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It wasn’t a bad assumption on her part, although Ber hadn’t heard of any active missions here. However, the king did send regular spies to check on those who were frequently at the palace. It was one reason he’d been careful to be subtle in his approach.
“Were you part of the attack that happened in the garden?” Ber asked.
Shaking her head, Cairi moved to the safe and removed a small chest. “I truly knew nothing about it, but I’m not surprised. If you’re not aware of the growing discontent, then you’re a fool.”
Ber lifted a brow. “Bold words to say to a prince.”
“I merely give the blunt truth, in this case,” she replied. She carried the chest to a small table near the window. “I’ve seen a lot during my time at the palace. I feel confident that you won’t take it amiss.”
His lips quirked. “You helped…a mutual friend recently, didn’t you?”
Her gaze barely flicked toward Halueth. “Perhaps.”
“That’s more of an admission than I expected,” Ber replied. “I expected you to consider me a villain.”
“I’m too accustomed to the play of light and shadow, Your Highness.” Cairi smiled. “More importantly, she didn’t kill you. If you were truly bad, you’d be too dead to speak to me at all.”
A low growl from Halueth caught Ber’s ear, and he gripped the guard’s shoulder. “Be at peace, Halueth.”
“I cannot, Sire,” the man replied. “I will not stand idly by while the husband of our dearest princess is threatened. You have serious enemies, and this artisan may be part of their plan.”
Cairi let out a sharp scoffing sound. “Isn’t your princess dead? Why such loyalty?”
A fascinating question, and one that Ber awaited the answer to, himself.
“Princess Lora was the best of the royal family, and I’m not the only bodyguard to quietly believe such.” Halueth’s spine straightened. “If she chose Prince Ber to wed, then he must be a good man. One far worthier to follow than certain others.”
Ber blinked. Then blinked again. For all of his spying, he’d never suspected the bodyguards might have formed such an opinion of him. Had others come to that conclusion? He’d always worried that careful observation might have ruined his guise as a villain, but this was the first time he’d found evidence that it might be the case.
“I agree,” Cairi said. “Especially since she didn’t kill him when she returned.”
At Halueth’s indrawn breath, Ber stiffened. He glared at the globemaker. “An unusual comment.”
“No, it isn’t.” She tipped her chin up. “You need to gather allies. Now. I hear whispers during my work in the palace, so I can assure you that time is running out. If the king can’t find a way to use you soon, he’ll kill you. And as your wife didn’t kill you a few days back, I can only assume she would rather you be alive.”
Halueth glanced over his shoulder. “What is she saying, Your Highness?”
It was a dangerous time—a single moment that could end in disaster. But Ber always followed his instincts, and it was instinct that formed the words upon his lips. “My wife, the princess, is alive. I arranged for her to be hidden by my brother nearly a year back.”
“But Princess Lora was with—” The guard paled, then flushed. “Does that mean there’s another…?”
“Heir?” Ber sucked in a deep breath. “Yes. Our child was born safely and is third in line for the Centoi throne. And if a whisper of that leaves this room, I’ll slit your throat and dance in the blood.”
“I’ll provide the light,” Cairi murmured.
Halueth studied Ber for several heartbeats before doing the same to the globemaker. Then the tension drained from the man’s shoulders, and he sheathed his dagger. Inclining his head, the guard eased into position at Ber’s side.
“Does anyone else know?” the guard asked.
Ber sighed. “I can’t be sure. Duke Aony hinted that he knows Tes is alive, but he could have been digging for information. Only the Llyalian royal family is aware that our child survived.”
The guard’s lips firmed, and his eyes narrowed on Cairi. “How secure is this shielding?”
“Very,” she replied. “I spoke freely with the princess herself in this room.”
Halueth’s gaze swung back to Ber. “You must destroy Ryenil. He is rotten beyond telling, a fact seen time and time again by those who guard him. As far as I’m concerned, Princess Lora is my queen.”
“She’ll go by Queen Etessa,” Ber said softly. “And I would hold you to that as a sworn oath.”
