Queensmen

Chapter 94

~Hurt~

Oris was speechless. Hurt? You almost killed me. Granted, she was the one who put herself the path of the arrow. Still, it wasn't something that could be smoothed out by an apology, and a pompous one at that.

"Did... His Majesty send you here?"

"Him?" His expression morphed into a mixture of fear and surprise. "No. Of course not."

"Of course not." Oris glanced at the exit. It was just a few steps away. Why did it suddenly feel like a great divide? The longer she remained here the harder her life would be but there were too many eyes on her.

Each pair belonged to Hermes' men. Everything she did in the camp would be reported to him. Could she really afford to look like she was running away from one of his confidants?

"Oh, I see." Lord Eugene punctuated the sentence by slamming the fist of one hand into the palm of the other. "You're trying to find a way to ditch me without offending him."

Oris stared at the man and tried not to look confused. "You have already apologized, my lord."

He waved his hand then held it out to her. "Shall we?"

"I am afraid it would not be proper."

"Less proper that being in the Emperor's tent?" he asked, and when she didn't reply, added, "You can say that the emperor handed you to me to interrogate. He did so in this manner because he feared someone would kill you to silence you. Something of the sorts."

She let him escort her away from Hermes' encampment. "Why are you helping me?"

"Helping? No. I'm apologizing," he said. "I'm curious about you."

"Curious about His Majesty's woman?"

"Only if you pass the Selection... If not, then anyone may ask for your hand."

"And it will not be given."

"The Emperor then? You did not choose him, after all."

Oris turned sharply to face him. "What is it you want, my lord?"

"Lord Eugene."

"I am aware." Mikeal had told her his name, but that was no reason to feign familiarity with the man that had almost killed Bren. He had been dashed to the back of her mind, along with the two-faced Faeradaigh.

"Then are you aware that I had been on a mission?"

"Such is not for a woman to hear, is it?"

He looked at her strangely. "Not for an outsider, yes. On this mission, Mikeal and I traveled to many places, including your hometown."

Oris stayed silent.

"We were meant to return together but he sent me ahead him to report my findings," he continued. "He will return before the hunt ends."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"He asked me to."

"I accept your apology, my lord." She clasped her hands by her side and curtsied. "It is time I take my leave."

He grabbed her by the arm before she could fully retreat, dipped his head low and whispered. "He said that you should not forget what he promised you."

Promised? "Of course, my lord."

He flashed her a tight smile and made a show of peeling his fingers off her. "I will escort you no further, my lady."

As he walked away, Oris started going through the conversation they had just had. She hadn't seen Mikeal since her assassins attacked the palace. Any mission he was on had to be related to it. Was Lord Eugene simply baiting her by mentioning Inqa or did it mean something else?