The dress I’ve selected for tonight is perhaps my most exquisite. For my first outing away from the palace, I want to draw attention. I want everyone to know I’m the one courting the king over six kingdoms.

Even if he’s not in attendance with me.

The gown is silver, the skirt showcasing loose ribbons made to look like waterfalls spilling down the sides. Tiny gems, sapphires and emeralds, are shaped to look like fish jumping from the bundled fabric all along the hemline.

My only accessory is a gray fan, perfect for hiding my features should the play turn out to be dull.

And of course to hide my distaste over Myron.

He has his curls pulled back out of his eyes and secured at the back of his head with a band. His jacket is ebony-colored with gold stitching along the hems, across his shoulders, and down the front. Tight-fitted black dress pants with gold buttons adorn his long legs.

“Your arm, Alessandra,” Myron says as we exit the carriage. I refrain from clenching my teeth as I place my arm in his.

Rhoda and Hestia accompany us. And though I’ve introduced Myron to both of them as a childhood friend, they keep shooting questioning looks over at him.

“I can’t believe you wouldn’t tell me what color you were wearing tonight,” Hestia moans from beside me. “I should have guessed silver!”

“Your pink gown is lovely,” I tell her. “You look like a spring fairy.” “I need to be wearing what the future queen is wearing.”

I’m too flattered by the assumption to say anything right away.

“At some point,” Rhoda offers, “you really must become your own woman, Hestia. Find your own style. And own it.”

Hestia ignores her.

“I believe that’s enough chatter, ladies,” Myron says. “Come along.” “We can talk as we walk,” I bite out. He is not allowed to treat my

friends this way. Still, Hestia and Rhoda say nothing as we climb up the

drive.

The Viscount and Viscountess of Christakos have a lovely estate. Neatly trimmed hedges line the drive. Steps made of marble lead to the front door, and the viscount and his wife are dressed in only the finest silks and satins.

The lady of the estate takes my hand in hers when it is our turn to be greeted. “Lady Stathos! What an honor it is to greet you in my home, but where is His Majesty?” She stares at Myron, as though by squinting she might be able to transform him into Kallias.

“Detained by work, I’m afraid.”

“A pity. Do make yourself comfortable, and I hope you will tell him how you enjoyed our hospitality.”

Myron tightens his grip on my arm.

“Instead, I’m accompanied by my friend Myron Calligaris,” I say awkwardly, “second son of the late viscount.”

“Oh. How do you do?” the viscountess asks politely.

“Quite well considering, my lady. I hope you won’t be too wroth with Alessandra for allowing me to escort her in the king’s absence. She thought the distraction might do me some good.”

The viscountess smiles, but she looks pointedly at the guests behind us, very clearly suggesting that we’ve taken too much of her time.

“Lady Christakos has many more guests to greet. We should be on our way to enjoy the festivities,” I say. Then I start walking, pulling Myron along with me before he can say anything else stupid.

The ballroom has been cleared of everything save cushioned chairs, which are fashioned in a circle around the middle of the floor, which I assume is reserved for the stage.

Our seats are in the front row, because they were selected for royalty. “Oh, look! It’s the Duke of Demetrio. His daughter is coming out

into society early next week. Alessandra, you must introduce me.”

I know about the ball held in the duke’s daughter’s honor. I’ve already accepted an invitation to the event, but I can hardly go over there right now and let Myron make a fool of me yet again.

“The play will start soon,” I argue. “There’s no time.”

Myron answers me with a look. A look that very clearly states what will happen if I don’t do as he bids.

But I try again. “There’s one seat open beside him. You could snag it before anyone else does. Then you’d have the whole play to talk with him.”

Myron thinks it over for only a second before leaving us.

Thank the devils. And I really hope he doesn’t do too much damage on his own.

We finally take our seats. Rhoda sits in the middle between me and Hestia, the chair to my left unoccupied.

“Remind me why we brought him with us?” Rhoda asks.

“I had no choice. My father demanded I introduce him to some new people,” I lie.

“Quick thinking on getting rid of him, though,” Hestia says.

“Thank you. I wish I’d never been—friends—with him.” I hurriedly interject the word I’d almost left out. “He’s only using me due to my favor with the king.” I glance to the girls to my right. “Is that the only reason we’re friends?”

Hestia looks affronted. “Of course not! It was your dress that made me want to be your friend! And now that I know you, I couldn’t care less about what you wear! Well, for the most part,” she amends.

“I admired your ability to snag a man so quickly,” Rhoda adds. “It had nothing to do with the king specifically. Aren’t we all drawn to our friends in the beginning by trifling things? True bonds develop afterward, when character is revealed.”

Satisfied with their answers, I look out toward the empty stage.

A gentleman with tan locks eyes the empty spot beside me and gives me a grin.

Leandros.

