A Dove's Tale

Chapter 48

Yesterday didn't happen, I reminded myself as I stood outside Prince Chevalier's door. He was a prince and my employer. Nothing more.

I took a deep breath and let myself into his room.

And he was also a motionless lump under the blankets. Warm, inviting sunlight bathed the room, and the clothes in the laundry hamper didn't have a trace of blood on them. Everything was normal. Everything was fine. I got to work, doing my best to avoid looking at the bed. It was more of a distraction than he was right now. It looked so comfortable.

I really needed to get a good night's sleep tonight.

"Good morning, Prince Chevalier!" I called at nine o'clock, throwing the drapes open to let more sunlight into the room.

His unintelligible grumbling was also normal.

"Is Sariel going to let Prince Clavis out of the dungeons long enough to help you with your work today, your highness?" I asked, turning away from the window to pull clothes from the bureau.

Blankets rustled behind me, and Prince Chevalier yawned loudly. I thought, once again, how harmless he often seemed the first thing in the morning like this.

"Noisy escaped the gallows again," he mumbled.

"I'm glad," I said, setting the clothes on the sofa. "He's a pain, but I still like him."

It was so automatic for me to look at the bed at this point, to see if I needed to keep talking to keep Prince Chevalier from falling back asleep. I didn't even think about it. Not until my eyes met his, pale blue and intense, watching me from a sea of blankets. Two temptations rolled into one, electricity crackling in the air between us. I blushed and turned quickly away, heading for the door.

"I'll be back with your breakfast, your highness."

Yesterday didn't happen, I reminded myself, stepping into the hallway. I didn't see that look in his eyes. The look that made me feel like he wasn't harmless at all.

"Hey, Ivetta!" Prince Leon's big, booming voice called.

"Good morning, Prince Leon," I said, smiling back at him as he exited his room with a genial smile. His long strides brought him next to me before I got too far, and it was a testament to how tired I was that when he threw his arm around my shoulder, I didn't brush him off. He was pretty solid, I noted. Not just in his steady and true personality, but he was physically, literally, solid. All the princes were - at least, all the ones I'd felt. Which was...all of them, come to think of it. Except Prince Yves. He looked delicate compared to the others, but he was probably as muscular as the rest of them. They all had their own troops of knights, and they all trained with them regularly. The swords weren't just for show.

It was a lot easier to feel safe when a wall of muscle surrounded me.

"You look tired," Prince Leon noted.

An observant wall of muscle. That bit was annoying.

"You don't usually sleep in," I countered.

He shrugged. "Jin and I were up drinking last night. So, what's your excuse? Not wandering around again, were you?"

I shook my head. "No, just up late."

That answer didn't satisfy the eyes I felt boring into me, but I wasn't about to elaborate. After a moment of silence, Prince Leon finally said, "Well, if it helps at all, Theresa is safe."

I looked up at his warm amber eyes. "You talked to Prince Chevalier?"

He laughed. "Kinda weird, huh? Turns out we can carry a conversation without wanting to kill each other."