Without a word of protest—as though of course this was entirely reasonable—Calypse gathered me more securely in his arms and began making his way toward the raised section of the hall where the royal dais stood.
Protocol, under ordinary circumstances, was absolute: no noble could approach a member of the royal family uninvited. It was the royals who spoke first, and only then could one respond.
But.
The glances were subtle—just small, sideways looks—as Calypse circled the area near Queen Grace, lingering just within her sightline like a statue that had decided to go for a walk.
“My little fairy—or rather, Princess Aisha.”
Queen Grace, in all her creature-enthusiast glory, had very nearly used one of her peculiar nicknames before catching herself and smoothly transitioning into something that at least resembled a normal greeting—and she was already crossing the floor toward us.
How do you like that?
I permitted myself a deeply satisfied smile as I gazed serenely over the heads of the dumbstruck nobles.
This is the level we’re operating at, people.
“You still appear to be without your fairy wings—no, wait, that’s not right. Let me try again. Have you been keeping well?”
Her Majesty Queen Grace—who had, impressively, still failed to fully conceal her enthusiasm—came to stand before me with a warm and gracious smile.
Several nobles in the vicinity drew sharp, audible breaths.
“…Her Majesty spoke to her first.”
“Is that—she’s the recently adopted princess, isn’t she? Princess Aisha?”
“What connection could she possibly have with the queen for Her Majesty to approach her like that…”
To put the scene in context: since the banquet had begun, Queen Grace had not spoken to a single guest. At most, she had exchanged a few words with Knox and certain members of the Creature Appreciation Society. Beyond that, she had sat in the chair reserved for royalty with the expression of an elegant statue—present, but entirely remote.
“The world’s sun shines upon the Kingdom of Frozen. Your Majesty Queen Grace.” I caught the hem of my skirt in both hands and dipped into a curtsy. “The dessert Your Majesty recommended at our last gathering was truly wonderful.”
And that, I’m afraid, is the last of what the general public needs to hear.
The rest required rising onto the tips of my toes and shielding my mouth with my palm before I leaned toward the queen and whispered.
“And I am terribly, terribly sorry for the trouble I caused at the Society meeting.”
Her Majesty considered this for a moment, then gave a slow nod.
“You did cause quite a significant incident, I’ll give you that.”
I… I’m so sorry…
My hands folded themselves together with great sincerity.
“That said—from what I understand, you were abducted. The responsibility for that lies with us, for failing to secure the palace grounds.”
Queen Grace dropped her own voice to match mine—and then, with the air of someone proposing a very civilized arrangement, pressed one finger to her lips in the universal gesture for our little secret.
“We’ll revisit this matter at the next Society meeting, I think. We seem to have rather a lot of private business between us. In any case—the creature you were holding, could that be a Mai—”
“Your Majesty, that would also fall under private matters.”
The small figure bundled in my arms stirred, blinking up at the queen with wide, sleep-creased eyes.
Kai had been given a pupil-altering potion earlier. To anyone else, he looked like nothing more than a white, well-behaved little cat.
“Ah. Of course.”
Queen Grace tilted her head thoughtfully.
“If not that—what on earth do nobles usually talk about at these things?”
“Hmm…”
Well. Since Her Majesty had asked, perhaps I could offer a demonstration of the rarefied art of aristocratic small talk.
With that thought, I extended one small finger toward the nearest table.
“Would Your Majesty care for some dessert?”
“What a delightful idea. Yes. Calypse, come along—you’re the one holding Aisha, so you might as well join us.”
“…As you wish.”
And so it was, with a somewhat put-upon duke in tow and an unexpectedly enthusiastic queen at my side, that I settled in to enjoy the dessert spread—
“Presenting His Grace, the Duke Foss of House Foss, from the Kingdom of Doctia!”
—until a name rang through the hall that I could never, in any number of lifetimes, forget. A name carved into my bones.
The fork stilled in my hand.
“Goodness, so foreign nobility really have been invited this season.”
“House Foss—that’s the family famous for their spies, isn’t it?”
“Rather bold, isn’t it? Most spy families keep their operations a closely guarded secret. How confident must you be to let that reputation precede you openly?”
Half fascination, half wariness. The arrival of a new and unknown face had set the room buzzing.
Through the open doors stepped a man of unhurried, comfortable middle age.
A round, broad face. Thick-knuckled fingers that wore heavy, ornate rings on every joint. A loose, practiced smile of someone who had long ago learned to enjoy being watched.