“Alessandra,” he says after walking over. “I’m so delighted to see you’ve joined us outside the stuffy palace for a night. However did you manage to separate yourself from the king long enough? You wouldn’t be giving me false hopes, now, would you?”

Oh, he’s such a flirt. I love it.

“It’s all in your head, I’m afraid, Lord Vasco,” I say.

He throws his hands over his heart dramatically. “You wound me with your formal address.”

“Where are your cohorts this evening?” I ask, looking behind him for signs of Rhouben and Petros.

“I’m surprised you can’t sense Rhouben’s distaste from here. You’ll find him to the right. Third row from the front.”

The brightness of his attire stands out like a beacon. I would have seen him if I had but looked. His clothing shimmers with golds and reds. On any other man, it would look ridiculous, but he pulls it off with confidence. To his right, I can see the very reason for his distaste.

Melita Xenakis. She has his arm in a death grip, looking quite pleased with herself. As though Rhouben were a fish she’d just caught. As if sensing my stare, she looks in my direction. Once she sees the empty seat beside me, where the king should be sitting (or perhaps she’s thinking of Orrin?), she grins to herself and looks away.

What a little bi—

“And Petros is off giggling in the corner with Lord Osias.” “Isn’t that the man who was flirting with his beau at the ball?” “Yes, well, Petros has decided that two can play at that game.” “How very conniving of him,” I say with a smile.

“Oh no!” Hestia suddenly says. “A footman is bringing Lady Zervas this way. Leandros, sit down!”

Leandros attempts to eye me for permission, but Hestia rises and shoves him into the empty seat beside me before regaining her own. The footman doesn’t miss a beat, slightly altering his course to deliver Lady Zervas to a new location.

“Why don’t we want her sitting with us?” I ask, leaning into Rhoda.

Hestia does the same, bending over Rhoda’s lap so I can hear her whisper. “She’s a terrible bore. So melancholy all the time. We wouldn’t have any fun with her around.”

“I don’t recognize her from the queen’s sitting room,” I say.

“That’s because she doesn’t join the other ladies,” Rhoda says. “She keeps to herself most of the time.”

“I wonder why she sticks around the palace at all if she doesn’t enjoy the company.”

“She has to!” Rhoda explains. “Her presence was ordered at the palace just like the rest of us.”

Ah, she was there the night the king died. Now the palace is her prison until the culprit is found.

I watch Lady Zervas take her seat. As soon as she does, she looks right at me, her expression practically lethal.

Leandros chuckles from next to me.

“Why is she looking at me like that?” I ask.

“All ladies will look at you like that when you’re sitting next to me.

It’s the jealousy.”

I give him a doubtful look.

He grins. “All right, it might not be because of me. But it is the jealousy.”

“Because I’m courting the king? He’s less than half her age!”

“No, not Kallias. It was the late king whom Lady Zervas fancied. They had a brief courtship before the king’s heart was stolen by the late queen. Zervas never got over him. She sees you in a position where she once was, and she envies you for that, I imagine.”

Now I look at the lady in a new light. Her voluminous hair is streaked with gray, but it doesn’t make her look old so much as dignified. She carries herself with an air of importance but doesn’t deign to look at anyone around her now that she’s done with me. Yes, she carries herself as if she fancies herself a queen.

“Tonight, she’s my favorite person,” Leandros continues. “I don’t know how else I could have persuaded you to let me sit beside you.”

I roll my eyes at him, just as some of the lights in the room turn off, dimming the makeshift stage.

The actors take their places, racing up the gaps between the rows of chairs to reach the center. And the performance begins.

THE PLAY IS SO dreadfully dull. By the end, the two lovers still weren’t able to reconcile their differences in order to be together. The entire performance was one long argument, really. There was no swordplay, no fisticuffs, nothing exciting at all.

The next outing I’ve agreed to attend is the debutante ball for the sixteen-year-old daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Demetrio, far- removed cousins to the king, but relations, nonetheless.

I send another note to Kallias, inviting him to join me, hoping this time it might be different considering he has a connection to the family, but his response is the same.

My dear friend Alessandra,

I do wish I could accompany you. I rather enjoyed the last time we danced. Alas, I am hard at work putting your plan for Pegai into action. With any luck, we’ll have the rebels put down before the month is out.

The council and I are also dealing with the latest attack by the masked bandit, this time far too close to the palace for my liking. We at least have a more accurate description of the man. Brown hood. Brown mask over his eyes.

That was, of course, sarcasm.

I’m afraid I will also have to skip dinner this evening. The council will be taking it in the meeting room tonight.

I sincerely hope you are enjoying your time among the nobility. I hear your friend Calligaris accompanied you to the play at the viscount’s. I’m glad to see you were able to find a replacement for me.

Yours,

Kallias

A replacement? Is that bitterness I detect in the strokes of his hand?

