The Summer Court

Chapter Thirty-Five

That night, Elsine had plans to outline her pros and cons list in her journal. It was getting close to the ball where she would have to say goodbye to at least one of her suitors. After he was sent home, the next part of the Summer Court would begin. It was what her father referred to as 'The Honor Test'. Simply put, it was a test of knighthood. If one wanted to be king, the first prerequisite was to pass this test and so the remaining suitors would participate. And while Elsine would like to watch attractive princes battle it out just as much as the next lady, she was also nervous. There were higher stakes, and hearts that would be involved. It wouldn't just be to appease a crowd at a feast or festival and the princess hoped things would remain as civil as possible.

She tapped her quill against the paper, smiling a little as her eyes passed Kannon and Ander's names. Something about The Honor Test that Elsine was excited about was that she would be able to see the suitors more often. They would mingle at parties designated for the events, and meals would be taken together more often, allowing Elsine much more time to talk with each of them. About to start adding to her lists, a soft knock on her door made her pause. It was late, and Terwyn would not be in again since Elsine had bathed already. Her nerves hummed at the memory of Kannon leaving a gift outside her door weeks ago. Wrapping her silk robe tighter around herself she moved toward the door, her golden curls falling over her shoulder as she pressed her ear to the door.

"Hello?" She called out as loud as she dared, which was nothing above a whisper. There was no answer she heard except light shuffling and then a note was shoved under her door. The paper was folded neatly, and she turned it over in her hands after picking it up. Starting to get excited she leaned back against the door and opened the note.

Wine Cellar Raid at Midnight. Your illustrious presence has been requested by four gentlemen in varying degrees of handsome-ness. See you soon, Elsine.

Pressing her fingers into her smile she shook her head, muttering to herself, "Incorrigible." Glancing out of her window, at the position of the moon, it seemed that was only thirty minutes away.

Tucking the paper away into her journal, Elsine put it away. She was not going to miss such debauchery. Not worrying about her hair, she only thought to put on a half corset and a shifty dress she only wore around her room because it was so plain.

Tying the sash around her waist she stopped, her fingers just touching the door handle. Her brows furrowed, wondering how they had managed to slip past the guards. Had her father not positioned more down the hall after her disappearance this morning? She had an unfounded notion that her father was baiting her. King Ulrich, however, was not one to play tricks and the boyish note was something she did not believe he would come up with. But just in case, she opened the door to peek out into the hall.

There were guards, but they were all slumped against the walls. Asleep. Elsine blinked, unable to stop her open-mouthed stare. Suddenly concerned she moved to check their pulses, but they were all alive and breathing, murmuring and sighing like they were in the deepest sleep of their lives. Relief washed over her as her heart settled. Kannon. He must have bribed them again or slipped something strong into their dinner. She wasn't sure if she should have been laughing, but she was― giggling. There was a small part of her that was wary of how easily he seemed to pull off these tricks, but she was too excited by the deviousness of her suitors to give the thought much attention.

Stepping over the guards, she hurried down the hallway. The wine cellars were just outside the kitchens, so she could slip out of the servants' entrance and around the corner to the stairwell that wound down to the cellar door easily. She wondered if they were already there and had sent out a messenger to her room.

Lifting her skirts as her bare feet padded over the stone floor of the kitchen, Elsine opened the servant door and glanced around the castle grounds that were lit by the moon. All seemed quiet, so she turned the corner and skipped down the stairs to the cellar door. She didn't hear any muffled voices and thought that maybe, somehow, she had beat them there. Opening the door, she surveyed the dark cellar thinking she had indeed won the race to the wine. But the next moment the door clicked shut behind her and a blindfold settled around her eyes. Before she could scream a hand came to muffle any sound she would have made.

**Edited Kylie R. Trask 2022**