Chapter 127: The Decency to Look Guilty

Tori couldn’t help but tap her foot under the table. She was distracted as she oversaw the game where six matrons of some of the most influential families in the Central Corridor were clutching thick cardboard cards in their hands as if their lives depended on it.

“Lady Fargonod, please roll the dice.” The gray-haired old woman’s soft, but wrinkled hand shot down to the board and plucked up the dice. She rolled them in her hands before she released the dice into the center of the board.

“Three! Then, I will go here...into the library.” Lady Fargonod was smiling. “I have an accusation!” She looked at Tori, who nodded. “It was Bishop Frank in the library with the bust of St. Germaine!”

Tori opened the black envelope she was holding and took out the three cards within. She smiled and laid them on the table one by one. “It was indeed Bishop Frank, in the library, and with the bust of St. Germaine!”

“I knew it!” Duchess Tetri threw her cards on the board, disgruntled. “If only I was closer I would’ve made that guess!”

“You said that the last time, too,” Duchess Fekete said in a dull, unimpressed voice.

“Shall we play again?” Lady Fargonod asked, still beaming. Tori checked her time piece.

“We’re about ready to switch games.” She looked around the great hall where several tables had been set up along with chairs. Groups of people who didn’t partake in the hunt were huddled around the tables and the room was noisy.

Tori had brought a half dozen board games, three card games, a guidebook introducing role-playing-games, and a Soleil version of mahjong tiles which she first tested on Anahata Island and cost her two heliotropes from her Gorask chest when she lost to the Bishop of Karap. She shouldn’t have suggested that they bet crystals.

For Granite Tower’s sample games, she had asked for a large chalkboard to be rolled in from one of the study rooms and a group of young people who hadn’t joined the hunt were laughing through a game of Pictionary.

“What are we playing next?” Duchess Tetri asked. She gracefully craned her neck to look at the next table. Each group had about thirty minutes to try a game, then they would rest and rotate.

“The Sun Tiles.” The clacking of the wood tiles sounded as a table of two men and two women shuffled and dropped the wooden tiles. There were 144 in a set; Tori went with the standard rather than one of the variations, but she had to change the characters on the tiles to fit Soleil.

For the most part, even if one didn’t know what the characters meant, if they could match them up, a person could play the game. She replaced the Chinese characters with common and easy to recognize Old Sulfae, but kept the circles and bamboo.

Tori spent most of the morning showing people how to play each game before the rotation began. She’d gone around asking people for their opinions and explained that these were games to be sold at her new store in the Fourth District. The comments so far were promising.

However, even as Tori announced it was time for a switch, her mind was elsewhere.

After every rotation, she’d gone upstairs to call for Alexander, but she hadn’t seen him all afternoon. His food bowl was left untouched; something that never happened. Duchess Fekete had her servants look for the cat, but so far, there had been no sight of him.

The room shifted and people wandered to whatever table they wanted to play or remained where they were, as the few people still working on their dungeon crawl.

“I am sure he will show up. It’s actually quite difficult for a cat to get out of Granite Tower,” Duchess Fekete said as she took a seat at the tiles table. She had noticed the distracted and worried expression on Tori’s face. “Speckles and Stripes sometimes aren’t seen for days at a time.”

Speckles and Stripes were the names of Duke Fekete’s calico and ginger tabby.

Tori took a deep breath and forced a smile on her face. “I just hope he’ll come back or is found by tonight. We’re leaving tomorrow.”

“If he doesn’t, we will keep an eye out for him. When we find him, I’ll send him back. Don’t worry. Alexander will be fine.” The Duchess promised her with a pat on her arm. She then looked at the table and rubbed her hands together. Sun Tiles was a favorite, especially when everyone learned they could make small bets.

“One gold coin each in the pot,” Duchess Tetri smirked. The two duchesses locked eyes from across the table.

Tori pursed her lips. The wager was supposed to be a small amount, but then again, when the players were rich, she supposed the standard changed.

“We need one more person,” Duchess Sinan said. Her husband had gone off to hunt with their daughter, son-in-law, and grandson. Duchess Sinan was the daughter of a Viscount in Tetri and was familiar with the Duchess.

“A shame the Young Lord Gerald went hunting,” Duchess Tetri sighed. “Then it could be a game against four of the duchies.”

