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“Yes, that’s how I look too when he says stuff like that,” Odette interjected, and when I looked at her, she was looking back at me. “That’s how I ended up falling for him. He’s very good with his words.”
“I have my moments.” I winked before laughing.
All right, so this wasn’t the worst.
The interview went perfectly, to the point we couldn’t stop laughing and talking, sometimes more to each other than to Edmond. By the time we reached Rozem, we were all just on a cloud. Once again, there were people on the train platform to greet us, little girls with flowers trying their best to curtsy, and of course, less friendly press trying to get Gale or me to react to their questions.
Everything was perfect.
Meeting everyone, touring through a local school, and even stopping at a bakery for snacks—the afternoon was everything everyone had hoped for and planned. So, when I arrived at the Rozem estate, where we were only supposed to be for the night before moving on to the next city in the morning, I was in a good mood. Until I saw the photo, the one that hung right under a mounted stag. And the little two mismatched eyes were smiling back at me.
“Odette, I’ll be right back,” Gale whispered to me, pulling my gaze away from the picture. Behind him was the team and Balduin, but Iskandar wasn’t there.
“Is everything all right?” I whispered to him.
He nodded, but the look of annoyance in his eyes told me differently. “Yeah, everything is fine. I have to take care of something. I won’t be long. Wolfgang will show you around.”
I nodded, letting go of his hand and watching as he exited back out the door with them. Rozem was more of a forested town, and the estate, which sat on several acres, was covered by trees on every side. So I wasn’t sure where he was going.
“Ma’am.” Wolfgang came up beside me. “Come with me. I’ll show you around.”
I did, looking over the wood beams on the inside of the castle, the real suit of armor in the hall. It was very rustic on the inside when you ignored the tapestry hanging from some of the walls. I expected Wolfgang to go off spitting facts, but he was silent, just walking me forward, lost in thought. Which was not like him at all.
“Wolfgang?” I asked, but he kept walking. “Wolfgang!”
“Huh. What?” He spun around, looking back at me. “Sorry, ma’am, what did you say?”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I was starting to worry about him.
“Yes, of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” His voice cracked a bit when he said so; clearly, there was something wrong.
“What is it?” I pressed, waiting.
“Nothing.” Each time he denied it, his voice either went higher than normal or softer.
“Okay, I don’t want to push you on your personal life, but do you know where Gale is going? Did something happen?” I asked.
But he just stared back at me.
“Wolfgang?”
“We should really finish the tour, ma’am.” The smile he gave was the most pitiful I’d seen. And it was even more confusing. Seeing him this stressed was…new. He was fine on the train. So something must have happened between then and now.
“What happened? Wolfgang? Why aren’t you answering my question about Gale?” I repeated, this time serious.
“Ma’am, please do not make me answer questions right now—”
“No, tell me. You said you’d always watch out for me, right? So tell me.”
He looked at his feet, scratching his blond hairline before stepping forward. He took a deep breath. “Please stay calm. I came to know this by accident.”
“What?”
“…The king…he ugh…he had Sabina brought here.”
Immediately I felt sick.
I felt like I’d been kicked out of heaven and dropped face-first in a pile of dog shit.
