These Gilded Seas

Chapter Eighteen: Candy Makes Everything Better

I manage to escape Eero's study untouched, but the two guards outside watch me with interest as I half-run, half-walk down the hallway in retreat. My heart's pounding in my chest from the adrenaline.

What just happened?

What did Eero mean when he said that? Did I somehow end up in even more trouble letting him save me? I thought dealing with one member of the royal family was bad enough. Why did I have to get tangled up with another one?

But then there's the business of Ursus and the king, their "plans," and Eero's disagreement with them. Does the king know about Eero's plans for war? Does he disagree?

Or is it the other way around?

The questions swim laps in my brain as I hurry down the main staircase. I need answers. Fast. But I'm a stranger in the palace. How am I supposed to find answers?

If I was at home, I'd find a merchant and ask them. Merchants are the kind of people that know everything because they travel. Leaving the palace isn't an option right now, though, and I have a feeling the answers I need are within these stone walls.

So who else would know everything? Who else has eyes and ears in all the right places?

Madam Amaia.

By the time I make it to the kitchens, my heart rate has evened itself out a little but I'm still panting. I want to wash my entire body with Josef's iron brush—the one we use to scrub burnt bits off his cookware. The memory of King Soren's gaze makes me feel...

Used.

Soiled.

I push through the kitchen door and slam face-first into a wall of fabric. The force pushes all the remaining air out of my lungs, and I grip the sides of the door to keep myself upright.

"Woah there," the wall I ran into says.

I gasp for breath and look up. Josef. Does he have pans jammed into his shirt? What in the world did I slam into?

"Sorry," I manage to spit out. "Have you seen Madam Amaia?"

Josef shakes his head as he reaches down and straightens my uniform. "You just missed her. She had to run into Lykke on an errand for the king." His eyes rove over me. "Do you need something? Is everything okay?"

I guess my second best option is Josef if Madam Amaia's not around. He's been around as long as she has, and the kitchen's a place everyone crosses. Surely he knows something about the trio. "Um, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, skatter. Anything."

Taking his arm, I pull him back into the kitchen and out the back door. The yard is surprisingly empty, meaning everyone's either resting or cleaning somewhere else. I can't complain; this just means no one will overhear my questions.

"Did something happen at breakfast?" Josef presses. "Was the prince mean to you? I'll talk to him if I need to."

The offer alone is very sweet, but what power does Josef hold over Eero?

"No, that's not it," I say softly, sitting down on the bench. Josef lowers himself down beside me and clasps his hands in his lap. "I hope this isn't too... personal, but can you tell me a little about the king and Prince Eero? Do they get along?"

Josef shakes his head. "They never really have. Not since King Soren's advisor was hired on."

"Master Ursus?"

"Have you met him?" Josef asks, giving me an odd look.

"Yes. He interviewed me, but that was the only time. Eero doesn't like Ursus. Says he doesn't trust him?"