The Princess's Guard ✔️

54

Word Count: 2055

~Kiva

Steadying myself, I head through the front door.

Initially I planned to burst in and confront my father, to threaten him. However, once I enter, hearing voices drift down the hall, I decide to slow play this.

Pressing my back against the wall, I inch closer to the room, keeping my eye out for anyone who could pass by.

This place seems like any other home. Aspects of it have clearly been changed to suit a business, with what looks like a waiting room in the old sitting room and a reception in the foyer.

I will investigate the intricacies of the place later. For now, I want to hear what my father is saying.

"How do we know they don't already have something on us?" The unfamiliar voice sounds panicked.

"If this were about the business they would have killed my daughter."

I draw in a breath. They are talking about the rebellion. Father would never openly tell me what he thinks, so I listen keenly.

"Maybe they were planning to." The other voice sounds like they are pacing.

"She doesn't know anything about this place, so at least she wouldn't have told them," father assures him, sounding much calmer.

That doesn't surprise me. He conceals his emotions expertly, revealing only to others what has value to him. That way no one can truly know what he is thinking.

"We need to close this shit up."

"We will. We burn the building and we contact every client and tell them we are moving operations east," father instructs in that familiar tone that he always told me was reserved for when he truly had to be a King.

I frown. There is a limited time for the rebellion to blow this operation open before it disappears again forever.

"Excellent. That means new girls."

"And more money spent. We need scouts we can trust, and a place we know can be accessed easily and yet not tracked."

Disgust curls up in my stomach. They talk about these victims like they are nothing, worthless. They exist only to allow my father and his cronies to make as much money as possible.

"You won't be able to visit often," the man tells my father.

"It's a shame, as I like to oversee operations, however until things calm down and I source this rebellion, I need to stay away."

I sigh. This means if we aren't successful in destroying this business soon, I may not have a way to find the new one.

"Then what?"

I can hear father rubbing his face with stress. "Then I marry my daughter off so I don't have to deal with her learning more than she needs to. Then, I have that stupid kid of my brother's take over my position and I enjoy the spoils of all my hard work."

My jaw aches as I grit my teeth tightly. He wants to get rid of me, so I'm no longer his problem.

That's why he pushed my marriage to Caspian so ardently...I doubt he cared that I was in danger because of my business, he just wanted to send me away so he didn't have to bother wasting his time protecting me.

"Any leads in the rebellion?" What must be his advisor asks. I smooth back my anger, concentrating.

"A big one." Father shifts in his seat. "I suspect my daughter is in love with their leader."