Chapter 246: The Question of Fear
Chapter 245: The Question of Fear
Kathryn was quiet for a long moment.
The dust had settled around them, and the light from the grimy window had shifted as clouds passed over the sun.
Then she spoke.
"I am not delusional," she said, her voice low but steady. "I do not think the King is my only enemy. I simply did not believe the Queen would come after me. She has never troubled herself with me before."
She paused, pressing her lips together.
"But you are right. I should not have jumped to conclusions. Everything points to the possibility that she may come after me now."
Duke Valenridge nodded.
"Everything the Queen says regarding the Princess will be relayed to you both," Kathryn continued. "Every threat. Every warning. Every word she speaks to me in private."
The Duke inclined his head again.
"And if she asks you to give the Princess something that would damage her health?" he asked.
Kathryn paused. That was a possibility.
"I will not do it. I will only pretend to," she told him.
"How do we trust you?" Baron Redwick asked.
"Pardon me, my Lord, but it should be me asking the question. How do I trust you?" she asked.
Baron Redwick frowned at that.
"The Duke already promised to—"
"But that is just a promise. Words uttered, my Lord. It means nothing," she told him.
"That is true," Duke Valenridge said with a nod. "And trust is quite a fragile thing too. But this agreement is one that benefits us both, and I swear on my life that I will help you."
He said it to Kathryn.
"If I fail to do so, you are free to take my life," he said.
Kathryn stared at him once more in shock. The Duke was quite unpredictable. Those words were not ones she had expected him to say, and he was swearing on his life.
She swallowed, then nodded.
"You should go," he told her. "The Queen will come looking for you, and you cannot be here any longer lest she suspect something."
Kathryn nodded.
She turned, but then she paused and looked back at him.
"How do I contact you, Your Grace?"
He only smiled.
"I will contact you. And you will know when I do so."
She stared at him for a while, and then she bowed deeply.
"Your Grace," she said. "My Lord."
She turned and left the storage closet, pulling the door shut behind her. Her footsteps faded quickly into the corridor beyond, swallowed by the silence of the abandoned wing.
Baron Redwick let out a breath he had not realised he had been holding.
"We should go," he said.
Duke Valenridge nodded.
They waited a few minutes, counting the seconds in the dim light, listening for anything that might indicate someone was nearby.
Then the Duke pushed the door open and stepped into the corridor.
They walked side by side, their footsteps light against the floor, their pace unhurried.
They turned a corner.
Then another.
The corridor widened, and the sconces grew brighter, and the dust of the abandoned wing gave way to the polished marble of the main halls. They were back in the parts of the palace where people walked and servants hurried and guards stood at attention.
Baron Redwick slowed his pace slightly.
"Do you not fear the royal family?" he asked the Duke.
Duke Valenridge glanced at him.
"I fear few people in this life," he said. "My mother, for one. She is terrifying when she is angry."
Baron Redwick blinked at that.
"Your mother?"
"And my sister," the Duke continued, a hint of amusement creeping into his voice. "For the same reason. She is my mother’s daughter, after all."
"The royal family," Baron Redwick said again. "Do you not fear them?"
Duke Valenridge stopped walking.
Baron Redwick stopped too.
The Duke turned to face him, his pale green eyes sharp.
"Have I given you any reason to believe that I do?" he asked.
Baron Redwick held his gaze.
"You are daring," he said. "I have known that for a while now. But perhaps you are taking it too far. You are currently in the palace. You are a guest here. The Queen has already shown that she is not pleased with you."
Duke Valenridge gave him a long look.
"Julian," he said, "have you ever considered that perhaps I am not as reckless as I appear?"
Baron Redwick frowned.
"What do you mean?"
The Duke tilted his head.
"Has it never occurred to you that someone like me—or the others—would not speak so freely in another person’s territory without thinking of the consequences?"
Baron Redwick stared at him, and the Duke chuckled.
"Stop being so straight-laced," he said. "Stop being so naive. The one who is truly naive in this palace is Benedict. And even he has secrets."
Baron Redwick opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, the Duke’s expression shifted. His eyes sharpened. His head turned slightly, as though he had heard something—or smelled something.
"Uh-oh," he said.
Baron Redwick frowned, and only then did he catch the scent. Someone was approaching them, but he had no idea who.
"Your Grace!"
A young boy came running toward them, his face flushed, his breath coming in short, heavy gasps. His hair fell across his forehead, and he wore a look of profound exasperation.
Duke Valenridge sighed.
"Tommy," he said.
The boy reached them and bent over, bracing his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.
"Your Grace," he said between gasps, "I have been looking everywhere for you."
"You found me, Tommy boy," the Duke said mildly.
Tommy scowled.
"Do not call me that," he said.
He straightened and turned to Baron Redwick, bowing politely.
"My Lord."
Baron Redwick inclined his head.
Tommy turned back to Duke Valenridge, his scowl returning.
"Why do you keep doing this?" he asked. "Why must you make us worry? Robin is beside himself. Mathias is pretending not to be concerned, but I can tell that he is. You cannot simply disappear for hours without telling anyone where you are going."
Duke Valenridge raised an eyebrow.
"I was not gone for hours."
"You were," Tommy insisted. "I counted."
"You counted?"
"I was worried."
Duke Valenridge sighed again.
"There is nothing to worry about," he said. "I was merely having a chat with Julian here."
Tommy turned to Baron Redwick, his expression polite but pointed.
"My Lord," he said, "is His Grace telling the truth?"
