I watched with spastic heartbeats as the men looked nervously between each other. Their prince, on the other hand, appeared more relaxed, though his hands were balled into fists. “A very tempting deal, but I think you’re missing a piece of leverage,” the prince said calmly. “No one at the ball knew who you were, so they likely won’t discover Daisy’s true identity until your body is recovered. I should have plenty of time to cross the border between your death and their vengeance.” He graced me with his wicked smile once more, and I felt my body tighten.
I cast a glance over at Camille and felt the blood drain from my face. She was still breathing, but she was so pale… My mind searched for another way out, but it kept coming up blank…Think Kalina! Thin—
“The prince!” I spouted the word abruptly, earning a couple of odd stares. “The prince, Prince Jasper, already knows my true identity.” I watched as a few of the men began to snicker or roll their eyes. All of them seemed to find the idea of me knowing Jasper humorous, except for the prince before me, whose eyes widened. He had seen me at the ball with Jasper and understood the likelihood of him knowing my identity.
“The prince believes you murdered his father,” the prince stated, a little more flustered than before. “Even if you two were cordial, he won’t believe your family’s statements after what he saw.”
My eyes darkened, my confidence no longer feigned. “He’ll believe them,” I said proudly. “He loves me, and I love him. And if there was any doubt in his mind, I left him a note explaining my entire situation.” I watched as the Ashbourne prince searched my eyes for any lies, but I had none for him to find. The love Jasper had shown me was real, and I couldn’t keep denying the truth that I loved him, too. He would believe me. He had to, for the sake of his father and kingdom.
The prince stayed silent, then turned his back to me. I couldn’t see his face, but I could hear him whisper some huffed words to his men. Without any further correspondence with me, the prince leapt out of the back of the caravan. Moments after he left, the caravan began moving again and the men kept passing me irritated glares. Their angered looks encouraged me that I might have been successful, but I wasn’t going to hold my breath.
As we rolled along, I kept my eyes trained on Camille, counting the seconds between her breaths. My heart sank every time the spacing between her breaths grew longer.Just hold on Camille…She shut her eyes once again, just as the caravan came to a stop. My pulse quickened as I heard the sounds of unfamiliar voices outside the caravan.
We had entered a town…
Before I could think to scream for help, one of the men hunched down on my level. “If you so much as squeak, I’ll finish off your little friend myself,” the man whispered, his foul breath crinkling my nose. “Don’t move and stay quiet. Play nice and the bar rat will get to see a doctor.”
My heart soared as I nodded mutely. Two men hoisted Camille up and carried her out of the caravan. The moment they stepped outside, a rush of murmurs and gasps resounded at the sight of Camille’s limp form. I felt a rush of tension leave me as voices clustered around Camille.She’s safe.Internally I still feared that the help had come too late, but I had done all I could. No sooner than the peace had filled me, it was stripped away at the sight of the prince climbing back into the wagon.
He approached me with an irritated glare. “Wish granted,” he sneered. “Now who are you?” His shadowed eyes sent a fresh shiver down my spine.
“Kalina,” I squeaked. “My name is Kalina. You’ll get my last name after we have safely left this town.” I held my breath. My threats felt far less intense now that I’d let my guard down.
The prince remained silent for a moment, but then summoned one of his men. “Return to the capital and search for any families with a missing daughter named Kalina. If you find one…” he looked me dead in the eye, “put an end to them.”
I gulped, realizing the fate I had placed upon my stepfamily. With any luck, the man would only search the most influential families before coming across Sapphira. I had lied about my family being involved in the court, so that should protect them for a little while.
The prince turned his attention back to the man. “I’ll send a messenger after you in a few hours with a last name, but for now, see what you can find.” He flicked his eyes, the dark color glinting with malice. “Well, Miss Kalina, are you ready for another trip?”
chapter twenty-two
The Artisti property was far closer to the palace than I had realized. It didn’t take long before our small fleet pulled up to the charming stone manor. It was a bit more rustic than most nobles cared to live, but from what Orion had told me, the head of the Aristi family was a widow. It was common to see such households living in more humble conditions since the support they received from the crown was intended to aid in caring for any remaining children. Madam Aristi had lost her husband when he still had three girls under the age of adulthood. Although despite that knowledge—and upon closer inspection—the grounds seemed to be a little more embellished than most. The front gardens were perfectly manicured and the spotless white shutters sparkled. There was no doubt that a large staff resided here, so perhaps they were left better off than most widows.
