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‘I mean it.’
‘Yes.’ She watched him go. ‘Good luck.’
‘You don’t mean that,’ he said.
‘I do. You have to protect the people you love, and I get that.’
‘You do?’
‘Yes, believe it or not, I actually do. I hope you get a wonderful wife.’
‘I hope so too. But there’s no luck required if you’re adequately prepared.’ He looked at her for a long moment. ‘Thank you for going against all your principles and coming in through the tunnel.’
He had to go—he mustn’t keep the King waiting. Especially tonight! However, he looked at Beatrice one last time. She was still pretending to be fun, while sitting glumly on the bed.
‘Hey, I found out something,’ he told her.
‘What?’
‘I looked up that guy—the feral one, Dante Schininà. He’s done well for himself.’
‘Please don’t.’
‘Okay,’ he said. ‘Anyway, I really have to go.’
‘You really found Dante?’
‘I found out he owns a hotel in Ortigia, Sicily.’ He gave her a smile. ‘I’m going to be a while.’
‘I know you are.’ She watched him put on his cap. ‘Julius, can I say one thing? Not as me, but as the person you hired?’
‘You can’t come to the meeting with me.’
‘Of course not.’ She took a breath, because she knew there were things he could not tell her—she very much understood that now. She looked at him, and knew he did not need her going for the jugular, as she usually did. ‘Actually, I’ll just say it being me.’
‘Very well.’
‘I don’t have a family, but you do...’
He gave a small mirthless laugh.
‘Your father is grieving...’
‘Yes—grieving the fact it wasn’t me that died.’ He gave her a look that told her he didn’t have time for this. ‘Beatrice, I have to go.’
‘Julius, that book Jordan lent you...’
He picked up his sword and sheathed it in the scabbard on his left-hand side. He was clearly not going to make small talk now.
‘Who does a king talk to?’ Beatrice asked.
‘Not his son, that’s for sure.’ He gave her a grim smile. ‘What happened to Fun Beatrice?’
He was right; she was incapable of being bubbly for even five minutes. ‘Good luck,’ she said.
She didn’t mean it.
Hopefully they’d choose him a horrible wife...
