Now that I actually looked at him, though, it turned out he had no makeup on this time, just dark circles under his eyes. I bit my tongue before I told Vanth those looked rather stylish on him. This really was becoming a common occurrence, and an uncomfortable one.

Vanth looked as if he’d jumped right out of the bed, still unshaven. Irritatingly, that smattering of stubble didn’t look half bad on him. He should only be allowed to look good when he put in the effort.

“Did you fall asleep in your clothes?” I asked. “Gotta be real uncomfortable.”

“I don’t see how that’s your business.”

“Maybe not, but I did wake you up, didn’t I?”

“You did.”

“Sorry. Though it wasn’t on purpose.”

“Don’t you remember what I told you last night? Don’t hesitate to summon me, even if it feels unimportant. I shouldn’t wait till your distress calls me through the spell.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I should’ve done that. Things caught me by surprise is all.”

He was back to his indifference. Guess that was to be expected from the only remaining aristocrat of Zalmuric. But then, when I had just snapped at him for throwing me that cold spell, he’d briefly looked alive.

Well, I’d never find out if I didn’t give it a try.

“Did you sleep poorly because of the silver noon?”

“I never sleep through silver noons. Emergencies are inevitable in such days.”

“Oh, I see. Sleep deprivation would explain why you’re suddenly acting so silly.”

“And what would explain that attitude of yours? Did your lovers allow you to grow so spoiled?”

“Not at all. I’m a self-made man.”

“So you can be remade.”

“You’d think so. But nobody has managed it yet.”

Before he could reply, I ran a few steps ahead to join Valentino, who glanced at me and said nothing.

“If you heard any of that, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry, Your Excellency. As a part of my duties, I never hear anything.”

That wasn’t surprising. After all, his duties entailed keeping an eye on the Lemarezins. The stuff of theirs that made it into the newspapers was seedy enough.

You can find many and varied things in the far and wide lands of the Protectorate, except for a single guard station that don’t look like the burial ground for your last hopes. Of course it's on purpose, but that don't mean I have to like it. The one in El Meandro was a mid-sized building of the same stonework as every other one in town—a sun-bleached outer wall encircling a small yard and a square two-floor box—and yet the drab soullessness grabbed you by the throat.

Half a dozen guards sat at the shade of a chañar, drinking chicha morada and playing cards over a rickety table. Looked like they were betting sunflower seeds. I hurried to the table so I could get a word in before anybody else.

“Good afternoon, officers.” I turned to the oldest, a man in his fifties. “Sergeant Médanos. Sergeant Vargas here was just assaulted by some pranking children.”

Yes, you've probably noticed the inherent contradiction between an “assault” that was only a “prank”. Look, I was trying to minimize the attack and appease Valentino at the same time. It wasn’t an easy balance, so excuse me if I stumbled.

The guards looked at me as if I was the one pranking them. Until they saw Valentino's uniform, that is. El Meandro's guards conspicuously lacked any vests or cravats, and their shirts had never been pressed. They could’ve given their boots a brush-over, if I’m honest. Meanwhile, Valentino still looked as pristine as you could reasonably expect after the latest happenings. He’d removed his cravat and still looked pretty dusty, but his shirt and vest were both fully buttoned, and not one hair had escaped his braid.

Valentino and Médanos were both sergeants, but you’d never guess they had anything at all in common.

This was one card I could play!

“Non-citizens,” Valentino specified.

“That’s right, it was non-citizens who did it. In the eastern park. There’s a bit of a wreck, so we apologize for that.” I mock-laughed. Unfortunately, I sounded more nervous than I intended to. “I was wondering, who let these people in? Where did all the guards go? Nobody at all noticed what's going on? But that’s so silly! Obviously you can't be everywhere! You can tell I wasn’t thinking straight.”

I shrugged apologetically. Despite aiming a critical eye at the interrupted card game, Valentino didn’t miss a word.

“Anyway, they might still be somewhere in town. Sergeant Vargas thinks you should locate them, for the sake of public safety.” I delivered these words a bit blandly, so that the guards would know I was simply relying a position I didn’t partook in.

Médanos grunted. It was almost funny how much he didn't want to have this conversation.

“They should be locked for forty-eight hours,” Valentino said.

That didn’t sound like a huge deal—and in this particular station, it really wasn’t. Our guards were pretty much paper tigers. They’d swagger if they felt like it, but they mostly locked up drunks who were upsetting some festival or market day, and it wasn’t too long before everyone walked out of their cells. That’s not how it goes in the cities, and I doubted Valentino was familiar with the way we did things. I also doubted he approved of it.

On the other hand, I couldn’t remember the last time our guards had grabbed a non-citizen. The more I thought about it, the less I could trust them.

A couple of guards raised their eyebrows at Valentino. I knew what they were thinking: surely he wasn’t planning on staying around till a search party left the station, right? That’d cause so much unnecessary trouble for them. Why, they wouldn’t be able to shrug and go back to their card game!

“They must be upriver now,” I said. “Good luck with your search.”

Médanos nodded. He’d gotten my point: the pranking children had already escaped out of town, so they weren’t his problem anymore.

“As for us,” I tilted my head toward Valentino, “we have a train to board, so I think it’s best if we leave this matter in your capable hands. Have a good day, everybody!”

Waving at the guards, I turned on my heel and left. After a single agonizing heartbeat, Valentino stepped by my side. My shirt was stuck to my back with sweat and my stomach felt like an empty well. Time to finally have lunch and forget about this mess.

“Sorry that happened to you,” I whispered. Like it or not, Valentino would be spending the next week with me, and I’d rather stay on his good side.

Valentino sighed. “Sorry Your Excellency was dragged into it.”

Yeah, I was.

Vanth waited by the corner, leaning on the wall. He straightened up when he saw me coming. And I do mean me. He didn’t even glance at Valentino.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” I said.

Instead of answering, he loomed over me like a black cloud across the sun, tilted my head up, and kissed me. I wondered, just for an instant, if he always kissed like a hungry animal. Well, unless he got tired of me real quick, I’d find out soon enough. I wrapped my arms around his neck, drawing him closer.

Don’t think I only did it so he’d like me. My lovers often took me for granted. The propietary grip of Vanth’s hand on the back of my head, the way it descended down my back and grabbed my ass right there in the sun-drenched street—well, it was new, too. And I kinda liked it, too.

Just when I was getting into it, though, he let go. Once more he pretended he’d done nothing worth remarking upon. Clearly he expected me to start panting after him like a teenager while he acted as if he was doing me a huge favor by fucking me. Well, it wouldn’t happen.

I remembered the way he looked when he got unraveled. A bit scary.

But, in my opinion, a lot preferable.

I’d find a way to unravel him again.

“Has Your Illustrious Highness had lunch already?” See, I could pretend indifference too.

“Oh, no. You forget Vorsa is six hours in the future.”

“I did forget. Well, come lunch with us! For once it’s me inviting two handsome men, instead of the other way around.”

Vanth's eyes shifted toward Valentino, just barely, before he remembered to act indifferent. It was such a small gesture, I would've missed it if I wasn't used to paying close attention to men’s reactions. But I saw it.