Or perhaps a subtle warning?

I need to get rid of Myron and fast. In order to do that, I need to talk to Rhouben. Yet I also need to speak to Kallias in an attempt to strengthen our courtship. I weigh the two options, trying to decide which to do first. It’s been far too long since I’ve seen the king. I must locate him.

I grow no closer to achieving my goals when days go by without the two of us seeing each other. How is the king supposed to fall in love with me then?

No servant is above bribery, and I use any I can find throughout the palace to direct me to the meeting rooms used by the king and council.

My ultimate task is difficult. I have to have the appearance of courting the king, but I also have to appear to Kallias as though I only want to be friends. All while actually trying to get him to fall in love with me.

It’s such a fine line to walk.

I make it as far as a deserted hallway, unsure of where to go next, when a figure rounds a corner.

“Leandros!”

“Alessandra! Are you seeking me out, now? Was it our time together at the play? Have you finally seen reason and broken things off with Kallias?”

I mask the grin that wants to surface. “I’m actually looking for Kallias.”

Leandros looks around himself questioningly. “Around my quarters?”

I groan. “Is that where I am? I’m looking for the meeting rooms. A servant directed me this way.”

“These are the guest quarters. I assure you the king isn’t anywhere on this floor.”

“And I paid that last man a necos for directions. Clearly I’ve been led astray.”

“Or you took a wrong turn.”

“You dare suggest the blame lies with me?”

A twinkle appears in his eye. “You’re being courted by a king. I wouldn’t be surprised if your mind was elsewhere while you traveled the castle.”

I narrow my eyes. “I’m not the sort of lady to swoon at a title.” “What sort of lady are you?” he asks, his voice taking on a playful

tone.

“The kind who likes attention from her would-be intended.” I hadn’t meant to say it aloud, but the bitter thought surfaced, nonetheless.

Leandros nods, as though that makes perfect sense to him. “May I escort you to the meeting rooms? I have nothing better to do than spend time with a beautiful woman.”

I nod gratefully. “Please do. At this rate, the king will have already left by the time a competent servant directs me the right way.”

“We’re still blaming the servants, are we?” I’m of half a mind to smack him.

Leandros laughs at the look on my face. “Forgive me. This way.” He offers me his arm, and I take it.

After a few moments, I say, “I can’t believe I’m reduced to this. Looking for him during his meetings.” Leandros will only think I’m put out that the man who is courting me doesn’t have time for me.

“A king is very busy,” he says. “I’m sure if he could spend more time with you, he would.”

“Is that what you told yourself when he pushed you away?” I ask.

The muscles in the arm I’m clinging to tighten. Perhaps that was too harsh.

“No,” he says at last. “I knew Kallias needed to heal after the death of his parents. He’d just finished grieving over his brother, only to have his parents taken from him. I gave him time, because I thought, eventually, he would lean on me and his other friends for support. But he hasn’t recovered.”

“Kallias had a brother?” I ask.

“You don’t remember the death of the crown prince?” I shake my head.

“You would have been young when it happened. Xanthos Maheras was Kallias’s older brother of two years. I’m told the king looked up to his brother, but I didn’t know him then.”

“What happened to Xanthos?” “A carriage accident, they say.” “How terrible.”

Leandros nods. “My uncle brought me to the palace a few years later, thinking the companionship of boys his age might help. I wasn’t prepared to actually like him—it being a planned friendship, you see.”

I know the sentiment precisely.

“And now with his parents gone,” Leandros continues, “Kallias trusts no one. Save you, it would seem.” A pause. “How is he?”

I pat Leandros’s arm. “He seems well enough. He’s so dreadfully busy taking everything on his shoulders. But we have good conversations.”

“I just worry he’s forgotten entirely how to have fun.” Fun.

Yes, that’s exactly what Kallias needs. Someone to remind him what fun is.

“Here we are,” Leandros says when we turn onto a new corridor. “Straight ahead. You can’t miss it.”

“Thank you for your help. I never would have found it on my own.” “You’re most welcome.” Leandros takes back his arm, and his eyes

rest on the necklace at my throat—the ruby-studded rose. “Beautiful.” “It was a gift from Kallias.”

“The poets say a virtuous woman’s worth is above rubies. I should think the king values you more than all the precious gems in the world

combined. I know I would if you were mine.”

And he takes his leave, disappearing out of sight.

I’m left staring after him, a peculiar mix of emotions swirling within

me.

The poets can say whatever they damned like. A woman’s worth is

not decided by what’s between her legs but by what is in her mind.

But Leandros’s flirtations are beyond flattering. Perhaps he might be someone to use in the future should I need to make Kallias jealous. Or, if the two used to be best friends, Leandros would know more than I do about Kallias’s interests and hobbies. He could prove to be a valuable source of information, if I could broach the topic naturally.

