Smiling, he turned to Lady Neda. “Come, Neda, let’s leave the young ones to their deliberations while we continue our walk.”
Reiya’s gaze lingered on the departing pair. Annaïs glided closer, fingers slipping around her arm with the ease of a confidante conspiring over some shared secret. Her insides shuddered.
“Wemustdiscuss our costumes,” Annaïs said, her tone effervescent. “It’s such a shame we didn’t go to the market last time. I didn’t even get to show you my favourite silk vendor.” Her eyes widened, her excitement seemingly genuine. “Why don’t we remedy that this afternoon?”
Reiya blinked. “This afternoon?”
Annaïs nodded, dark waves bouncing.
How sudden.
Was this another excursion designed to draw her out of the palace? Had something been arranged at the market that’d put her straight in Castiel’s hands?
Her instinct screamed at her to tread carefully. Before she couldspeak, Captain Marzius stepped forward, his expression composed but unmistakably firm.
“My apologies, Princess, but the royal guard is stretched thin today. Several men have been dispatched to the nearby watch post. I fear we lack the numbers to guarantee your safety beyond the palace walls.”
Annaïs turned toward the captain, her smile thinning. “It’s only a simple visit to the market, Captain. Must you be so rigid? Surely there’s no need for a full escort for such a trivial outing.”
Marzius’s mouth twitched, though it wasn’t a smile. “Protecting the royal family is my sworn duty, Lady Annaïs. I treat it with the gravity it deserves.”
He inclined his head, posture crisp. “Might I suggest summoning the vendors and dressmakers to the palace instead? It would ensure the princess’s safety while still accommodating your needs.”
Reiya seized the opportunity. “A thoughtful solution, Captain Marzius,” she said warmly, but with enough firmness to close the matter. She turned to Annaïs. “Isn’t that a wonderful idea? This way, we won’t need to leave the palace.”
Annaïs hesitated, and in that brief moment, Reiya caught the flicker behind her polished facade—annoyance, frustration, quickly smothered.
She recovered gracefully, her smile brightening once more.
“Of course. That’s a brilliant alternative. How very clever of you, Princess, to turn this into an even more exclusive affair. I’ll make the arrangements.”
As the woman withdrew, fingers sliding from her arm with deliberate slowness, she resisted the urge to rub the lingering impression away.
Whatever Annaïs had intended for this market visit, it was clear she’d hoped to pull her into it. But with Captain Marzius’s firm redirection, her game was once again thwarted.
Reiya met his gaze and offered a subtle nod of gratitude. He acknowledged it with the barest tilt of his head—a silent confirmation that he’d seen through the ploy as well.
The princes approached, and together they watched Annaïs disappear beyond the garden path leading to her quarters.
Kaelen’s voice broke the silence. “What’s on your mind, Reiya?”
She glanced at him, then at Alarik. “The ball feels like the moment everything’s been leading to. Whatever Annaïs and her father have planned, I’m certain it will happen then.”
Alarik folded his arms, eyes narrowing. “A ball where masks will be worn—not just to conceal identity, but intent.”
“Precisely.”
Kaelen’s golden gaze met hers. “And Castiel?”
Reiya’s focus drifted to the empty garden path, her thoughts churning as images flashed through her mind—the arrow marked with the Tidebinder’s knot, the fleeting figure at the market.
“If Castiel is here, and if he still plans to retrieve me, the masquerade is where he’ll be,” she said quietly.
His arms tightened across his chest. “Should we search Hassamir’s estate? If Castiel is here, hiding under their roof would be the perfect cover—explains why Marzius’s search yielded nothing.”
Alarik countered, “Ordering a search without proof could backfire. Hassamir would accuse us of overreach, and the court would see it as a power play.”
Reiya gave a slow nod. “And if we move too soon, we risk driving Castiel deeper into the shadows instead of drawing him into the open.”
