A Kingdom of Tales

Chapter 27

When the emperor grants her leave, Kyoshi rushes off. I tilt my head in confusion. Where could she possibly have to be at this time of night?

Our dinner was late by all standards. The sun had set a few hours ago.

"Well... Time for bed, I suppose." Wariu is staring at the door Kyoshi just left, though, with a raised eyebrow. Yuri, however, looks as unruffled as ever while sipping her soup.

"Escort Jasmine back to her rooms, will you, daughter?" He says as he stands up. He wipes his mouth with the cloth nearest to him and leaves the room, muttering about insolent daughters.

I continue enjoying my meal, unfazed by any distractions that will keep me from refeeding my malnourished body.

"Did Darrow mistreat you?"

Her voice comes as a surprise; I didn't think she'd speak to me. I almost didn't catch her words.

"He treated me as he would any prisoner." I shrug. It wasn't personal. I was just a child with a bounty on her head to him. He probably only cared about the reward. I wonder if Sage was the one who tipped the guards off.

"If he so much as looks at you wrong, tell me. I'll make him wish he was never born." She gives me a terrifying smile.

Obviously, there's some bad blood there. Did he contest her for her position? I'd heard it was a popular practice here. If one managed to beat a higher ranking officer in an official duel, then they were to take their rank.

It's how she got to her rank. At her young age, she probably had many duels to prove her worth. I knew what it was like to be underestimated, too. At first it would be insulting, and then it felt fun to beat the shit out of the person who challenged me.

She looks like she's been waiting for an excuse to beat the shit out of him. I give her a roguish smile in return. I'd pay to watch that particular fight.

When I set my utensils down, she speaks again. "Are you done? I have an early morning tomorrow, so I need to get some sleep."

She escorts me back to my rooms, as she was told to do.

I find two guards stationed at my door. They might not be keeping me in a cell, but this room might as well be one. When she sees me looking at them, she explains. "They are here for your protection."

"Not to prevent my escape?"

"You're smart; figure it out." She gives me one final smirk before leaving.

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Knowing I won't be able to sleep, I decide to workout. Surely they have somewhere to train in this giant palace. If not, I might run in the gardens. Maybe even with the guards. I'll have to ask Yuri tomorrow. For now, I'll have to make do with some body weight exercises.

Alisa and Jude had been waiting for me in my room. I'd told them to leave and that I would attend to myself. I had much to think about after all.

Wariu certainly fits the description Melody provided for me when I was a child. I don't yet know who my mother is, but that sounds like a problem for another day.

What I truly can't believe is that Yuri is my sister. Half sister, but it didn't matter much to me. How could I be related to such a legend? I must ask her to teach me how to fight like her. Bash taught me well enough, but I doubt I would hold up against her—the greatest fighter of Edessa and possibly the entire continent.

Would it be so terrible to stay here? At least I would have a family—a dysfunctional one, but a family yet the same.

I'm sure I wouldn't mind Wariu as much if I had Yuri at my back.

And though Kyoshi is still a mystery to me, I doubt we wouldn't get along. She seems nice enough, if distracted.

I'll stay for two weeks before I decide. It'll give me enough time to plan for an escape anyway. I'd have to memorise the palace and gain the trust of everyone around me to be able to pull it off.

If I like it here, I won't leave. I have a feeling this place will grow on me anyway. I'm sure Miles has already given up on me and gone back to his country. He has a duty to it, and I doubt he'd leave it for me.

I wipe the sweat off my brow and head to the bathroom. A long soak will do me some good. I turn on the faucet. While it fills up, I walk to the closet and grab some nightwear—a short red nightgown that barely covers up anything at all.

By the time I enter the bathroom again, the tub is full. I undress quickly, excited at the relaxation I'm about to feel.

I let out a long sigh as I lower myself into the hot, nearly boiling water. After working out, I usually prefer a cold bath to cool down my body, but Edessa is a cold country, and any sweat I broke out while working out immediately evaporated with the wind, leaving me colder than I was before.

I remain in the water until it turns cold, then I put on the nightgown. The bed feels just as soft as it looks.

It isn't until I push my hand under the pillow that I let out a bloodcurdling scream.

I pull the object I'd just touched. A knife. A bloody one. That's why it felt so sticky.

I hear the door opening and people entering my room before I pass out.