Chapter 171

Pierce looked puzzled. “Kit, I thought you left with your mother. Are you well?”

“Yes, I’m fine, Pierce, thank you. I only forgot to tell Landon something, that’s all.”

The Representative from Metfirth did not buy that excuse, but he continued on his way, his forehead crinkled. He wasn’t quite to the end of the hall when Landon did come around the corner. Thankfully, Eli was with him—along with Cassius, Jate, Danyen, and Drake. Eli was walking of his own accord, but Kit could tell it was a struggle.

“Why won’t you let them help you?” she asked, keeping her voice low so that Pierce, who had stopped to observe, wouldn’t hear. Her mother’s words about him came back to her, and she wished she’d have a chance to talk to Eli about it, but that couldn’t happen that night, not in his condition and not with her plans.

“I’m fine,” he insisted, though the sweat on his brow and the paleness of his complexion didn’t convince her.

Kit decided it would be best to make it back to their rooms as quickly as possible rather than arguing about it. She kept her pace as slow as she could, but even then, the further along they walked, the more difficult it became for Eli so that when they were almost to Kit’s room, he couldn’t go much further. “Why don’t you go into my chambers and rest?” she asked, turning to brush his hair back. “You may as well.”

Eli opened his mouth to protest, but Cassius interrupted. “Good idea, Princess. She won’t be needing it tonight any way.” He made a welcoming gesture with his arm toward the door, and Eli begrudgingly made his way over.

One of the guards who was stationed in front of the door opened it for him, and Kit followed behind, telling the others to wait in the hall. Once the door was closed, she slipped her shoulders under his arm and did her best to help him into the bedroom.

“Kit, I really can manage.”

“I know. You’ve been managing.”

He collapsed face down on the bed, and she moved his legs so that they were fully on the mattress before she took off his boots and his scabbard. “Really, Kit. Go on. I’m fine.”

“You look fine.” Shaking her head, she ran her hand across his cheek again. “I hate to leave you when you feel this way.”

“You must. We both know that public statement was a warning.”

Kit inhaled through her nose, knowing he was right. Despite that, she dropped to her knees so she was even with his emerald green eyes. “I need to speak to you about something odd my mother said, but I don’t want to trouble you, and I should probably just wait until you’re feeling better, but it’s been driving me mad.”

“Oh, well, then, by all means, wait until tomorrow.” He narrowed his eyes at her, and Kit giggled at his sarcasm.

“I’m not sure what it meant, if anything, but I think it may be significant.”

“What was it?”

She glanced back at the door. No one had followed them in. “I mentioned that I didn’t want to invite Pierce to my chambers, that I knew that he wasn’t the one for me, and she said, ‘Just because he can be a little rough doesn’t mean he wouldn’t make a proper husband.’” She had memorized the statement so that he could fully analyze each word.

Eli stared back at her for a moment. “And?”

Shocked, Kit returned his stare. “What do you mean, ‘And?’ And... how does she know he’s too rough?”

“Have you ever mentioned it?”

“To my mother? No, why would I?”

“Perhaps to someone else then, someone she would speak with? Junno?”

“No, I haven’t said a word to anyone. Who tells their grandmother that when a suitor grabs her breast, she imagines he thinks it’s a grapefruit and he’s checking for ripeness?”

The sound of Eli’s laughter was enough to make Kit giggle, too, though she felt bad when he winced afterward. “I don’t know, Kit. What is it that you think it means?”

She sat down on her haunches, disappointed that Eli didn’t immediately think it meant something—anything—the way Kit had. “I suppose it means she’s either speaking to Pierce about our relationship quite often or....” She couldn’t bring herself to say what else it might be. The entire idea seemed so absolutely ridiculous.

“That might be it. If he is going to see her, he is doing it late at night, and possibly by some means other than the direct path. Your guard has never seen him do so.”

“That is puzzling,” Kit admitted. She had been hopeful that someone had seen Pierce frequenting her mother’s chambers. “Well, then, I don’t know. But I felt like it was something.”

“Perhaps it is. At this point, I think it reinforces what we already know.”

“And what’s that?”

“That we can’t trust Pierce.”

“Yes, that’s true. We did already know that.”

“All right, now get out of here before I want to squeeze your grapefruits.”

Kit giggled again but then asked, “You mean you don’t already want to?”

“No, of course I do, but I can’t. And besides, those are Landon’s grapefruits tonight.”

Kit shook her head at his orneriness but leaned in and kissed him quickly on the lips just the same.

Back in the hallway, she was surprised to see all of the Representatives still standing there. She’d been in her chambers with Eli for so long, she thought some of them might’ve left. “Thank you all for your help,” she said quietly. “He will never ask for assistance, but as you can see, he needs it just the same.”

“Of course, Princess,” Reeve said, speaking for all of them. “We will do whatever we can to help anyone who is as important to you as the commander.”

Touched at his words, Kit leaned in and gave him a hug, and soon found herself hugging each of them before bidding them all good night, except for Landon. “We may as well go on to the other room,” Kit said, reaching for his arm. “Unless you want to go see your new room first.”

“Oh, no. I’m more than happy to accompany you now.” His grin was lopsided and eager, and Kit felt a rush until she remembered she needed to speak to the three ladies still standing there beside them.

“Will one of you go fetch Bea, please, and let her know where Eli is—discreetly?”

“Yes, don’t worry about him, Katrinetta. We’ll see that he’s tended to,” Avinia assured her.

Kit took a deep breath and tried to put the situation with Eli out of her mind so she could concentrate on Landon. It wouldn’t be easy, but one glance at his dimples told her it would be possible.