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That was how I would have interpreted it. “I understand. And I appreciate your consideration.”
Lady Kanna extended her hand to me, and I took it. “Friends?”
“Friends.” I shook her hand.
She was right. We were going to be spending a lot of time together. In the Eternal Court, social interactions were key to ensuring harmony between different people. If we could get along, it would make relations easier and it would ease my guilt.
Silence fell between us as we considered what had just happened. I was no longer the villain, and she was no longer the enemy. We were two people forced into an impossible situation.
Lady Kanna wept again. Her body shook and Anhe put her arm around her. “I should probably get back to my room and rest. I’m still not feeling quite myself.”
“Of course.” I stood up. “I’ll have someone show you the way. And I’ll ask the servants and guards to help in our search.”
I called for a servant and instructed them to take lady Kanna and her friends back to their rooms. Once they were gone, I let out a sigh of relief. It was good to finally leave that awkwardness behind us. Hopefully, we could move forward and become friends. Or at least allies.
Lady Kanna, as an ally, would open up a whole new world of possibilities. I just hoped that she felt the same way about me. I would remain cautious, but hopeful.
Chapter 16
House Finardsil
Aknock on my office door snapped me out of my train of thought. I told them to come in. A servant poked their head inside the room. Sona smiled at me. “Did you tidy up your desk again?”
“Golden hands are not idle hands,” I replied with a grin. “Can’t help it, it’s just how my brain works.”
She chuckled and shook her head.
Sona and a few other servants didn’t mind my need to declutter and other ‘Midarian eccentrics’ as long as I didn’t outright deep clean. They knew I liked to have a place for everything, and if something didn’t have a place... well, it just needed one.
“The court historian Jaeras spotted an Elvish hare running down the hallways. In its mouth, what may be the missing coat. They are trying to catch it before it causes more mischief.”
I raised an eyebrow in surprise. “An Elvish hare? Who would have guessed?”
This would not end up as a diplomatic disaster. Only as a personal embarrassment for the owner. The Elvish Hare was a common creature in the Eternal Court, but they could not roam freely. And now I understood why.
Grabbing my coat from the hook, I followed Sona out into the hallway and to the higher levels of the palace. The decoration was more lavish the higher up we went. More mural paintings adorned the walls, and the tapestries became more colorful. The furniture was also more delicate, with inlays and carvings.
At the end of one hallway was a large room with an elaborately carved door. Two guards stood on either side of the door, making sure nobody went in without permission.
They greeted me in a traditional Elvish manner and opened the door. The court historian was waiting for us, red-faced and out of breath.
“Where did you see the Elvish hare last?” I asked him.
Sona appeared with a cup of wine and the Jaeras took it with gratitude, gulping it down in one go. “I saw it enter one of the royal quarters, but I was afraid to go in by myself. It wouldn’t be appropriate.”
Sona nodded her head in agreement.
I sighed. “Which room?”
He looked apologetic. “Prince Maedras’s old nursery. I tried to get him out, but he hid under the bed.”
“Thank you.” I smiled kindly at him. “I’ll take it from here.”
Jaeras bowed his head and quickly retreated. Sona followed me into the nursery.
The nursery room was grand, with high ceilings and a large window that overlooked the gardens. Lifelike portraits of hippocampus and other creatures from the sea adorned the gold walls. The hare probably hid in this room because it had a calming feeling.
So this is where baby Prince Maedras grew up.
