Wysteria. We were traveling to the castle in a few hours, leaving the comfort of Stein behind for the scrutiny of this unfamiliar territory. Byron is going to meet the new princess, with the hopes of convincing her to marry him. How does he know that she will be good fit as the queen of Stein and Wysteria? It irritated me, but every time she came up in conversation, I kept my concerns to myself. Whatever he chose to do with his life was no concern of mine as long as he kept his promise.
A knock at my door came seconds before it swung open. Albert strode in, nodding appreciatively at my packed trunk of things. "At least someone is prepared. King Byron is asking for you."
It still amazed me how much his attitude toward me had changed over the course of the past year. Sliding my dagger into my boot, I replied, "Of course he is." What have I done now?
As I mulled over the question, I made my way through the hallways. Everything seemed much more peaceful. After years of service and multiple accounts of saving Byron's life, I'd been accepted as a part of this household. It had become the home I never had.
No sooner had I stepped into the room, Bryon started to speak. Most people rarely got to hear him talk so much. "Good, you're here. There's a few things I wanted to discuss with you about this trip. Firstly, try not to make any enemies."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, feigning innocence.
He had yet to look at me, digging through his desk. "Try to be nice. Secondly, do not kill anyone in front of the princess. I'm used to your methods, she isn't."
"If everything goes the way you want it, shouldn't she start to get to used it?" I asked, annoyed. It's much harder to refrain from killing than doing so. Besides, an attempt on royalty is treason, which is punishable by death. Why waste the time having a fair trial or whatever?
"That is an order," Byron said, turning his gaze on me. "Do you ever wear a dress?"
I looked down at my attire: A quarter-sleeve crème shirt, black pants, and knee high brown boots. What's wrong with the way I'm dressed? "Do you want me to protect you while dressed in extremely impractical clothes?" My job doesn't require me to be dressed like that.
Sighing, Bryon shook his head, closing his trunk. "You went out last night. Anything to report?"
"Nothing you need to worry about." This is my job. He has plenty of other things to worry about.
"Rory."
"Byron."
He held my gaze for what felt like eternity before sighing again. "I trust you."
A smile grew on my face. He didn't say it often, but it made me happy when he did. I'd worked tirelessly over years to gain it. "Do you really intend to marry this girl?" It had become hard for me to accept it. All of a sudden, things were changing quickly.
"It's a possibility. Wysteria is a large and prosperous country," Byron replied. He crossed the room to me, placing his hand on my head. "You know I can't marry for love. It's rare for that to happen." He lingered, both of us silent. "In another life, Rory."
Our strange relationship gave most onlookers the idea that we might be lovers. When I'd first met him, that would have been true. Even now, the attraction between us still remained, though neither of us would acknowledge it. Being together was impossible. This was the way it had to be. "Albert is ready for us to leave. I'll go check one last time," I said, ignoring his last comment.
Thankfully, Albert arrived, giving me the chance to slip out of the room without any more comments. The fresh, cool air felt good on my warm skin. Byron had interpreted my question wrong. I hadn't asked because I was jealous. All I wanted was to ensure he wasn't going to do something he'd regret.
After my search for potential threats, I ended up back at the carriage, where everyone was waiting for me. Albert met me a few paces away, making sure no one would overhear us. "About what I told you last night…"
"It will stay between us. Like you said, this is our responsibility. Has anything progressed?" Albert asked, adjusting his glasses His knights were watching us curiously.
With a shake of my head, I sighed. "No. I haven't seen him since early this morning. Either he's smarter than I gave him credit for, or I'm losing it." I laughed to make the joke less self-loathing. I know what I saw.
Albert gave a small smile. "Your instincts are typically spot on. Don't start doubting them now."
He's right. If nothing turned out from this, fine. But if my intuition was right, then I needed to be prepared. Climbing into the carriage, I plopped onto the seat across from Byron, lost in my thoughts. Byron watched me, but didn't comment. For a while, we rode in a comfortable silence.
"You're originally from Wysteria, aren't you?" Byron's question caught me off guard. His elbow was propped on the door of the carriage with his chin resting on his palm. "Are you going to visit them?"
Shrugging my shoulders, I replied, "If I have time. You know how much I hate traveling." It was hard work leaving Stein. These people wouldn't have the same respect for Byron like the ones at home. Anyone could be a potential threat, which worked me twice as much. Plus, our last trip almost ended in a war.
He laughed, eyes still on me. "Yes, I know. Rory, what's on your mind? I'd say you look nervous."
Damn, nothing gets past this man. Staring at the wall behind him, silence took over. I could feel him watching me. When I was sure he wasn't going to let this go, I answered, "If you marry this girl…" The words became jumbled in my head, but Bryon waited patiently for me to sort them out. "What if she doesn't approve of me and what I do?"
When I returned my gaze to him, Byron had an unreadable expression, like he'd not though about it. The minutes moved slowly. After an excruciatingly long amount of time, he finally spoke. "It doesn't matter. You're my personal guard, and that is my decision."
The carriage stopped, and I noted the sun had begun to set. Looks like we will be camping out tonight. His words calmed my nerves. There's no use overthinking the future. He promised to protect me, and that should be enough. Night soon set in, and after a small dinner, everyone who wasn't keeping watch retired to their tents. I paced outside of Byron's tent, flipping my dagger around in my hand. A knight stopped in front of me to ask if King Byron had returned yet.
The panic that set into my body almost paralyzed me. A quick sweep inside the tent showed me that it was empty. Blinking, I tried to slow my heartrate. "Which direction did he go?" Casting my eyes around the area, it seemed no one had gone to accompany him. That… idiot! Setting off in the direction that the knight had given me, I grumbled to myself. Wandering the woods this late at night was not what I wanted to be doing.
Every muscle in my body tensed when I heard Byron's words, "Are you bandits?" Cursing under my breath, I rose onto the balls of my feet, moving silently closer to his voice. Byron continued to speak calmly, "And here I thought Wysteria to be peaceful. I suppose it can't be helped in this case."
The scene I came up to sent anger through my body. A girl stood behind Byron, shaking like a leaf. Between me and the King were three beefy bandits. It seems justified to assume that they were after the rich girl, and just happened to come across Byron. Flipping the blade around in my hand, I gripped the handle tight. Catching Bryon's stare, his lips turned up in to a small smile for a brief second.
"I don't intent to harm you." His words confused the bandits. "But, Rory… I can't speak for. She has a mind of her own."
At the mention of my name, they all turned to look around. Taking that as my cue, I rushed forward, taking the first man by surprise. It seemed harder not going for the kill. I figured some practice might help me for when we arrived at the castle. Each cut I made was superficial but it would cause a lot of pain. My boot connected with his stomach, causing him to gag and cough. His other men backed away, terrified.
"Let's go," He ordered through a cough.
My eyes stayed on them. "Should I—"
"No," Byron said, returning his attention to the girl. "There's a carriage just past that grove of trees. I imagine it is waiting for you. You should probably hurry."
The girl turned to look in the direction he'd told her. While her back was turned, Byron took quick silent steps, towing me along. Behind the nearest big tree, he hid us. "What-" My quiet protest cut short as he clamped his hand over my mouth, and pressed his body against mine to keep us hidden.
Stuck between his warm body and the scratchy tree bark, I rolled my eyes. It didn't go unnoticed by the King. His hot breath on my ear sent a shiver down my body. "You did follow me into the woods. Isn't this why you came?" Though he only teased, it didn't stop the images from entering my mind.
I really hate traveling.