I grow no closer to achieving my goals when days go by without the two of us seeing each other. How is the king supposed to fall in love with me then?
No servant is above bribery, and I use any I can find throughout the palace to direct me to the meeting rooms used by the king and council.
My ultimate task is difficult. I have to have the appearance of courting the king, but I also have to appear to Kallias as though I only want to be friends. All while actually trying to get him to fall in love with me.
It’s such a fine line to walk.
I make it as far as a deserted hallway, unsure of where to go next, when a figure rounds a corner.
“Leandros!”
“Alessandra! Are you seeking me out, now? Was it our time together at the play? Have you finally seen reason and broken things off with Kallias?”
I mask the grin that wants to surface. “I’m actually looking for Kallias.”
Leandros looks around himself questioningly. “Around my quarters?”
I groan. “Is that where I am? I’m looking for the meeting rooms. A servant directed me this way.”
“These are the guest quarters. I assure you the king isn’t anywhere on this floor.”
“And I paid that last man a necos for directions. Clearly I’ve been led astray.”
“Or you took a wrong turn.”
“You dare suggest the blame lies with me?”
A twinkle appears in his eye. “You’re being courted by a king. I wouldn’t be surprised if your mind was elsewhere while you traveled the castle.”
I narrow my eyes. “I’m not the sort of lady to swoon at a title.”
“What sort of lady are you?” he asks, his voice taking on a playful tone.
“The kind who likes attention from her would-be intended.” I hadn’t meant to say it aloud, but the bitter thought surfaced, nonetheless.
Leandros nods, as though that makes perfect sense to him. “May I escort you to the meeting rooms? I have nothing better to do than spend time with a beautiful woman.”
I nod gratefully. “Please do. At this rate, the king will have already left by the time a competent servant directs me the right way.”
“We’re still blaming the servants, are we?”
I’m of half a mind to smack him.
Leandros laughs at the look on my face. “Forgive me. This way.” He offers me his arm, and I take it.
After a few moments, I say, “I can’t believe I’m reduced to this. Looking for him during his meetings.” Leandros will only think I’m put out that the man who is courting me doesn’t have time for me.
“A king is very busy,” he says. “I’m sure if he could spend more time with you, he would.”
“Is that what you told yourself when he pushed you away?” I ask.
The muscles in the arm I’m clinging to tighten. Perhaps that was too harsh.
“No,” he says at last. “I knew Kallias needed to heal after the death of his parents. He’d just finished grieving over his brother, only to have his parents taken from him. I gave him time, because I thought, eventually, he would lean on me and his other friends for support. But he hasn’t recovered.”
“Kallias had a brother?” I ask.
“You don’t remember the death of the crown prince?”
I shake my head.
“You would have been young when it happened. Xanthos Maheras was Kallias’s older brother of two years. I’m told the king looked up to his brother, but I didn’t know him then.”
“What happened to Xanthos?”
“A carriage accident, they say.”
“How terrible.”
Leandros nods. “My uncle brought me to the palace a few years later, thinking the companionship of boys his age might help. I wasn’t prepared to actually like him—it being a planned friendship, you see.”
I know the sentiment precisely.
“And now with his parents gone,” Leandros continues, “Kallias trusts no one. Save you, it would seem.” A pause. “How is he?”
I pat Leandros’s arm. “He seems well enough. He’s so dreadfully busy taking everything on his shoulders. But we have good conversations.”
“I just worry he’s forgotten entirely how to have fun.”
Fun.
Yes, that’s exactly what Kallias needs. Someone to remind him what fun is.
“Here we are,” Leandros says when we turn onto a new corridor. “Straight ahead. You can’t miss it.”
“Thank you for your help. I never would have found it on my own.”
“You’re most welcome.” Leandros takes back his arm, and his eyes rest on the necklace at my throat—the ruby-studded rose. “Beautiful.”
“It was a gift from Kallias.”
“The poets say a virtuous woman’s worth is above rubies. I should think the king values you more than all the precious gems in the world combined. I know I would if you were mine.”
And he takes his leave, disappearing out of sight.
I’m left staring after him, a peculiar mix of emotions swirling within me.
The poets can say whatever they damned like. A woman’s worth is not decided by what’s between her legs but by what is in her mind.
But Leandros’s flirtations are beyond flattering. Perhaps he might be someone to use in the future should I need to make Kallias jealous. Or, if the two used to be best friends, Leandros would know more than I do about Kallias’s interests and hobbies. He could prove to be a valuable source of information, if I could broach the topic naturally.
When I reach the end of the corridor, I’m stopped by a man with overly large spectacles, heeled shoes, tights, and a black tunic. He holds a pen and parchment in his hands.
“My lady, can I help you?” he asks. He tries to be subtle about the look-over he gives me, but I see it clearly.
“My name is Lady Alessandra Stathos. I was hoping to catch His Majesty in between meetings.”
The man drops into a bow. “I have heard of your arrival at court, Lady Stathos. I’m sure the king would love to know you stopped by, but I’m afraid he’s in back-to-back meetings for the rest of the day.”
“Do they switch rooms? Perhaps I could catch him in pass—”
The doors open, and a group of men and women step through. The appointment keeper grabs my arm to pull me out of the way so as not to be run over.
“Forgive me, my lady,” he says once the angry horde has passed. He disappears into the room, and I promptly follow him before the door can close.
The room is less a meeting room than an assembly hall. Benches span over half of the space. Against the opposite wall rests a throne and a scattering of smaller chairs. While Kallias occupies the throne, the council members take up the surrounding seats.
This is a room where decisions are made, where power is wielded. Once Kallias is dead, I will be at the head of this room, deciding the fates of others.
Kallias spots me almost at once. He rises and brushes past the appointment keeper to reach me.
“What are you doing here?” he asks quietly.
“Putting on a show,” I answer. “I miss my intended. I thought to steal you away. We could go for a horse ride up the mountainside.”
“That sounds lovely, but we have more appointments scheduled, I’m afraid. I can’t even take a stroll about the room with you.”