Unlike our previous confrontations, he gave no reaction to my hostility, not even when I raised my fists. He paused in front of me, but before I could strike, he suddenly knelt before me, bowing his head in a show of deference.
“Princess, we’ve been looking everywhere for you. We’re so relieved you’re safe.”
Princess?The unexpected title served as an effective block; my clenched hand froze mid-air before it could reach its target.
“Pardon?” I stuttered. “What did you call me?” It was the same address the guards had used this morning after I’d slipped through the window.
“Princess, Your Highness.”
I’d been mistaken for many roles and disguised myself in countless more, but royalty was far out of my realm of experience. I searched his expression for any hint of deceit, but his head remained bowed, concealing his face.
Evander snorted. “It appears youarethe royal they’re searching for. That’s quite the twist.” His words and resulting chuckle didn’t draw a single gaze towards him, the guards’attention fixated on me as if afraid I’d vanish the moment they looked away…a fear that, admittedly, was entirely warranted.
I shifted awkwardly, my shaking hands bunching my torn gown that was splattered with mud from my scuffle with the wall—attire entirely unbefitting a royal. Not that my clothing was my greatest concern at this moment. The guards were waiting, prodding me with their gaze for an explanation I didn’t have. Normally I could spin lies with the greatest ease, but the usual wit I always used as a shield felt evasive in the face of my shock.
At my extended silence, the captain looked up. I fully expected the malice that had been present during last night’s capture…only to find another emotion instead, one so foreign I almost didn’t recognize it.Worry. It had been years since anyone had felt any form of concern towards me.
“Where have you been, Your Highness? When we entered you room and found you missing…” His eyes bulged upon noticing my messy, unregal attire. He was on his feet in an instant, hand hovering over the hilt of his sword. “What’s happened to you, Princess? Are you hurt?” His eyes narrowed as he scanned the surroundings. “Who did this to you?”
“I’m…quite well.” It might have been my gravest lie. I’d never felt this flustered or confused. I hated the feeling—the way it put me on an uneven playing field when it was imperative I keep my wits about me.
The only thing keeping my panic from overtaking me was Evander’s presence beside me. Finding assurance in such a man was inexplicable considering he was the one who had alerted the guards’ to my presence. Though he remained the most aggravating stranger I’d ever encountered, his presence meant I wasn’t entirely alone. I couldn’t even remember the last time that had happened, the dim memory too faraway it couldn’t be contained in any object I owned.
Despite his sarcastic quips, the guards ignored him, focusing wholly on me as though I were a priceless artifact in danger of breaking. It didn’t seem to bother him; I gathered that he likely knew them and they were used to his sense of humor. It was a small relief to know that they did not view the man I’d been consorting with as a threat.
I glanced from Evander to the guards and back. Their gazes remained fixed on me, as if he didn’t exist. My pulse quickened. Were they ignoring him…or could they not see him?
“What’s going on?” I asked in a whisper. “Why are they ignoring you?”
Evander responded smoothly. “As an innocent bystander, I’m simply not their concern.” Somehow, something about his explanation seemed insufficient.
“Who are you speaking to, Your Highness?” Captain Tomas asked.
“My companion—” I gestured towards Evander from his place beside me…only for my breath to catch. He was gone, disappearing without a sound or shimmer of movement. Simply…vanished, swallowed by the morning mist without even the echo of his teasing laughter remaining.
I twisted, searching the trees, the hedge, the path behind me—but there was no trace. Almost as if…he hadn’t been there at all.
The captain’s black brows drew together. “There was no one accompanying you when we found you. Are you sure you’re well, Princess?” He took a step closer as though ready to guide me to the infirmary…or wherever a supposed royal was taken when she began ranting about nonexistent companions.
I didn’t answer, simply stared at the empty spot where Evander had stood moments before in disbelief, as if he would materialize as suddenly as he had when I’d been chasing him…but it remained empty. I reached out a hesitant hand, feelingthe space, but there was nothing, dismissing the possibility he’d simply become invisible.
“Princess?” Captain Tomas and the other guards were still staring at me, concern etched in their otherwise stoic expressions.
“That man who was here,” I said, voice trembling. “Where is he?”
The captain’s brow furrowed. “There was no one else with you.”
I stared at him, searching his expression for any shift, but his words had been given without any hint of deceit. Had I imagined Evander? A figment of adrenaline and nerves? But my heart still raced from his infuriating grin, while my cheeks still burned with remembered heat. He had been real. I knew it.
That left only one explanation, though I hated to entertain it—Evander wasn’t just mocking me with riddles; he was one, a puzzle that even my wit wouldn’t be able to unravel.
I didn’t have time to process his disappearance, not when every guard watched me as if awaiting instructions from their supposed princess…but none were forthcoming. My head pulsed, throbbing with the beginning of a headache at my temples.
The captain studied me a moment before leaning forward, lowering his voice. “Was there truly a man, Your Highness?” At my shaky nod, his expression transformed in an instant as a possibility occurred to him. “Is he the kidnapper who abducted you from your room?”
“No, he didn’t take me anywhere.” Except on a wild goose chase that he had frustratingly won. My jaw tightened in irritation at the annoying reminder.
But my words went unheard. The captain’s earlier concern deepened, morphing into frenzy. He rounded on the guards.“Search the grounds for the intruder who attempted to kidnap the princess.”