When I reach the end of the corridor, I’m stopped by a man with overly large spectacles, heeled shoes, tights, and a black tunic. He holds a pen and parchment in his hands.

“My lady, can I help you?” he asks. He tries to be subtle about the look-over he gives me, but I see it clearly.

“My name is Lady Alessandra Stathos. I was hoping to catch His Majesty in between meetings.”

The man drops into a bow. “I have heard of your arrival at court, Lady Stathos. I’m sure the king would love to know you stopped by, but I’m afraid he’s in back-to-back meetings for the rest of the day.”

“Do they switch rooms? Perhaps I could catch him in pass—”

The doors open, and a group of men and women step through. The appointment keeper grabs my arm to pull me out of the way so as not to be run over.

“Forgive me, my lady,” he says once the angry horde has passed. He disappears into the room, and I promptly follow him before the door can close.

The room is less a meeting room than an assembly hall. Benches span over half of the space. Against the opposite wall rests a throne and a scattering of smaller chairs. While Kallias occupies the throne, the council members take up the surrounding seats.

This is a room where decisions are made, where power is wielded. Once Kallias is dead, I will be at the head of this room, deciding the fates of others.

Kallias spots me almost at once. He rises and brushes past the appointment keeper to reach me.

“What are you doing here?” he asks quietly.

“Putting on a show,” I answer. “I miss my intended. I thought to steal you away. We could go for a horse ride up the mountainside.”

“That sounds lovely, but we have more appointments scheduled, I’m afraid. I can’t even take a stroll about the room with you.”

“Oh,” I say, put out. “Well, what was that all about?” I gesture toward the angry nobles who left in a huff.

Kallias rubs at his temple. “Even more of the nobility who have been relieved of their valuables by our masked bandit.”

“Have you put a heavier patrol on the roads?”

“That and more. We’ve done everything we can think of. Lady Tasoula has personally questioned the merchants living in the areas where these thefts have taken place. None of the people will speak against the bandit. He’s their hero. They won’t turn on him. I suspect, however, that none of them knows his real identity anyway.

“Ampelios has … questioned many of the peasants. But we haven’t caught any who have accepted the bandit’s charity. Without the merchants cooperating by telling us which peasants suddenly have more coin to spare, we have no way of knowing who is receiving the stolen coins.

“We’ve tried staging attacks to catch him, to no avail. We’ve issued a reward for his capture, but not a soul is tempted by it. This man is making me look a fool. When I get my hands on him—” Kallias cuts off suddenly, remembering who he’s talking to. “I’m sorry. I’m letting my temper get the best of me. You shouldn’t be here to deal with this.”

The council members are silent, eavesdropping on our conversation without bothering to pretend otherwise. Lord Vasco looks between Kallias and me, waiting to see how I’ll respond.

“Your Majesty, I have an idea for dealing with the bandit, if you’d care to hear it. Since you were so appreciative of my advice in dealing with the rebels in Pegai, I hope you will trust me enough to let me speak on this matter as well.” The flowery words are for the council’s benefit, of course.

Kallias blinks slowly. “Please continue.”

“If attempts to trap the bandit have proved unsuccessful, then perhaps a trap for those whom he’s giving his stolen goods to would help? Then you could find the right individuals to question as to the thief’s identity.”

“What would you propose?” Kallias asks.

“Melt down some coins. Create a new seal to stamp them with, something that varies only slightly from the current seal. When the money is stolen and used to purchase things in the market, you can arrest whoever is found carrying them.”

The room goes silent.

“That’s … a lot of work to put into a simple plan,” Lady Terzi, the kingdom’s treasurer, says. She has a large ledger held out in front of her. “If something should go wrong and we were to lose that money—”

Kallias turns to stare the woman down. “We should put this plan into action. Immediately. It’s the best idea to ever come out of this room. Unless anyone else has any other objections?” His teeth clench as he tacks on the question. Until he’s twenty-one, he doesn’t get the final say, I remember. He has to rely on the council’s vote.

When no one speaks, Kallias repeats the order, before returning back to me. He rubs the back of his neck, turning it until a faint crack sounds.

“Now that that’s underway, will you be free to join me at the Demetrio ball?” I ask hopefully.

“I’m sorry, dearest. I rule six different kingdoms. There’s always more to be discussed. I haven’t the time for parties or balls or plays. I barely have time to eat and sleep.”

I dare to take a step closer, and lavender and mint washes over me. “Just remember, Kallias. If we’re to be convincing, we need to have the appearance of a courting couple. Courting couples do things. They attend festivities together.”

He looks at me a moment longer. “I will send you more gifts.”

What? Is that supposed to appease me? Or make the facade more convincing?

“Epaphras!” Kallias yells.

I jump as the appointment keeper scurries over. “Kindly see Lady Stathos out of the meeting room.” I’m escorted away without another word.