A Beast's Tale

Chapter 25

The latch clicked in the door. I released Ivetta's chin and stepped back, irritated by Licht's intrusion. I knew it was him before the open door proved me correct. Jin had been in no hurry to leave the solitude of that cliff on the training course; Clavis was busy making fireworks; Leon had already visited Ivetta and left; and Luke would see her again on her carriage ride home. That left Yves and the twins, and Yves always knocked. He was also close to Licht and knew how much our younger brother would blame himself for what happened to her, and he'd been to his favorite café in the city yesterday evening. Buying a pastry for her and having Licht deliver it was his attempt to ease Licht's mind.

And fortunately for me, Licht was the brother least likely to harass me after finding me in an ideal position to kiss her.

His crimson eyes widened by the barest margin. Her cheeks were already red before he entered the room, but now, her entire body became rigid, and her wide green eyes darted from me to him and back again, the lips that drew my attention with far too much ease parted in a soft gasp. Embarrassed, and remembering what had occurred in his room two days ago. I turned my back on them both and returned to my chair, a deliberate gesture meant to show her I didn't see Licht as a threat. Her lips had pressed together, and her hand had closed around her wrist when I looked back at her.

Licht cleared his throat and walked toward her, holding out a small pink box. "Here. Yves got this for you."

Her eyes flicked down to the box and back to his face. "Oh—thank you, Your Highness." She released her wrist and took it from him, her shoulders loosening a slight amount. "I told him he didn't have to get me anything."

Ah. Yves had tried to convince her to join him. With the reduction in the length of her commute conferred by the carriage ride, she could have spared a few minutes for the stop, but she'd never accept such an offer.

"The dirty guards are in jail. I'm investigating those who've left the force since this all began and will arrest any who were or are still involved, and I'm evaluating every soldier under my command personally. If you see or hear anything concerning, report it to me, and I'll handle it."

A little more tension left her shoulders. She nodded. "I will. Thank you, Prince Licht."

His eyes cut away from her an instant before he shifted his body to face me. It was an interesting contrast to see his taller, broader form tightening into a defensive posture as her smaller figure relaxed.

"But otherwise, stay away from me."

Her lips parted in question. This time, when her green eyes turned to mine, they were clear and open. And concerned.

"You're dismissed," I told her.

She nodded. "Thank you again, Prince Licht. I'll thank Prince Yves when I can."

And then she left, the troublesome little dove who lost all sense of self-preservation when she saw another person in need. It was a frustrating quality, even more so for the way it heightened her attractiveness to me.

Licht stood stiff and straight, shirt and jacket buttoned up to the throat, cuffs buttoned at the wrists, sword belt tight around his waist, hands gloved, expression neutral. Every inch of him closed off, as he had been since he was ten years old. I knew he kept his bedroom dark, and I knew he was hiding something in there, and I'd never cared to know more than that. But Ivetta knew, I realized, and that upset him as much as it had initially upset her.

"You have men you already know and trust. Delegate the investigation to them," I said, addressing the issue by leaving it unaddressed. He hadn't come here to bare his soul to me. He wanted advice. "Assessing other aspects of your command would be a better use of your time, such as modifying longstanding pairings, adjusting engrained patrol patterns, and paying attention to familiarity with merchants who have a vested interest in maintaining positive relationships with the guards frequenting their locales."