My instincts to protect kicked in. Audible gasps came from all around when I jerked the princess forward and she squealed loudly, stumbling into Byron's arms. Raising my own blade with my free arm to block the dagger, it was obvious I'd only narrowly made it. This man didn't match the figure that had been following us since Stein. There must be two of them. So openly attacking the princess must be a decoy. Turning my head back to search the room, knights ran towards us.

The attacker swung his fist, missing as I ducked down to avoid the punch. Twisting under his arm that pushed his blade against mine, I swung my leg to around to kick him on the back. His body jerked forward, our daggers making a 'shink' noise as they slid apart, his clanging to the floor. Raising my foot, I planted it hard into the back of his knee. The attacker crumpled down to his knees. Entangling my hand into his hair, I jerked his head back, placing my sharp dagger to his throat. "Who are you working with? Where's your partner?"

"I work alone," the man replied, gulping down his fear.

Liar.

I know it.

Pressing the blade hard enough to draw blood, I narrowed my eyes. "Unless you'd like me to spill your blood all over this floor, tell me what I want to know," I demanded, losing my self-control. In this quiet room, everyone heard my words. My danger meter was off the scale. Another attack could happen any time. He isn't safe!

"Rory, enough!" Byron ordered, louder than expected. All eyes were on me, but only one pair mattered to me. Byron frowned, disapproving of my behavior.

Alyn, the knight I'd met earlier, blocked my view of the rest of the room. "We'll take him from here." With the assistance of other knights, the man was escorted out of the room.

Bryon gave a quick apology to the princess and crossed the distance between us, seizing my arm and practically dragging me out of the room with Albert following close behind. When the doors closed to the ballroom, he released me. "You're dismissed. Wait for me in my chambers. That is an order." Without giving any room for argument, he returned to the ballroom.

"Albert," I called, knowing now isn't the time to press any issues. When Albert's attention moved to me, I sighed. "That isn't the man that I saw in Stein."

Albert gave a curt nod, understanding what I meant. Then I was all alone in the hallway. Running my hands through my hair, I cursed under my breath. The need to punch something bubbled up. Dammit! His expression had been anger and disappointment. Returning to the room, I paced around, unable to wait patiently. It didn't take as long as I expected for him to return.

The door locked behind him, and the room fell silent, tension rising. "Rory, do you understand what you did?" He asked, as if the rules of royalty applied to me. His tone mirrored that of a parent scolding a child

I folded my arms. "I saved her life. If I'd waited, she'd be dead. They should be thanking me!" I argued. Of course, the aristocrats were terrified when blades are drawn. They've never had to face threats like that in an event like this, but my job to protect Byron outweighed all of their wishes.

"You went too far. That spectacle has caused a commotion, and I've spent the last few hours apologizing on your behalf," Byron replied. This is where the two of us really differ, and it's all because of social status. "I've told you before that this kind of behavior reflects badly on you, and in turn, on Stein since you work for me."

"I don't give a damn what those people think about me! That man isn't the one who followed us from Stein—"

Byron stalked over to me, seizing my wrists and backing me against the wall. "Rory, shut up before I decide to let them throw you in the dungeon for the night. I'm tired of arguing with you."

It irritated me when he acted like this. The same reaction came from him in Protea when an assassin tried to kill him there. It was at a dinner party with a lot less people around, but he was just as angered then as he is now. "I didn't kill him. I followed your order. Everything else is irrelevant to me." I wasn't going to back down about this. I had done my job.

A knock at the door made Byron pull away. He motioned in that direction, clearly not in the mood to speak to anyone. Crossing the room, I pulled a blade out and hid it behind my back. Cracking the door, I narrowed my eyes at Giles. "Yes?" I tried to relax but couldn't. My body was still wound up from the attempted assassination of the Wysteria princess.

"I would like to have a word with King Byron if he would be so kind," Giles said, a pleasant smile on his features.

"Rory, take a walk," Byron pulled the door further open and pushed me forward. He couldn't refuse the princess's tutor and attendant after the fiasco that had happened.

Unsure of whether I should trust this man, the door had been shut in my face. Huffing, I debated standing out here until the conversation was over, but I was too anxious to just stand idly. A patrol around the grounds to check for suspicious figures might further my investigation. It would be best to avoid as many aristocrats as possible.

The hallways were vacant, as the party in the great hall still went on. The musician's music played softly behind the closed doors. Being in another country is quite stressful. It's my least favorite part about Byron's position. Rounding the corner, I spotted a familiar person. Alyn's attention fell on me and he left the circle of knights he'd been speaking to. "Rory," his voice was low, and he seized my arm. "Come with me." Alyn lead me away from the main part of the castle, and down a long flight of stairs. It's clear he's taking me to the dungeon. "He isn't speaking to us, only asking to see you."