“Countess, do you want to represent Axton?” Duchess Fekete patted the seat to her right. “He says you are as close as he has to a sister.”

Tori opened her mouth to decline - she didn’t bring enough change to wager and was too embarrassed, but the head butler stepped into the room.

“The sun is setting and the first of the hunting parties has arrived!”

“Already?” Tori heard people proclaim their confusion and looked towards the windows. The sky was still bright, but they couldn’t see the horizon from the great room windows.

“They’re a bit early,” Duchess Fekete said, frowning as she reluctantly drew her hands back from the tiles they were shuffling. “I would’ve clarified to return when the sun hit the horizon.”

“Perhaps they’re not used to being in the forest and are being cautious,” Duchess Sinan suggested. “It’s not too bad to be careful, especially with one’s life.”

The women nodded and Tori furrowed her brows. “Do we wait here, or do we go to the courtyard to greet them?”

Duchess Fekete looked at the tiles, as if torn between her hostess duty and playing against the other duchesses. “We should go and greet them.” She didn’t sound willing at all.

Tori held back a chuckle, but smiled. “My knights and I will pack up the games.”

“Ah...would you consider keeping the Sun Tiles out?” Duchess Tetri asked. “For some after dinner activities?”

“I can bring some down after dinner. It will be a good chance to see what everyone is interested in playing,” Tori said. The crowd in the great room parted with their games. Several people stopped to ask Tori to bring back a few games and those who were dungeon crawling tucked away their character sheets.

Tori’s two Guevera knights and the two escort knights Piers assigned her carried her games back to her room. She ran to the balcony and called for Alexander. His food bowl remained untouched. Tori rubbed her stomach, feeling uneasy.

“Alexander is a smart and adventurous cat,” Sir Pinzon told her in a reassuring voice. “He will come back by tonight; I am sure of it.”

Tori bit her lips, but nodded. Alexander spent a lot of time in the tent sleeping, but when he wasn’t sleeping, he was God-only-knew where. He always came home at night, but that was in Viclya. Tori was sure he was familiar. Granite Tower was a completely different place.

Calm down. Just give it until tonight. I’m sure he’s fine. She made sure to keep the balcony door open just a bit before leaving her room.

When she reached the courtyard, several more hunting parties arrived. The spacious courtyard had groups of boisterous people. Some were bragging, some were empty handed, and others were exchanging experiences and complaining that there wasn’t enough game.

Tori rolled her eyes. The section of the forest where the hunt took place had been carefully prepared. Not only was it left unhunted for three years, but animals were also periodically released to increase the chances of finding prey. The Duchy even monitored the populations of the larger animals.

“What do you mean there wasn’t enough?” Duchess Fekete almost snorted as Duke Sinan lumbered towards them at the base of the steps. “Don’t you mean that you simply couldn’t find any?”

“I mean that there weren’t enough!” Duke Sinan insisted, his face red. “What deer and boar? I didn’t see half the animals you said there would be!”

He puffed up his chest defiantly, but Duchess Fekete only sneered. “Then perhaps you should work on your tracking.”

“Catherine, tell me the truth,” Duchess Sinan said as she faced her daughter. “How did your father do?”

The heir to the Sinan Duchy seemed a bit reluctant. “We only encountered the smaller animals, but....” She glanced at her father and then lowered her voice. “You know father isn’t a very good huntsman.”

Tori turned her head away and pretended she didn’t hear. She scanned the courtyard, but didn’t see Piers and the others. If she knew them, they would’ve continued to hunt until the sun began to set. Only then would they start their return trip. How long it took depended on how far they were.

JP and Sonia’s saddles were given to them by Dede and had light crystals on either side to help them if they were caught outside after dark. Tori was confident in their preparations, as Dede clearly knew what he was doing, and the knights and Axton had levels of survival training, so she wasn’t too worried if they got back a bit later than everyone else.

She walked down the steps and to the bench beneath a tree to wait.

She kept a close eye on the game that was brought in. No one seemed to have bagged a boar, but there were a few with one or two deer. Most of the parties had small prey, mainly rabbits, pheasants, and ducks. The head butler was the one in charge of logging in results of each party’s hunt.

All right, it’s pretty good so far. The highest score isn’t astronomical, and the difference is small. Piers and the others have a good chance.

What was most important was that they returned safe.

What was next most important was that they beat Gideon.

