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“Where is he?!” I shout out, furious, after I’ve swung Cleo’s chamber’s door open so fast that it hits the wall behind it with a loud thud.
“Your Highness!” Anya shrieks as she jumps off Cleo’s bed and rushes to cover herself with a bedsheet.
Cleo isn’t as shy, wrapping her hands behind her head on the pillow, uncaring that she is nude from the waist up.
“And byheyou must mean…” she mocks with a sly grin that Teo must have taught her to do.
“You know damn well who I’m referring to. Your king! Where is he?!” I shout, feeling like I’m about to erupt with all the rage that is consuming my bloodstream.
Cleo just shrugs nonchalantly.
“I’m not his keeper, Your Highness. How am I to know where he is?”
I take a step closer to her bed and snarl.
“Don’t give me that. You two are like two peas in a pod. If he’s not on palace grounds, then you’re the only one who knows where he’s gone off to.”
Cleo stretches her smile before tilting her chin toward one of the many windows that are still currently wide open to let the night breeze inside her room.
“By how the moon is hung up in the sky, I would venture a guess that it’s well past midnight. I would have assumedyou’dbe more aware of his comings and goings at this late hour, Your Grace.”
My cheeks heat up in both embarrassment and fury at her not-so-subtle insinuation.
Realizing that I won’t get any answers here, I spin on my heel and head out the door.
I don’t get far though when I hear a nervous Anya call out to my name.
“Kat! Kat!”
I halt my steps while fisting my hands at my sides to keep my temper in check and not take my rage out on one of my best friends.
“Can I help in any way? I can ask around for His Majesty if you need an audience with him,” she says hurriedly while clutching at the bedsheet at her chest.
“No, Anya. That’s fine. Thank you, though.”
Sheer humiliation prevents me from telling her that I already interrogated Samir and his staff about whether any of them knew where their king had run off to this night.
“Are you sure?” she insists.
I nod, forcing a smile.
“Okay. Do you want me to come with you back to your room then? Maybe make you something to drink or eat? I can be good company if you need it,” she says, genuinely concerned for my well-being.
That’s my Anya.
She may speak before she thinks but she has a heart big enough to fit the entire world in.
“No, sweet friend. Go back to what you were doing. At least one of us should enjoy all the pleasures that the night brings.” I wink at her.
Anya’s cheeks blush bright red but it’s the beaming smile that overtakes her whole face that ends up tempering my bad mood.
“Okay, then. Good night.”
She’s about to walk away when I reach for her hand to stop her.
“Are you happy, Anya? Does she make you happy?” I ask, sincerely worried that maybe she bit off more than she can chew with someone as savvy and experienced as Cleo.
But I have my answer when her green eyes light up and her smile splits her face in two.
