Something Peculiar

22

I spent a long time getting ready, still making sense of what Lisa had told me. It thrilled me that she cared enough to feel jealous, but also realized how pointless it was. She'd never do anything that conflicted with her sense of honor and duty. Even with me taking so much time, Lisa never came to get me. Eventually, I perched at the top of the spiral staircase to wait for her. I thought about going down to her room, but I didn't really feel comfortable with that. Besides, she'd probably send me away.

From the top of the stairs, I watched in surprise as Tove Kroner pushed open the front door. He hadn't knocked or anything, and he raked a hand through his messy hair, looking around.

"Tove Kroner, Can I help you?" I called down. As Princess, I felt like I ought to be hospitable, even if I felt flustered and confused as hell.

"Oh, hi, and please, just In-guk. It's just my mom who likes and calls me that name." He waved his hand as he speaks almost shyly. "And uh, yeah. I'm looking for you." He shoved his hand in his pockets and walked to the bottom of the steps, but didn't go any further.

"What for?" I wrinkled my nose, then realizing I'd sounded rude, shook my head. "I mean, I beg your pardon?"

"Just to help." In-guk shrugged.

I walked slowly down the stairs, watching his eyes search the room. He never did seem comfortable looking at me. As I approached him, I took in the soft natural highlights coursing through his dark hair. It was somewhat long, but not too long also not too short, just enough to somehow cover parts of his eyes. His tanned skin had a subtle mossy undertone, the green complexion Lisa had told me about, but hers was fainter than In-guk.

"Help me with what?" I asked.

"What?" He'd taken to chewing on his thumbnail. He glanced up at me, still biting it.

"What are you here to help me with?" I spoke slowly and carefully, my tone bordering on condescending, but I don't think he noticed.

"Oh." He dropped his hand and stared off, as if he'd forgotten why he'd come. "I'm psychic."

"What? You can read minds?" I tensed up, trying to block him from reading any of my thoughts.

"NO, no, of course not." He brushed me off and walked away, admiring the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. "I can sense things. And I can move things with my mind. But I can't read your thoughts. I can see auras, though. Yours is a bit brown today."

"What does that mean?" I crossed my arms over my chest, as if I could hide my aura that way. I didn't even really know what an aura was.

"You're unhappy." In-guk sounded distracted, and he glanced back at me. "Normally it's orange."

"I don't know what that means either." I shook my head. "I don't know how any of this is supposed to help me."

"It's not really." He stopped moving and looked up at me. "Has Lisa talked to you about training?"

"You mean the Princess training I'm doing now?"

"No." He shook his head, chewing the inside if his cheek. "For your abilities. It won't start until after the christening. They think if you had any handle on them before you were indoctrinated, you'd run wild." He sighed. "They want you calm and docile."

"This is you calm?" I raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"No." In-guk stared off at nothing again, then turned back to me, his eyes meeting mine. "You intimidate me."

"I intimidate you?" I laughed, unable to stop myself, but he wasn't offended. "I'm the least intimidating person ever."

"Mmm." His face hardened in concentration. "Maybe to some people. But they don't see what I see or know what I know."