According to the list posted in the great room, there were fifteen hunting parties with three to six people in each party.

Tori checked her time piece again and glanced at the sky. Slowly, the blue turned orange, then to violet. The orange glow of the sunset couldn’t be seen over the tops of the castle walls, and the amount of people returning had thinned out.

“Sir Pinzon,” Tori asked, her eyes still fixed on the gate at the far end of the courtyard. “Ask Mr. Kurt how many parties haven’t returned.”

The female knight behind her gave a small nod and swept around the bench to walk towards the gray-haired man holding a stiff folio and pen. Tori watched Sir Pinzon lean forward and speak to the head butler quietly before nodding and returning.

She bent forward to tell Tori. “Three parties still haven’t returned, my lady. Both His Highness Prince Piers and Prince Gideon’s parties are still out, and Lord Duarte’s party of six.”

Tori furrowed her brows. She didn’t pay attention to Gideon’s party at all and turned towards the steps of the entryway, where Duchess Fekete was still standing at the base of the steps, mirroring her expectant gaze on the gate.

If it were Tori, and her only son and heir was out hunting, her only solace would be that Evzen was in the company of three knights. At least two of those three would be useful in an emergency. Still, Tori supposed any mother would be anxious when their child was not yet accounted for.

Piers and the others aren’t yet accounted for and I’m already starting to get worried. Tori took a deep breath to try to calm herself as she looked back towards the gate. She lifted her hands and rubbed her arms.

“Are you cold, my lady?” Sir Bazan asked from her left. “We are at a higher elevation than Viclya and the temperatures drop at night.”

“No, no, I’m fine.” She didn’t notice the temperature change. She was more focused on her friends returning.

Sir Bazan and Sir Pinzon seemed to exchange a glance and a moment later, a maid had been called over and Sir Pinzon asked for a shawl. Tori didn’t stop her and kept her eyes on the gate. By now, the courtyard only had one other party and they were waiting as Mr. Kurt counted and recorded their game.

Tori caught a movement through the gate, and she craned her neck, holding her breath as the shadows emerged into the courtyard. She could make out the large horses and several riders.

“His Highness Prince Gideon’s party has returned!”

“Ugh.” Tori curled the corner of her lip and slumped back on the bench. Wrong prince.

The group approached the entrance of Granite Tower and in the brightly lit courtyard, stable hands seemed to appear from the shadows to collect the horses as Mr. Kurt and the Duke and Duchess approached. The two imperial knights dismounted and began removing the game from where they were hanging off several saddles.

Alessa, Gideon, and Evzen didn’t have any game on theirs. It seemed that the knights carried their spoils. Fabian even had a deer carcass on the back of his horse.

Tori didn’t approach, but she did try to identify and count the party’s game, then calculate the points in her head. There were several rabbits and two game birds that she could see.

“My brother hasn’t returned yet?” Gideon’s voice was both surprised and worried. He looked around the courtyard and seemed to notice her sitting under the tree, waiting. Tori ignored him and returned her attention to the gate.

From her calculations, Gideon’s party had a decent total, but compared to what she heard some other parties’ totals were, they weren’t the top score.

“My lady, please put this on.” A maid approached her with a purple woven shawl and Tori gave her a grateful smile before taking it.

“Thank you.” As she wrapped it around her, Sir Dobchek, who was waiting with them, spoke up.

“Should we call them, my lady?”

“No, let’s wait a bit a longer,” Tori said. “The weather conditions aren’t bad, several of them have survival, as well as basic aid, training, as well as light crystals and more than enough food. We also haven’t seen any crystal beacon indicating that they are lost or injured, so I’m sure they’re on their way. If they’re not here in an hour, I’m going to call.” I’m not a parent; I should have more faith in my friends- She shot to her feet as she saw a faint yellow light past the portcullis. “I see lights!”

She was rushing across the courtyard before anyone could stop her. As far as she knew, no one else had brought light crystals with them, especially not ones that could function as essentially headlights. Tori had seen them on Sprite and Maple, the horses Dede lent for the hunt, when they were traveling.

She ran past Gideon and his party, positive that the lights belonged to her friends.

“Tori!” The lights flashed in her eyes for just a moment before the horse turned and Sonia waved her arm. “We’re back!”

