“Enough,” King Leopold declared, and the smile tucked itself from our faces. “You two need to do well, if you’re to be the best our kingdom has going for it. Take this seriously.”
“And what of Lee?” Prince Theodore asked. “We can’t leave the Blackwoods unpunished.”
“I’ll send men to search the estate. If he’s got any brains—which history has shown he does—all the Blackwoods will be long gone by the time we arrive. It’s been weeks. If only we had known sooner.” The King sent a pointed, irritated look to Thom. “This matter is larger than your feelings.”
Thom bristled, and I stepped closer to him. His fingers tightened around mine.
Theodore smothered a smile. “What anillogicalchoice for you to make on behalf of yourself and the kingdom,” the crown prince reproached him. He shook his head with a tsk. “Thankfully, your older brother is much more stable when it comes to matters of the heart.”
Thom rolled his eyes, but a corner of his mouth curved. “Says the man who wanted to go door to door throughout the entire kingdom, searching thousands of homes…”
“Boys,” the King’s voice said, cutting through the levity. “We are talking about the Blackwoods.”
Both pressed their lips together.
I inhaled sharply, emboldened. “But surely with the crown’s resources, we’ll find Lee.”
He gave me a sad smile. “We will look, I swear to you.” He glanced between us. “To you both. But the Blackwoods have long been a thorn in my side. I doubt we’ve seen the last of them, or this plague, despite the cure you have procured, Thom. And MasterCarter has informed me of your theory on the illness’s spread, Ms. Smyth. I believe your suspicions about the plague being manipulated, or at least encouraged by the Blackwoods, is correct.”
“The amount of money made on delay draughts…” Theodore shook his head. “When it’s possible they’ve known the cure for far longer.”
“At least we know now thanks to Lyranore.”
I nodded in thanks, disappointment undercutting any sense of pride I’d had over my research. “If we find the Blackwoods, they can tell us if they worked with anyone. But if we can’t, I would like to continue my research. Perhaps we can get a better idea of where the Quiet Passing came from and why.”
King Leopold leaned back. “That sounds like an excellent treatise topic for the two of you to put together during your next semester in Junira. I’ll be expecting your presentation by next Snowfest. What say you?”
I looked at Thom, whose eyes glinted as they met mine.
“You’ll have to work hard to keep up with me,” I told him, a smile gracing my lips.
He threw his head back and laughed. “When does my first lesson begin, Master Lyra?”
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Despite the coolness of the evening, a dozen candles lit my family’s home, all shimmering in Asha’s eyes as she greeted me with a big embrace. I lifted her onto my hip, planting a kiss on her cheek.
“You look well,” I told her. Throughout the spring and summer, pink had returned to her cheeks and her figure was rounder. She was no longer the bony patient I’d nurtured for months, fearing the worst.
Asha spotted Thomas behind me and hid her face in my shoulder.
“Tell him,” Kelara said.
“Thank you for the offer, Prince Thomas. Mama says I can come for a tour of the palace if Lyra and your guard take me together.” Her voice was muffled by the fabric of my gown. I gave Kelara a look, but she shrugged. I couldn’t blame her caution after our last trip.
But it’d been over a year. And sometimes people changed.
Thomas bowed his head. “You’re most welcome, Asha.”
Caleb followed us in, satisfied after checking the outside of the house for lurkers that never existed. He was extra cautious after Prince Thomas’s kidnapping, and for that, I could not blame him. Even I still checked over my shoulder when walking around theCapitol, especially with the Blackwoods missing.
When Caleb noticed Kelara, he stumbled. I brought my hand up to my mouth to cover a smile.
“Hi, Mr. Caleb,” Asha said with a wave.
“Are you alright?” Kelara asked, brows knitted together.
His throat bobbed. “Of course.”
