Chapter 34

Routine helps. Or at least it should. I throw myself into it anyway.

I wake before dawn, eat quickly, and lose myself in drills. I revise the guard logs and walk patrol routes I’ve already cleared. I recheck the reports we’ve compiled on Lady Chantarelle and review the known holdings tied to the estate. There’s nothing new, but repetition numbs the thoughts pressing in.

Still, no matter how hard I focus, one line keeps surfacing in my mind, Prince Kaine’s voice from the other night. “You should.”

I don’t know if it was a warning or just professional advice. Maybe it was both, maybe neither, but the way he said it... it hasn’t left me.

Nara seems convinced. She stirs in the back of my thoughts, her presence heavier than usual.

“He felt the bond”, she murmurs. “Even if he doesn’t understand it.”

He doesn’t know, I answer quietly.

“Doesn’t change what he feels. You heard the way he said it.”

I shake my head and push the thought away. I’ve spent too long reminding myself that this bond only flows in one direction. It’s easier to believe it means nothing to him than to get pulled under by something I can’t have.

The morning air is brisk as I start my patrol, boots crunching softly over gravel along the upper walk. I’ve been assigned to cover the south wing and adjacent courtyards, and I take my time, mapping alternate routes in my head, logging every potential vulnerability.

As I round one of the side paths, I hear a voice. Familiar. Low and controlled.

Prince Kaine.

I pause just short of the archway. Through a break in the hedges, I catch a glimpse of him standing with Bianca. They’re close, his arms crossed as she speaks animatedly. Her hand rests lightly on his forearm. He doesn’t move.

I know it’s not my place. He can stand wherever he wants. Let her touch him if he wants. But my body reacts anyway. My chest tightens and heat creeps up my neck. I turn before I see anything else.

The potion dulls the bond, but it doesn’t block everything. My mark stings faintly beneath my sleeve, and Nara growls, low and steady.

“I’m fine,” I mutter aloud. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It does. You just won’t let yourself say it.”

I ignore her and move on. I’ve got more important things to focus on.

Later in the day, I’m pulled from my post and reassigned to assist with a routine security check of the guest wing. The halls are quiet as I make my way through, clipboard in hand, scanning doors and confirming positions. When I reach the upper lounge near the west wing, I hear laughter.

Jasper is there, seated with a few nobles. He’s leaned back in one of the high-backed chairs, casually charming, his smile easy. I slow just slightly, noting the exits and spacing, but I don’t plan to linger.

Then his gaze catches mine, and in seconds, he’s excusing himself and walking toward me.

“You again,” he says, falling into step beside me like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

“I’m working,” I remind him.

“I figured. Just happened to spot you. Thought I’d say hi.”

His tone is more subdued today, not laced with the same overt charm. He stays a half step behind, not pushing, but not leaving either. I keep my stride even and let him speak.

“What’s it been like?” he asks after a moment. “Palace life, I mean. Adjusting.”

I glance sideways at him. “Why do you ask?”

He shrugs. “Just curious. You’re the only female guard. That can’t be easy.”

“I manage.”

“I didn’t say you didn’t.” He sounds thoughtful. “Just wondering if you ever get tired of trying to prove yourself.”

“I’m not trying to prove anything.”

His expression shifts at that, like he’s recalibrating. “What about before this? School? Were you always like this?”

“Like what?”

“Closed off. Sharp edges.”

I stop just short of responding. Not because I don’t have an answer, but because I’m not sure I want to share it with him.

Jasper seems to sense the hesitation. He slows, matching my pace without pressing.

“I’m not judging,” he says. “Just... I know what it’s like to feel like no one sees you for who you really are.”

I glance over again. This time, his eyes are focused. Not playful. Not calculating. Just steady.

“Do you ever think about that?” he asks. “What it would be like to have someone choose you first?”

The question catches me off guard, but I cover it quickly with a light shrug. “That sounds like the kind of thing you’d say to all the girls.”

He chuckles. “Only the interesting ones.”

I narrow my eyes slightly. “You’re still flirting.”

“Maybe,” he admits. “But not just for fun.”

I don’t respond. I have nothing to say to that.

He’s pushing harder, Nara growls. “This isn’t harmless anymore.”

He’s just talking.

“No”, she growls. “He’s trying to make a place for himself. In your head. In your space.”

I offer Jasper a tight nod and start down the corridor again. He doesn’t follow this time.

By evening, I’m back in the west wing, reviewing patrol shifts and updated entry logs. The final report is for Prince Kaine, and I make my way to his office, still turning Jasper’s words over in my mind.

The moment I step inside, I know something is different. Prince Kaine sits at the edge of his desk, reading over a document. He doesn’t look up as I enter.

“The guest wing is cleared,” I report, placing the sheet on his desk. “All rotations confirmed.”

“Good,” he says without inflection.

I wait a beat longer. He says nothing else. I’m about to leave when he finally lifts his head.

“Are you enjoying all the attention lately?”

I freeze. The question is unexpected, and the tone behind it is harder than usual.

“Excuse me?”

“You’ve been getting plenty of it,” he says, voice measured. “From a variety of sources.”

I straighten. “I’m doing my job. That’s all.”

His gaze holds mine a moment longer than necessary. His expression is neutral, but I see the tension in his jaw, the tight set of his shoulders.

“Make sure that’s all it is.”

The words land like a blow, sharper than I want them to.

I don’t argue. I don’t explain. I simply nod, turn on my heel, and walk out of the room, leaving whatever that was behind me.