The next morning, Lucian arrived at Larch Palace as early as possible. Queen Elaryse welcomed him personally, as he’d heard she did with all of her staff.

As they strode through the palace on the way to his first lesson with Princess Gwynnoven, the queen filled him in on her daughter’s current studies. “She’s a quick learner, so you shouldn’t have any trouble teaching her--that is, if you can keep her in class.”

“Does she slip away often?” Lucian asked.

“Oh, yes. She’s very good at convincing people to let her go. If she tries to blackmail you, just ignore her,” Elaryse told him, her tone oddly casual. “Ah, here we are. This is the library.”

The queen threw open a set of ornately carved double doors to reveal a large room filled with rows of towering bookshelves. A few tables stood against the back wall under several tall windows.

Lucian stared in disbelief, not at the collection of tomes, but at the small, green-eyed girl leaning against one of the shelves. That’s the girl from the tavern,  he thought incredulously.

“You’re two minutes late. That’s a federal offense,” the girl stated. When her gaze landed on his face, her eyes widened almost imperceptibly.

“This is Princess Gwynnoven,” Elaryse announced, not noticing their surprise. “Gwynnoven, this is your new tutor, Lucian Renoir. Be civil, alright?”

She was the princess? What had she been doing out in the city in the middle of the night? He considered mentioning it, but from the death glare she was giving him it was clear she did not want her mother to know about her late-night excursion. Deciding to do her this one favor, he smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness.”

Gwynnoven cocked her head. “Do you know what happened to my last tutor?”

Lucian raised an eyebrow. “No. What happened?”

“He died.”

Queen Elaryse crossed her arms. “No, he did not. He retired. Quit being morbid.”

The princess shrugged. “Whatever you say, Mother.”

“Well, I’ll leave you to it. Good luck.” Elaryse patted Lucian on the shoulder and strode off down the hallway.

Lucian waited until the queen was gone, then gave Gwynnoven a pointed glance. "Who knew the princess had a secret night life?"

She blinked innocently. “I don't know what you’re talking about. I was in my room last night studying...snail migration.”

“You could have stopped at studying,” Lucian commented with an amused smirk.

“It’s all in the details.”

“Do snails even migrate?”

“I don’t know, you tell me. You’re the teacher.” She studied him disapprovingly. “How did you even get hired? You’re barely older than me. What do you know?”

“I know enough,” he replied, waving his hand in a vague gesture.

“Who was Rhodais’s ruler during the First Border Wars?” she prompted.

He thought for a moment. “King Horatio the Second.”

“Wrong!” she shouted triumphantly. “It was King Marinus.”

“No, I’m pretty sure it was not,” he said confidently.

“I know my royal history, Lucian. I’m related to these people!” she protested with a frown.

“Oh, really? You think so?”

“Fine. Let’s go look it up, so you can see how wrong you are.” Turning, she stalked through the library, and he followed close behind her.

She must have known these books well, because a moment later she pointed to a leather-bound volume titled The Complete Chronology of Rhodean History, sitting on one of the higher shelves. “There.” Standing on her toes, she stretched out her arm, but the tips of her fingers fell several inches short.

Lucian stifled a laugh. “Need some help, Princess?”

“Stop making fun of me,” she snipped, attempting to jump and grab the book. “I can have you executed.”

After watching her struggle for another minute, he reached over her and slipped the book off the shelf.

“I hate tall people,” she grumbled.

“You’re welcome.” He sat on the floor and flipped through the worn pages, and Gwynnoven peered over his shoulder.

A moment later, he crowed triumphantly. “Ha! King Horatio the Second! Who knows their history now?”

She sprang to her feet in indignation. “Bullsh*t!”

“He massacred three cities and burned hundreds of war prisoners, remember? That’s why they call him Horatio the Horrible!”

“I thought they called him that because he poisoned his wife!” she exclaimed defensively.

“No, that was King Edric.”

“Why don’t they call him horrible? Killing your wife is a pretty dick move.”

He shook his head. “Edric the Horrible doesn’t have the same ring to it. There’s no alliteration.”

She flopped onto the floor dramatically. “I can’t believe this. I don’t even know my own family.”

He gave her a sympathetic look. “Well, to be fair, no one really talks about the First Border Wars.”

She scowled. “Don’t patronize me.”

“Are you ready for your lesson now?” he asked sweetly.

“No. You’re fired.”

“That’s nice. Let’s go sit at a table, Princess.”