The tightness in Tori’s chest eased. She tried not to look too relieved, as if she doubted they’d return. Sonia and a knight were at the front while JP followed in the very back with the other knight. Another group of six people were with them: older guests looking a bit more ragged than her friends. It was Lord Duarte’s group. With them in tow, all the hunting parties were accounted for.

“Sorry we’re late,” Axton said as he slowed Blue River. “Two members of Lord Duarte’s group were separated after a boar chased them, so we stopped to assist them.”

“As long as you all are safe,” Tori said with a wide smile. “Welcome back!”

“By the way, we found someone while we were out,” Sonia said. The bay horse stopped in front of Tori and Sonia tugged open her outer tunic length robe that had been draped over the front of the saddle.

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Tori sucked in a sharp breath as relief and anger swept over her. “Alexander Hamilton de Guevera the First! Where the hell have you been!?” Her furious voice almost filled the courtyard as the fluffy gray cat sat on the front of Sonia’s saddle, lazily swaying his tail back and forth.

Tori ignored the chuckles as she marched forward to grab the scruff of her cat, only to freeze. Alexander was an ashy gray color with some white strands of fur here and there. Patches of dark, hardened fur dotted his body and his paws. Her heart dropped.

“Don’t panic!” Sonia said, waving her hand. “It’s not his blood.”

Tori’s jaw dropped. “What do you mean it’s not his blood!”

“Nyaow!” Alexander let out a loud cry and jumped from Sonia’s saddle and onto the back of Axton’s horse. Draped over the carcass of a deer was a blood-spattered orange and black furred mass. Alexander proudly climbed on top of it and seemed to pat the fur as he let out some more meows.

This did not make Tori feel any better.

“He is a very skilled hunter,” Piers said. He’d dismounted to walk Ice Queen the rest of the way and appeared at her side after handing his horse to one of his knights. “He caught a young fox.”

She almost slapped him. “You let my several month-old cat fight a fox?”

Piers had a glint of pride. “He won.”

Several swears echoed in her head, but nothing came out of her gaping mouth. She snapped her head back to her cat. “What if he’s injured?”

“I checked and he doesn’t seem to be hurt anywhere,” JP said. “I’m not as adept with small animals as I am with horses, but from what I felt, he’s not injured. No bites, nor scratches....”

“We can ask Duke Fekete for assistance, my lady,” Sir Pinzon told her. “There is an animal doctor present.”

“Ask for them at once,” Tori said without any hesitation. She took the shawl from her shoulders and wrapped Alexander in it as she pulled him off the horse. “You are in so much trouble.”

“Don’t be angry at him,” Piers said. “He was of great help hunting small game.”

Tori looked towards the horses. She had been so distracted by their arrival and her blood-splattered cat, that she didn’t notice that every saddle had something hanging from them. There were several game birds, a rabbit, some deer, the fox, and a large black-haired animal on Sir Granger’s horse.

“Your Highness,” Mr. Kurt stopped beside it, his pen frozen over the folio as he almost gawked at the game. “Is this....” He circled around the horse and his face lit up. “Congratulations, Your Highness! You are the first and only hunting party to bring back a boar!”

“You can’t take risks like this in the future. It’s dangerous.” Tori took the crystal-powered brush with heated bone prongs and air crystals that blew air through holes on a carnelian plate and moved it over his fur. “What if you got hurt? Do you want me to cry? At least have the decency to look guilty.”

Alexander ignored her words in favor of rubbing her free hand as Tori brushed him. As JP said, the cat was unhurt. The castle’s veterinarian came to check and after assuring Tori that her cat was perfectly healthy, two maids came to give Alexander a bath. After they toweled him as dry as they could, Tori took Alexander’s pet brush out to comb him.

He was a long-haired pet; they needed daily brushing to prevent mats.

Behind them, sitting on the bed, Sonia muffled a laugh. “We should’ve called you when we found him, but he jumped out of my saddle bag and into the bush so quickly, we completely forgot. All we could think about was catching him.”

“Next time, which I hope there won’t be, just call me. I don’t care if he runs off, as long as I have an idea of where he is,” Tori said with a frown.

No one knew how Alexander ended up in Sonia’s saddle bag, but he didn’t make himself known until they were almost an hour into their trek into the forest. There was no movement from the bag, no noise. If they didn’t know any better, they’d think he planned it.

As soon as Alexander was on the ground, he had promptly caught a pheasant. Most of the small game was caught or at least found by her overzealous cat.

