Jadiris, who—well, you saw him.”
“I did.”
“Apparently he was as good as he was gorgeous, and he accepted Azaelea’s friendship but remained oblivious to his suit…because he was in love with the new squire who he saw running errands and training, who was—”
“Ilondrel,” Saeldian finished. “Who had left idle pastimes behind to devote herself to becoming a paladin, and whom Lord Azaelea was supposed to ruin.”
“You always see right through to the heart of things.”
“I knew where this was going as soon as you said what Lady Nightshade was mad about.”
“This is why we never take you to the theater,” Jubilee said.
“I’m sorry. Go on.”
“Jadiris didn’t know or ignored that his friend Lord Azaelea was trying to seduce him, while he held back his true feelings for Ilondrel, until she finally got sick of his polite restraint and did something about it. And so they were finally together, until Azaelea’s curse struck Jadiris down.”
“Oh Hells. That’s awful.”
“And! They had married the way the Storranelds had last night, just the day before Azaelea’s revenge.”
Saeldian covered their eyes. “It’s worse. It’s even worse now! How could you tell me this?”
“So you know that…this is the right thing to do, Sheld. Putting this gem back this way. Ilondrel doesn’t need to know what happened. She’s been through enough.”
“You told them,” Lorzok said from behind them. “Good. I told Kell. Actually, Saeldian, he asked me to give you this.”
Lorzok held out a silk pouch by its drawstrings near eye level.
“That’s our gem, yeah?” Saeldian let the weight rest in their hand. “So if you touch it, you remember the first time you kissed your true love?”
Lorzok shifted a little. “Apparently.”
“Oh ho,” Jubilee crowed, then stopped. “Wait.”
Lorzok smiled. “Not what you think. I haven’t met my true love yet, it seems. I had a sort of remembering of many kisses, all quite pleasant.”
“Oh ho,” Jubilee said again, louder and more exuberant. “Who were they?”
“None of their features were clear,” Lorzok said. “I’m sure it does work, however.”
“Probably the same thing for me, if I were to touch it,” Jubilee said. “Which is good, since I’m single, and if the gem worked, then that means I totally blew it with someone back then.”
Saeldian laughed, but they had to. “What about Verandil?”
Jubilee scoffed. “That was just fun. Did Kell touch it?”
Saeldian stood up, one hand shading their eyes. “Barge.”
Kell popped out of the cottage. “Time to go.”
Lorzok dropped the bag into Saeldian’s palm. They stuffed it into a pocket and hurried to the barge waiting at the end of Jubilee’s dock. It moved to the island as soon as they’d all found their balance, skimming over the calm water toward their destination.
Jubilee’s voice echoed in Saeldian’s imagination. Did Kell touch it?
It didn’t matter. Saeldian didn’t want to know. It was foolish to wonder. It wasn’t their business.
