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This was why he needed Rayne in there with him. He’d be able to cut through all the noise and help him find the heart of the matter he should be focusing on.
In all that mess, there was one word that was sticking out to him: secret.
“Should I be concerned that they’ve requested a ‘secret’ envoy?” He turned toward his mother and lifted an eyebrow. “Or is that our wording?”
“Theirs,” Hagen confirmed.
“There is a chance that they wish to keep it secret to protect the envoy as well as try to keep the situation from escalating. If Uris-Oladul believes Caspagir is bringing Erya into their fight, the whole of the Empire might be engaged.”
“Which has got to be what Uris-Oladul wants.” He spun around, waving one hand in the air. “The High Chancellor will claim that it was a big misunderstanding. Just an accident they invaded Caspagir. It was Queen Noemi who escalated everything and sought help from Erya. Uris-Oladul had to defend themselves by bringing in the Empire.” Caelan rolled his eyes at the whole thing. His mother didn’t look amused, but she didn’t contradict him either.
“That is not the only problem,” Hagen interjected. “If you travel in secret and this is a trap, it will be that much harder for us to retrieve you from a hostile country if we never announced you were traveling there in the first place.”
That was a nasty sticking point.
Caelan frowned at his mother. “While I am always happy to do anything asked of me for the good of Erya, I have to ask: why not send another diplomat—one who has dealt with the royal family of Caspagir?”
“This is important.”
That did not answer his question in the slightest.
“And I’m commanding you to go.”
That helped even less. Caelan glared at his mother, the queen of Erya. It was only due to his being the crown prince that he was able to ask the first question. You didn’t question the queen’s direct commands. You just obeyed.
He resented her ability to silence him in a second. He deserved more than this. If not because he was the crown prince, then because he was her fucking son.
Caelan bowed stiffly, lower than he had before, while keeping his hands balled at his side. “As you wish, Your Majesty.”
A soft sound slipped from his mother, and for a moment, he thought it might be a weary sigh. But Queen Amara didn’t sigh, and she didn’t feel weary. She was a strong, immovable force.
“Caelan,” she murmured.
He straightened and found that her expression remained stern and implacable. “While you are in Caspagir, I want you to also try to uncover what you can of the Empire’s ultimate plans.”
“As you wish. Have you determined my traveling party?”
“Lord Bevyn and Lord Laurent will be your traveling companions. Hagen feels a small entourage would be safest. Lord Laurent has already been informed of the plans, and he is speaking to Lord Bevyn now.”
Caelan’s brain did a double take at the titles. He’d forgotten that both Eno and Rayne had been given formal titles when they’d been officially assigned to Caelan. Their raised standing in society was a sign of their position within the Talos household. But to Caelan, they were just Eno and Rayne.
“In addition, we will be using your double here in the towers,” Hagen said. “We need everyone in Erya and beyond to believe that you are still here in the city.”
“Drayce?” Caelan paused and shook his head. “Drayce Ladon, my companion.”
“He would be of use with your double,” Hagen replied. The bodyguard’s expression warmed, and he thought he saw a hint of laughter in his brownish-auburn eyes. “Since you two are rarely seen apart, it would be more convincing if he was with your double.”
“No,” Amara stated, shocking them both. “I want him to travel with Caelan.” She lifted her eyes and something in her expression softened. “That is, if he wishes to travel with you. The road will be dangerous. If he wishes to remain in the towers, he can attend events with your double.”
Caelan nodded. She’d already rendered him speechless. Hagen had presented an excellent and logical case for Drayce to stay behind. He usually didn’t remain at Caelan’s side when he traveled for the state, but he’d noticed her allowing it a little more recently.
But why now? All he could figure was that Drayce represented one more person to watch Caelan’s back.
In truth, he didn’t care what her reasons were. He wanted Drayce with him when he went to Caspagir, but he wasn’t going to force his friend into a dangerous situation if he didn’t want to go.
“Once Drayce has decided, Rayne and I will finalize our travel arrangements,” he stated.
“I want you to leave before dawn. This needs to be done quickly.”
“As you wish. I will go speak to my companions now to arrange things.” Caelan bowed one last time and started to turn, but his mother caught him.