Somehow, he had led them to a herd of deer, which with Sonia and JP’s archery secured five. Sonia got two directly behind the shoulder, puncturing the heart. JP was able to get one in the same position. They didn’t hesitate to use multiple arrows. This was what Dede taught them. Together, they hit at least two more in the flank, stopping them from getting away and the knights had to finish them off.

The knights and Axton were suspiciously quiet when Tori asked if they caught any of the deer. “We bled them....” Sir Lloyd had offered.

The boar was a surprise. Axton believed it was the same one that turned on Lord Duarte, as it was near where they found Lord Duarte’s sons who had been separated from the party. It was relatively young, but aggressive. They hadn’t noticed it at first, but Alexander didn’t let anyone pick him up or move from his spot.

He had kept looking in a particular direction. Sonia had been the first to shoot. She got it in the flank, which got its attention. Arrows were flying and JP and Sonia were shouting directions. Piers had snatched Alexander off the ground and stuffed him into his saddle bag before getting out of the way.

Axton had taken the lead to lure the boar through the trees, so it was in their line of sight.

Both JP and Sonia had spent their remaining arrows on the boar. Even then, they had spent several long minutes of chasing to wear the boar down. When it collapsed in exhaustion, Piers had taken out his sword to finish it off. The arrows could only penetrate its thick skin so far.

As for the fox, Sonia told Tori that it had been following them as they had some small game. They had stopped to eat and as they were picking out some meat from their lunches to feed Alexander, the gray cat had suddenly attacked the young fox.

“I had never heard such a terrifying cry in my life,” Sonia had said when several people came to look at the dead fox and boar. “They sounded as if they were screaming for their lives. I didn’t think Alexander could growl that deep. Sir Granger and Sir Lloyd tried to separate them, but they were rolling around in the dirt and leaves.”

From what Tori could imagine, Alexander had some sort of death grip on the fox and when the fox was bleeding and weak, Sonia had the opportunity to put an arrow through him. It was risky, as Alexander was biting the fox’s neck, but they were far enough apart that Sonia was confident she could do it.

If anyone in that party could, it would be Sonia.

“I can’t believe you were worried about your accuracy in hunting,” Tori said with a snort as she felt Alexander’s fur to make sure he was dry. “You took down more game than some of the hunting parties combined.”

Sonia had a slight, smug smile on her face, but shrugged her shoulders. “I had legitimate concerns since JP and I are used to stationary targets. Dede didn’t make us spend all that time in the woods in vain.”

A grin appeared on Tori’s lips as she put the brush down. “And thanks to that, I’ve won two new carriages and a dozen imperial horses.”

“Tori, I’m sure you could’ve asked Prince Piers and he would’ve given them to you.”

“Yes, but I feel like I earned them this way.” Tori turned around and carried Alexander to her bed. “And did you see the look on Prince Gideon’s face when your total score was announced?” Her heart was full just remembering the way his confident expression shattered. If only she had a camera to record the moment so she could replay it whenever she was feeling down.

“What would he get if he won?”

“He wanted to celebrate his birthday in Viclya. The weekend package of catering, lodging, fireworks, and activities.”

Sonia rolled her eyes as she rolled out of the bed. “It’s not impossible if he pays.”

“He also said he should be able to invite anyone he wants.”

Sonia paused, then looked over her shoulder. “You should ban him permanently.”

Tori let out a snort before putting Alexander on the corner of her bed. Dinner would start soon, and guests were likely already waiting in the great room to get into the dining hall.

Sonia straightened out her dress as they passed the mirror and headed to the door. Tori checked to make sure the balcony doors were shut and eyed her cat with warning once more before following.

JP called and went down ahead of them, and when they reached the corridor in front of the great hall, they found him chatting in a small group of people. As they approached, Tori could hear them asking about the boar and it seemed JP was recognized as one of the champions of the Spring Three-Day.

“Have you met my sister?” JP’s eyes looked over their shoulders and he gave Tori and Sonia a nod to beckon them over. “She is the overall champion of this year’s competition.”

Though several guests looked towards Sonia with surprise and awe, she didn’t seem at all shaken. Tori giggled to herself. Their Sonia was so used to the attention and impressed looks, she’d probably grown numb to them. With the confidence of an idol greeting fans, Sonia shook hands and answered questions before they were ushered into the dining hall.

