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Chapter 06- Don't Lower Your Guard

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On the day that Prince Saul arrived to officially court Princess Dandelion, I was tasked to watch over them both. But, this was all while being pestered by the magician Duncan, who acted less as a magician that day and more like an attendant to Sonnet royalty. How was it that I ended up having to keep an eye on three people while my mentor only had to keep an eye on one?

A part of me was relieved that the foreign prince was so well-behaved that he kept a distance from the princess. Duncan, however, kept draping an arm over my shoulders and treating me far more friendly than I could stand. I had given him two warnings already. If he touched me one more time, I would have to use force. After the second warning, his enthusiasm dimmed enough for him to stop. But I still felt the strange sensation of being watched. 

With a quick glance around, I caught a glint at a distance in the same blue signature as my mentor. If he was keeping an eye on us at the same time as guarding Prince Damien, then I had to take back all of the bad things I thought about our assignments. The ease that I felt at such a thought made me scowl. Why did I already have so much faith in Revelin? Nearly four whole months had passed since he mentioned my contract, far beyond the initial week he had promised. How was that trustworthy at all? Was I going out of my mind? Between my thoughts and keeping an eye on the princess, I didn't notice Duncan inching closer and closer to me until I felt his lips on my cheek. 

"Excuse me?" I snapped as I swiftly tripped the magician, causing him to fall. The surge of anger that rose inside me was only a small part due to being kissed without consent. The rest of the sick feeling I felt churning in my core was due to something else entirely that had nothing to do with the foolish young man. "I thought I made myself clear about invading my personal space!" 

Prince Saul was so concerned about his loyal subject that he rushed over to help him back onto his feet. He then fussed over the magician like an older brother until Duncan assured him that he was fine. That was when I felt a familiar presence behind me. 

"Forgive the intrusion," my mentor rumbled. But I request a word with the 'poison study.'

He led me far enough away to not be overheard but not so far as to lose sight of our charges. Keeping an eye on them was easier to do when all four of them were in one place, Prince Damien included. I wondered if corralling them together had been his plan from the beginning, but then Revelin began to whisper in my ear. 

"You shouldn't be letting your guard down around that magician messenger. He's more dangerous than he seems," he warned. 

Despite my own suspicions about Duncan in general, it still stung that he felt I was incompetent. "I haven't let down my guard at all!" I whispered back. "I was only pretending to have my guard down to lull them into a false sense of security!"

"Pretend any further, and you really will lose your guard and be subjected to molesting."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I hissed far louder than I had anticipated. The very subject matter of lack of consent chaffed. By that point, I could feel the three sets of eyes of the young royals and the magician upon us. 

"Unless you actually enjoy the attention that hummingbird dotes on you."

"Yes," I responded with sarcasm. "I enjoyed the invasion of privacy so much that I tripped Duncan and yelled at him not to invade my space."

The moment of silence that followed felt so tense that I was sure the group would approach us in concern. Prince Damien and Princess Dandelion had their gazes set on us both as if they were afraid I would trip their beloved godfather, as well. Honestly! 

"So, can I take that to mean you are not interested in the hummingbird?" 

That question forced me to look away from our charges and glance incredulously at my mentor instead. Wait, was he jealous of Duncan? Revelin? He couldn't possibly be. I turned my gaze back to the royals before responding.

"No, I'm not interested in hummingbirds whatsoever." 

I didn't have to look at him to know that the tips of his lips tugged back up into his usual smug smirk. 

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While Princess Dandelion's date was cut short, Prince Saul seemed interested enough to want to see her again for a second date. Neither my mentor nor I knew why Prince Damien had taken to comforting the magician Duncan for the rest of the day, but by the time the foreign prince was ready to go, the attendant seemed in slightly better spirits. 

"I'm surprised that the Sonnets trusted the Darenvy family enough to allow Prince Saul to get that close in the first place," I commented aloud. 

"The king and queen have been in talks with the Sonnets for months before the young ones began to even think about dating," Revelin confessed. "They're just letting them believe that they came up with the idea all by themselves to unite both kingdoms with a marriage." 

"But what happens if the princess decides not to go through with a wedding after all?" 

"The two families will have to cross that bridge when they get to it. No one would force her to do something she truly doesn't want to." 

"Glad to hear it." 

"You feel protective of my God kids already?" Revelin teased.

"In a way," I responded, unable to stop unwanted memories from resurfacing.

'I'll make a man out of you, Cyrus.' A shudder of disgust rolled over my body as the voice that occasionally haunted my nightmares bounced around in my head. Would I ever be rid of her memory? Forcing myself to focus back on the present, I continued.

"I also detest forced relationships and marriages," I admitted as I forced myself to think of other things. Anything else. "What about you? Think you'll ever settle down someday?" 

"I'm warming up to the idea." 

"Oh?" I cursed the curiosity that bled into my voice. "Has one of your conquests caught your attention for longer than the span of a weekend tryst?"

For a moment, I saw something in his eyes that caused my pulse to quicken. If he hadn't looked away when he did, he would have caught me blushing like a teenager. Snap out of it! Revelin clearly had one of his conquests in mind. That peculiar look wasn't aimed at me. 

"...something like that." He finally answered.