I Am Who? - Book 2

Chapter 27 - Trouble

Kotaro's eyes widened slightly at the sight of me, and he looked me up and down slowly as if taking in every detail. His lips parted slightly, and I could tell he was caught off guard by my appearance. As I clasped the necklace around my throat and stepped into the hall beside him, he sucked in a breath and took a step backwards. I could see the muscles of his jaw working, and I couldn't help wondering if he might be angry that Martimus had dressed me up.

"Is something wrong?" I said tentatively.

His tongue darted to the corner of his lips. "No." His voice was low, and he turned away. "We need to hurry."

I followed him quickly, sneakily scrutinizing the work Martimus had done on him as we walked. He wore a high-collared shirt the color of my dress with a black overcoat and pants. His hair had been styled, and it shone brightly in what I was beginning to realize was the late-afternoon sunlight. He looked so—

"Well, well, well, you cleaned up nicely." Ayan's voice cut be off before my thought had time to fully formulate.

I turned my attention away from Kotaro, a quick blush heating my cheeks. Martimus, Bohai, and Ayan were standing outside a large wooden door. They were all dressed in similar fashion to Kotaro, but none of them quite compared to the regal image he made.

"Cleaned up well, indeed." Martimus scoffed. "Who was it that was complaining about appearing like a peacock?"

There was a certain tension overhanging their jokes, and I noticed Bohai had his lips tightly pressed together. The severity of the situation took hold of me as my gaze shifted to the door, and I knew instinctively what would be behind it. Now that all the rushing and confusion was over, the weight of what we were about to do—of what we might encounter—settled on my chest like a boulder, and I clenched my fists to keep myself from trembling.

"They're waiting for us?" Kotaro's voice was low.

"The king hasn't come yet." Bohai said through gritted teeth. He didn't sound worried. He sounded angry.

"It's a step in the right direction, though." Kotaro said. "We have to get the court's approval anyway, right?"

"Yeah," Bohai growled. "Apparently, the bastard doesn't even know how to be king."

"I guess now would be the time to find out, right?" Martimus smiled graciously, and I wondered if he were ever really perturbed about anything.

Kotaro only nodded, offering me his arm. Knowing I wasn't alone didn't really help in this instance. Our fate rested almost entirely on me, and I could only hope that I said and did all the right things that would please the Second court. There was really no telling what they might do to us if the situation went south.

Reaching up, I tentatively place my hand on his arm, and Bohai shoved the door open for us to walk through. Drawing a deep breath, I lifted my head high and walked through the doors with all the regality I could muster.

The room we entered was not as big as I had expected, and the "court" must have only consisted of a dozen men in common, unassuming attire. They looked up as we entered, and I immediately felt like a sore thumb sticking out of place. If Martimus's plan had been to draw attention to us, he had certainly succeeded.

"Who speaks for you? Hurry up and tell us what you want." One of the men said in a commanding voice. "Someone other than the Fifth bastard. You may have brought a Seer, but that doesn't change your crime." He amended quickly, glaring at Kotaro in disgust.

"Such formal speech doesn't have much place in a throne room." Bohai stood on my other side, matching the Second courtier's tone with thick sarcasm.