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The door opens a crack, and I realize it cannot be a servant. A servant wouldn’t dare disobey an order from the Archduke. So, it must be one from among my family, coming to pry at why I have not left my chambers in days.
His presence is subtle but unmistakable. “Cousin,” comes his silky voice. “Don’t these walls grow tiresome?”
“They suit me quite well, actually,” I grumble, lowering my head as if I am engrossed in my work, though I am the furthest thing from it. His very presence raises my hackles. “Don’tyouhave some party to attend in the city, Carisu?”
“Not without you, Kral,” he says, levering off the wall and making himself at home in my study. He falls into one of my favorite overstuffed chairs and runs his hands up the arms. When I turn to glare at him, a smug look has taken over his dark face, and one leg is draped lazily over the other, his fine shoe waggling impatiently. “Come out with me tonight. I insist.”
“Insist all you like,” I respond, “I much prefer the company of my books-”
“Which have been balanced and balanced again!” he cries, slamming a fist against the padding of the chair, hardly making a thud. “You have not been seen in public for over a fortnight. Do you even exist anymore, cousin? The other nobles are beginning to question it.”
I straighten the pages in front of me and sigh, considering what my brother had told me, not so long ago.I cannot make you do anything, brother, but please, for the sake of our family, you must uphold our social status.
An Archduke that doesn’t ever socialize is not a proper Archduke at all.
You are an extension of us, and should flaunt our power and influence among the higher caste. There is a city for you to explore. Explore it!
And carry with you our name in pride.
I scoff under my breath, shaking my head. “Explore, huh?”
“What was that?” Carisu asked, leaning forward in his chair. Out of all our family, he always had the keenest of our sharp elven ears. “You admit it, then? You will come out with me?”
“I said nothing of the sort.”
That smile is back as Carisu flashes his sharp canines. “I have just the place in mind for you, cousin. Maybe it will liven you up a bit and bring a healthy flush to your cheeks in the process.” He stands in a sweep of his finely cut surcoat and offers a hand. “The women will fall at your feet—and mine too—if you make an appearance.”
With the utmost consideration, I return the sheaves to their binder. “I have no interest in seeking out trouble with you on the streets of Vhoig. You have friends who would gladly-”
“But they are rats! Son of K’sheng that can’t even vote in parliament! They are nothing in the light of you, oh great Archduke of Vhoig.” He closes the distance between us and grabs my shoulders, nearly shaking me with his frustration. “What can I do to convince you to leave this hovel?”
I push him away. “Go bother someone else. I will hear no more of this nonsense.”
Carisu doesn’t accept my answer, spinning me around by the shoulder. “There is delicious food among the Zagfer that you have never even tried!”
I sweep his hand off my shoulder.
“Great treasures to be bought on the black market,” he insists as I adjourn to my closet. “And women, cousin. Oh, the women!”
“I have no interest in love.”
My cousin scoffs. “Who said anything about love?”
I stall as I reach into my wardrobe. I’d happily leave my study if he were to remain behind. “You speak of the skin market, then. A most deplorable pastime. How many slaves do you own now, Carisu?”
“Ah, but they break so easily. They must be replaced on occasion.”
His little value of human life almost makes me disgusted. Almost. “I have no time for your games,” I say, donning a sleek black cloak, my last resort to lose this philandering cousin of mine. “If your business is done, I really must ask you to leave.”
Carisu troubles himself with fastening the clasp of my cloak like a Zagfer, patting it down until the folds are smoothed out. “Come with me, please. I don’t want to go alone, and I will get a better price if you’re sitting beside me. It will only be for a little while, and then you can return to your study. The King, long may he reign, will be satisfied with your attendance in public. You need only sit there and watch the proceedings.”
I meet his eye and scrutinize his mercurial features. “Who told you?”
He shrugs and withdraws with a dismissive air. “The walls might as well be made of paper, cousin. You should know that by now. And besides, it doesn’t matter who told me. We are all family here.”
“Weare hardly family.”
“Then, let’s change that.” He links his arm in mine like a close friend, though he’s antagonized me for as long as I can recall. “I want to know what you fancy, and what makes you smile. I’ve only ever seen that scowl of yours, hiding much emotion, I’m sure.”