“…”
I could see him only from a distance, and still my heart hammered against my ribs.
That was strange. My heart was running, but my lungs had stopped.
I was bracing against the panic when—
“Aisha.”
A large hand settled against the back of my head, and then I was pressed gently, firmly, into the warmth of a solid chest.
“You don’t need to be afraid. Papa is here. Your brother is here. And Kai is right there in your arms.”
“…”
“Everyone in this room is on your side.”
His voice—low and steady and certain—poured into me like something warm.
The forehead and nose pressed against his chest felt the heat of him seeping through.
I knew. I knew that once, I had been alone. I had survived on my own, because there had been no other way.
But I have a family now.
“…Thank you.”
Steadied by his words, I turned my head—just slightly—and looked.
Duke Foss had already moved to the center of the hall and was holding court with the surrounding nobles, entirely at ease.
“Ha—this is my first time in the Frozen palace, and what a magnificent place it is! Are those candles actually suspended up there?”
“They are Her Majesty Queen Grace’s spellwork—she didn’t hang them, she levitated them by magic alone.”
“Good heavens. What a truly extraordinary kingdom this is.”
“Extraordinary?”
“In the North, your royals wield magic and mythical creatures roam the land—why, in our kingdom of Doctia, we speak of this place the way one speaks of a fairytale.”
“Oh my. A fairytale… I rather like the sound of that.”
“Ha ha ha! It is a privilege to be here.”
He had the art of it—the easy words, the room-warming laugh, the perfect performance of sincerity. As the head of a family of spies, making a favorable first impression was little more than breathing to him.
“And speaking of which—”
Having settled the room comfortably into his pocket, Duke Foss let his gaze wander the hall with an expression of mild, pleasant curiosity.
To anyone watching, it might have seemed like nothing more than the natural interest of a guest taking in new surroundings. But I knew what that look actually meant.
And when those wandering eyes landed on me—
“—ah. So this must be the legendary hero of the North.”
His smile didn’t change. But his pupils dilated in a way that had nothing to do with delight.
I’m frightened.
If Duke Foss got his hands on me again, it would mean going back. Back to the slaughterhouse they called a training facility, where the only outcomes were survival by a thread or death.
The thought closed my throat. I turned my face away—and wordlessly, without being asked, my father’s hand found the back of my head again and tucked my face gently out of sight, sheltered against his chest.
When Duke Foss came to stand before Calypse—
“Good evening. Foss, at your service. The famous Duke Krost—what an honor.”
Duke Foss delivered this introduction with thoroughly shameless composure.
“It feels rather strange, given that we are not strangers,” Calypse replied.
“I beg your pardon?”
“I remember exchanging a fair number of communications with you over the matter of a spy named Dorothy.”
Calypse did not bother softening his words. He simply stripped away the pretense, coolly and completely, before Duke Foss had time to settle into his performance.
While the duke’s composure flickered—
“A spy named Dorothy? Was there some incident in the North?”
“I’m not entirely sure what you mean. Though speaking of spies—it’s not impossible that House Foss has dispatched a few agents into our kingdom over the years.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s actually rather unsettling.”
The nobles who had been listening leaned toward one another, whispering.
“…Ha.”
The smile Duke Foss had been wearing developed a slight tremor at the corner.
He had clearly not anticipated that Calypse would air this particular grievance openly, in a formal setting, without so much as a diplomatic preamble.
Then again—Duke Foss knew the rules of noble etiquette inside and out.
“As a matter of principle.”
And Calypse, our father, had never given a damn about any of them. He was, after all, a hero forged in war.
“Leave the child alone.”
“‘The child’—people will misunderstand if you put it like—”
“That’s precisely why I said it.”
Calypse cut him off. The line of his jaw had gone tight.
“So no one mistakes you for a decent person.”
At those final words, Duke Foss’s expression twitched—but Calypse had already turned away, offering not even the courtesy of a parting pleasantry.
Bzzt—
Lucas, falling into step behind Calypse, kept his eyes fixed on Duke Foss until the very last possible moment.
Bzzt—
Knox, likewise.
Bzzt—
And somehow, Queen Grace—who had been standing beside us—added her own quietly devastating gaze to the collection.
“Ha—!”
Behind us, I could hear the sound of Duke Foss exhaling through his teeth. I didn’t turn back.
This is what it feels like to be protected.
I hadn’t known a warmth like this was possible.
________________________________________