"You're going to let me talk to him?" That seemed out of the ordinary.

Alyn scratched the back of his neck, stopping at the bottom of the stairs. "Well, we're out of options. Wysteria law prohibits us from torturing him since he isn't a Wysteria citizen, so he says." He turned to look back at me. "I also wanted to thank you personally, for saving our princess. She would be dead if it weren't for you."

"It was nothing. I simply reacted," I replied, puzzled over this prisoner. Why me? I'm nobody. It could be because I was the one to stop him, but that didn't feel right.

Alyn opened the door to the cell that held the attacker. He sat in a chair with his arms and legs tied up to keep him from harming anyone. He complained about the tightness of the ropes but stopped when his eyes landed on me. "Oh! You brought her. Good! That's good. You're Rory Kinder, right?"

My guard went up at his words. "How do you know my name?"

He grinned and shook his head. "That's not the question you should be asking, miss. I know a lot more about you than your name." He was taunting me, but information about myself was a secret. Only a select few knew about anything before my time with Byron. It's dangerous information. "Don't you want to know what I know?"

"I doubt you know anything," I said, narrowing my eyes. I can't let him control the conversation. This could turn bad, quickly. What should I do?

"You're just like they say you are," He laughed, throwing his head back. His laugh was loud and full of cockiness. It died down and he lifted his head enough to make eye contact with me. "I know what you two did in Freesia."

My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. So, this is about me and Rayvis? Rayvis and I weren't really friends, but we weren't strangers either. He's an archduke who rules over Freesia in Stein, and he's a good asset to King Byron. I should warn him about this. "I'm done with this. You're not going to tell me why you attacked the princess, and anything else you spew is lies." His type never spills their secrets, even if you torture them.

I turned on my heel and exited the cell, leaving behind Alyn in my hurry. He called after me, but I kept moving. This is not good. If he knows anything about my time in Freesia, then a lot more people are at risk than just me and Rayvis. Making my way through the castle hallways, my thoughts were occupied by this assassin's laugh. It almost sounds familiar to me, but from where have I heard it?

Shaking my head, I knocked on the door to the room that had been reserved for Rayvis, casting sideways glances down the corridor for any prying eyes. The door creaked open, but I frowned at the short girl who'd answered. "Nell."

Nell was Rayvis's pet psychopath. She barely stood at five feet tall and had curly blonde hair that framed her small face. Her bright blue eyes shielded the darkness that lurked just beneath her cute façade. A sly grin tugged at her lips. "Rory! What a surprise! Would you like to come in?" She pulled the door open further, revealing that she was alone.

"Where's Rayvis?" I asked, all of my muscles tense. I could never bring myself to trust her. Why Rayvis kept her so close to him was beyond me. Bryon had mentioned once that they had been childhood friends, but Rayvis should know how dangerous she is, though I assume he can control her well enough that Nell hasn't decided to kill him.

Her shoulders rose and fell slowly. "Who knows. Rayvis sent me back to the room saying that he had some business to attend to. He shouldn't be gone much longer. I can invite you in again, if that would help." Nell's sweet voice held a hint of a threat. We'd never gotten along.

Narrowing my eyes at her, I turned on my heel. "No, I'll go find him myself."

Nell lingered in the doorway, that smile never leaving her face as she waved, satisfied she'd kept me out of the room. Her attachment to Rayvis had to be a romantic one, as she dislikes all female company around him, but there was something else that held the two of them together. One day, I might dig into what that link was.

When I finally found him, I waited around the corner for the noblemen to finish his conversation with Rayvis.

"The person you're looking for does not appear to be anywhere in our country," A nobleman said.

Rayvis sighed, disappointment clear in his tone. "Is that so? Thank you for your efforts."

"Now, as far as our payment—"

"As promised, it will be sent to you later," Rayvis replied. The footsteps headed down the hallway in the other direction, until the nobleman was completely gone. "You can come out now, Rory. You shouldn't be listening in to other people's conversations."

Slipping around the corner, I folded my arms. "We have a problem, Rayvis."

Those were the only words that left my mouth when a drunken couple of aristocrats came out of a nearby room, clinging to each other and whispering words of love to each other. Rayvis swept past me, motioning me to follow him. We'd need a quiet and concealed place to speak. Word would spread quickly if anyone saw the two of us together, and the last thing I need is for Byron to find out about this situation. Things were spiraling out of control far too quickly.