The entire family was already standing outside to greet us when we stepped onto the property. A middle-aged woman with tightly-pinned blonde hair stood between two young ladies, who were presumably her daughters. The woman maintained a noble smile and perfect posture the entire time it took us to dismount our horses. The two girls held cheerful expressions as well, but their smiles looked a little more feigned than their mother’s smooth expression. The closer I got to the trio, the more I noticed that they were all obscenely overdressed for an unexpected visit. The mother wore a dark-blue gown that was fit for that of a much younger lady, though she wore it with esteemed grace. Her daughters each wore vibrant silk gowns with necklines that were cut slightly lower than what would be deemed appropriate for a lady of status. Their smiles all brightened as I knelt before them.
“Good afternoon, Madam Aristi,” I greeted cordially. “I am here to address the report you have submitted to the guard. Is Miss Kalina here? I would like to speak with her in private before any further questioning.” I stepped out of my kneel and noticed a slight twinge in the woman’s over-powdered face.
“I am terribly sorry, Your Highness,” the woman said with a flourished curtsey, “but I’m afraid my stepdaughter has gone missing. I last saw her fleeing on a stolen horse just after dawn. The girl must have known her days were numbered and took off at the first chance she received.”
I nodded my understanding. That information lined up with the timing of Kalina’s letter. Marlon had spotted her in the garden later in the morning, so it made sense that she left here after dawn. I just needed one final confirmation…
“What type of shoes was she wearing?” I asked plainly, looking closely at the ladies’ reactions.
The two daughters both flinched in surprise for a moment, but their mother maintained her collected smile. “Her shoes?” The woman giggled delicately. “What does it matter what shoes she had on?” She waved her hand dismissively with another laugh, but I tightened my gaze on her.
“It is of the utmost importance, madam,” I replied sternly. “The girl we are hunting for left extremely distinct footprints, and I shall need an accurate description of her shoes to confirm she is our suspect. Better yet, if you can bring me a pair of her shoes to compare them with, that would be most helpful. I’m certain your stepdaughter had plenty that she left behind, as any good noble should.” I looked between the three faces and noticed a distinct shift of nerves flash over the daughters’ expressions. I was curious to see what they brought me. It had always perplexed me that Dais—I mean, Kalina, had never worn shoes, so part of this investigation was to appeal to my personal interest.
The mother calmly looked to one of the girls. “You heard him, Brielle,” she said sweetly. “Go fetch the dancing slippers that belonged to Kalina.”
The girl named Brielle gave her mother a puzzled look for a moment, then her eyes went wide with understanding. “Of course, Mother, I’ll be just a moment,” she replied, then turned to me to give a graceful curtsey. “Pardon me, Your Highness.” Her lashes batted so wildly that I thought she may have had a speck of dust in them.
She disappeared into the house, leaving me with her overly-charming mother and sultry-eyed sister. The second daughter cast me a flirtatious smile. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Your Highness.” Her voice was smooth as silk. “My name is Odelia. I was at the ball last night. I’m terribly sorry about your father, and even sorrier that we didn’t get an opportunity to dance.” She lowered her lashes and tucked her chin to her chest.
I fought the urge to roll my eyes as the mother placed a comforting hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Oh, darling, you cannot expect the prince to have danced with every young lady. I’m sure he had his reasons for choosing other partners before you, Odelia.” The woman flicked a quick side glance at me while still soothing the girl.
This is pathetic… I had half a mind to inform the ladies that this was hardly the time for flirting, but I was saved as Miss Brielle came back out the front door at a noticeably slower pace, with a pair of silver slippers in her hand.
“Here they are, Your Highness.” She smiled delicately as she passed me the slippers. “These belong to Kalina.”