Kidnapping the Prince

Kidnapping the Prince Installment VII

Kidnapping the Prince Installment VII

“I hope you both had an enjoyable afternoon,” Dan said as he escorted us back to our tower rooms. I nodded eagerly, lifting up my skirts to climb the stone steps.

“I definitely did,” I answered sweetly with a smile. Dan seemed satisfied.

“Perhaps tomorrow you and Tyson would like to take a tour of the grounds?” Dan suggested as we reached the door to our rooms.

“That would be great!” I agreed enthusiastically. Dan grinned.

“I shall fetch you after breakfast tomorrow then,” Dan said happily. “We shall return in time for the start of Father’s ball.” He bid us goodbye and headed towards the stairs. He had not gone three steps down before he turned back. “Lady Raina, I would be greatly honored if you would consent to join my parents and me for dinner tonight. You as well, Tyson,” he added, a fraction of a second late. In my peripheral vision I could see Ryan scowl, but Dan seemed too focused on what my answer would be to notice.

“You shall be granted that honor,” I said with a wide smile. Dan grinned back at me, his golden eyes lighting up.

“Dinner will begin at promptly half past six. Until then, Raina,” he glanced at Ryan. “And Tyson.” With another playful salute, he headed off down the stairs, whistling a lighthearted melody as he went.

Ryan began rattling the doorknob, and I realized I had been staring after Dan’s long-gone back for a rather long time. Turning on my heel, I pulled out a hairpin and unlocked the door; I had left the key in the room. Not like I needed it.

“Isn’t this wonderful, Ryan?” I sighed dreamily as I waltzed into the room, humming a soft melody. Ryan grunted and shut the door.

“What’s so wonderful now?” he snapped as I completed a twirl with my imaginary dance partner.

“Why, everything of course!” I trilled happily as I waltzed across the room again. Ryan scowled and stuck his hands into his pocket.

“I’m gonna go take a nap,” he grumbled before entering his room and shutting the door behind him. Feeling bored, I pulled out the maps and sat down at the table to examine them.

“Lynx?” Ryan was back.

“Gave up on your nap?” I abandoned the maps and jumped into the armchair, where I crossed my legs and waited for Ryan to say what he’d come back to say.

“Well,” he began as he sat down in the chair I’d just vacated, “I just had some questions about the job that I wanted to talk to you about.” I waved a hand for him to continue. “For instance, why does the duke want the prince? What purpose would that serve?” I opened my mouth to answer but he cut me off impatiently, “I know he wants power, but he already has tons of that. So, why?”

I hugged a cushion and thought about it. Duke Slewin had almost unlimited power in Pentedwell, and if his coup with the prince didn’t work, he would be executed publicly and his entire family exiled.

“I don’t know,” I said at last. Then a thought occurred to me. “What if he’s working for someone who has more to gain from doing this?”

“You mean like an enemy?” Ryan asked slowly. I nodded eagerly, happy to have thought of something useful. “Yes,” I grinned at the thought of even more mysterious conspiracies, “maybe there’s gonna be a war, and the duke’s a spy!”

“That’s plausible, I guess,” Ryan frowned. “But why would he turn traitor to a country who has given him everything he has?” Ryan added thoughtfully. The happy bubble inside me deflated.