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He pauses at a writing desk and tugs open one of the drawers, shuffling through sheets of paper. I’m starting to regret not searching through his things earlier. There’s no telling what I would have found.
“Father thinks it’s someone inside the castle,” I lie. Even though we don’t interact regularly, I know Zen won’t doubt anything I say in regards to our father. As the heir, I’m too close to him not to know what he thinks. “More than likely a noble.”
“Interesting,” he says, sliding the drawer closed again and staring down at the tabletop. “Why does he think that?”
I shrug, adjusting myself on the bed and leaning back on my hands to get comfortable. “No one else would be able to avoid suspicion for this long,” I say. “Someone on the inside would know all the inner workings of the castle, our schedules, our habits. They could easily get around without being caught.”
Zen chuckles once and shakes his head.
“None of our nobles are smart enough for that,” he says, slowly pacing his way across the room.
“I don’t know, I agree with Father,” I say, my eyes tracking him as he moves. “Besides, I don’t think they’d have to be very smart to pull it off.”
Zen laughs in earnest this time and shakes his head before arguing. “Of course, they would. They would have to be slick enough to avoid all the nosey pairs of eyes around the castle, and humble enough not to brag about it. You and I have both met the nobles, Nor. You have to admit most of them are mildly incompetent.”
I continue to humor him, trying to keep him talking. If there’s someone he suspects of being capable, including himself, maybe he’ll slip up if I keep pressing.
“You’re not wrong.” I force a laugh. “But if not them, then who?”
“Take your pick,” he says, stopping to stare in my direction. “It could be anyone, including you.”
It’s an accusation disguised as a joke, but I decide not to let it bother me. After all, I’m clearly innocent.
“Why would I send troops to attack my bride’s kingdom?” I ask. “They’re our ally.”
“Power, obviously.” Zen slowly makes his way back over and pauses a few feet away. “With Hyatt defenseless, you could rule both kingdoms. Father always talks about expanding—wouldn’t this be the perfect way?”
His words echo Irissa’s, making my skin crawl. The fact that anyone could accuse me of being so power-hungry makes my blood boil. Even without my marriage to Irissa, attacking Hyatt would have never been something I considered. Slaughtering innocent people to gain land and resources isn’t how I plan to rule the kingdom.
However, the fact that he mentions it, makes me wonder. If Zen is behind the attacks, maybe that’shisplan, to take over Hyatt and merge our kingdoms. But in order for him to benefit from that, he would have to sit on the throne, and that’s not happening any time soon. The only way that he could obtain the crown is if Father and I were both incapacitated…
My heart plummets into my stomach.
The missing link that connects the poisoning and the attacks on Hyatt has slipped into place, and the revelation has blood slamming in my ears. I might not have any evidence that Zen is connected to them, but our conversation has solidified my suspicions. Now all I need to do is prove it’s him.
“I wouldn’t betray my bride,” I say, quickly getting back to the conversation at hand. “Hyatt is an ally, and we must protect it.”
“Right, the human,” he says, rolling his eyes. “She’ll be useless if Hyatt falls. She’s worthless without the alliance, and you know it.”
My jaw clenches at the insult, and it takes every shred of self-composure I can muster to keep from launching myself at him. How dare he speak that way about the princess.My princess.If I didn’t need to be cordial in hopes of proving his guilt, I’d rock Zen’s head off the marble wall right now and snap his neck for good measure. Hopefully when he’s found guilty, I’ll get to do just that.
Somehow, I manage to swallow the hatred boiling up my throat.
“Worthlessness isn’t defined by one’s social standing, Zen,” I say carefully and get to my feet. I need to get out of here before I lose my resolve and beat his ass. “If you hear whispers of anything about the attacks, will you let me know?”
It’s a pointless question to maintain the act of blissful ignorance, but he pretends to buy it.
“Of course, brother,” he hisses, and I already know it’s a lie.
After a quick dismissal, I slip out of the room and hurry down the corridor, plotting how I’m going to catch Zenobios red-handed. I just hope he doesn’t get any else killed before I can prove he’s behind it.
CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN
Irissa
Ilet my tears fall shamelessly as I stomp my way back across the castle, not even bothering to wipe them away. My feet move automatically, and the hallways pass by in a dark blur. I don’t know where I’m headed, but I can’t go back to the dungeon yet.
No one should see me like this, not when I’m coming to terms with the cold, hard truth.
