A Beast's Tale

Chapter 11

Blade leaned into the curry comb, shifting his weight toward me and side-stepping closer. I shoved his shoulder to keep him from trapping me against the stall door. Giving him his rubdown in his stall always led to these games, but it was already past his dinnertime. I'd cooled him down enough over the last few miles for him to eat as soon as we returned, and he was munching away now, stamping an occasional hoof and twitching an occasional muscle as I groomed sweat and dust from his white coat. Soft whuffing and rustling marked the horses in the surrounding stalls bedding down for the night.

Blade had needed the lengthy ride today. He was high-strung and on his best behavior when ridden every day, but I could rarely accommodate that in my schedule, and there were few with a firm enough hand to manage him when he was fresh. This had tired him out enough to ensure he'd be docile tomorrow. Somebody else could exercise him while I settled matters with the maid.

The spring air and solitude had given me plenty of time and space to think, and it was all crystal clear to me now. She was a maid. A servant. A nameless person who improved my day-to-day efficiency, and that was all. Her initial intrigue had become too distracting, and I had to put a stop to that. I'd always been careful to detach myself from my emotions to prevent situations such as this, and if I couldn't do that around her, I would have to terminate her employment. What happened to her after that was of no consequence to me.

I dropped the comb in the bucket with the rest of the grooming supplies and turned to leave. Blade nudged my back with his muzzle when I lifted the latch.

"Haven't you had enough attention today?" I slipped through the door and patted his nose as the latch clicked back into place. "Behave yourself, and maybe somebody else will ride you tomorrow."

"You aren't taking him to the Foundation Day festival, Your Highness?" a stable hand asked as I passed off the grooming implements.

"I haven't decided yet."

In truth, the festival had slipped my mind, but Blade was now in ideal condition for that. Navigating the crowded city streets with him would be much easier than in past years, and my only interest was the bookstall. It often carried foreign books that would otherwise be difficult to obtain. I could spare an hour from my schedule to attend, I reflected as I climbed the hill to the palace.

Inside, the kitchen staff were busy, carrying full platters of food out to the dining rooms and bringing empty dishes back for washing. They'd left the smallest kitchen open, as usual, and I washed up and began my own dinner.

"You're finally back."

I glanced at Jin as he walked into the room. "What do you want?"

"What? No punishment for me?"

"Cleaning Black's office wasn't enough for you?"

He laughed. "Yves got really steamed about that, didn't he? Yeah, I guess that was punishment enough, although I'll tell you right now, I'd do it again in a heartbeat." He pulled himself onto the counter and settled into his improvised seat. "I'm sorry we upset the little lady, but that reaction from you was really something."

"You were loud, and I was trying to sleep."

"Uh huh. Can't admit it to yourself, can you? You like her. I heard about what you did to Clavis and how you chased that painter out of the library."

I sighed. "They were out of line."

"I didn't hear you say you don't like her."

"Is there a point to this?"

"You've never shown an interest in a woman before, and it's obvious you like her. I don't know why, but from everything I hear, she doesn't think too badly of you, either. She even brought your tea to the office this afternoon when you didn't show up at the library at your normal time. 'Course, you weren't there, so she ended up giving it to Clavis after he apologized, and then Luke showed up, and she brought them both snacks and turned it into a party. She's a real doll. You really should let her know when you're going somewhere."