Sonia and JP managed to slip in without an announcement, but Tori had to stop at the door and wait her turn.

“Countess Victoria de Guevera, Countess of Cosora!”

Chin up, back straight, and...go. Tori stepped into the dining hall and began to make some rounds to guests who had gone hunting that day. After a few minutes, she noticed something was off.

Piers would usually be the first person to make a beeline to her as soon as she appeared. Her brows furrowed and she scanned the great room. She didn’t see Piers, but was soon accosted by several people asking about the games she’d presented that day. A few people who’d joined the hunt were curious.

Normally, she’d slip into a marketing mode and try to gain interest in her products, but JP said Axton and Piers had already entered.

“Duchess Fekete has been very gracious and will have this room prepared after dinner for some of the games to be played. I am bringing down the most popular ones from today, but some games do have a limit on the number of players.” Tori still reverted to her business smile and answered questions, but every so often, her eyes would look past the small crowd around her to try to catch sight of her friends.

Sonia and JP were together and seemingly marching along the side of the room. Their lips were set in tight lines, almost frowning, and their eyes were focused ahead of them. Tori subconsciously followed the direction of their gaze.

Piers was blocked in the corner, appearing tense, and avoiding the faces of the people in front of him. Tori couldn’t see who they were, but they seemed determined to hold Piers for a chance to talk to him. This wouldn’t be the first time, but usually, Axton was nearby.

Tori barely held back her frown and managed to keep her business smile on. “I’m sorry, my friends are waiting for me. I was the one who invited them to join me, so I can’t leave them alone for long.” Her apologetic words were easily excused, and the small crowd stepped aside to let her through.

She took two small, graceful steps past them, then broke into a fast, measured step she used when closing distance in long sword. In a dress and without a weapon, her posture was still straight, and she didn’t bounce, but her walking speed increased.

Sonia and JP were trying to get through the crowd that cornered Piers, but they couldn’t bring themselves to wedge themselves in and push people out of the way. They were commoners and who knew the ranks of the people in front of them. Any action outside their status would do more harm than good.

Tori didn’t have this problem. Before she reached them, her voice cut across the chatter.

“Piers.” One word and the rising anxiety she could see in his face turned into relief. “Have you seen Axton? I can’t find him; come help me.” It was a weak excuse, but it was good enough.

With the group of young people distracted by her appearance, Sonia and JP managed to squeeze their way in and ‘casually’ make a space for Piers to walk through while talking about how they were also looking for Axton.

“Must you leave now, Your Highness?” The familiar voice of Alessa pierced Tori’s ears.

She couldn’t help but instantly grind her teeth. Her eyes locked on to Alessa. The blonde baroness was at the head of the crowd, closest to Piers. Neither Gideon nor Fabian were near.

Piers didn’t answer Alessa. He didn’t look at her or anyone else in the crowd as he walked towards Tori.

“There you are!” Axton sounded out of breath as he reached them. “I was called out by Fabian to tell the servants how to prepare our game.” Beside him was an even more out of breath and red-faced Evzen.

Tori let out a light laugh and shook her head. “If we can bring some of the meat back, that would be great. We should cure some to send to Dede.”

JP and Sonia picked up the conversation easily. Masterfully, JP steered the conversation of the group towards how everyone was preparing their game, taking attention off Piers.

Piers stood beside Tori, and she wove her arm around his, bringing her body as close to him as possible to offer solace. His grip on her hand resting on the crook of his arm was tight and tense.

“We...we can go sit!” Evzen voice cracked as he panted. Unlike his parents, he wasn’t very active. Being forced to hunt and basic, casual sword lessons every few days were the extent of his exercise.

Tori gave him an approving nod. She didn’t know the details, but he had rushed to find them for a reason. She gave Piers a brilliant smile. “Shall we take our seats?”

His lips remained shut tight, but he gave her a nod.

As she led him away from Alessa and the crowd, Tori’s brilliant smile dimmed.

Before that summer, Alessa seemed to try to remain close to Gideon. She had escorted him to a ball, was in his excursion group, and had him help the baking club during the Spring Festival. Tori knew she invited Gideon to Chetterswickshire that summer, as well. Now, the two weren’t even in the same room.

In fact, now that Tori thought about it, Alessa didn’t greet Gideon the day before. She’d approached and gave him a nod, but her attention had been on Piers who had been standing in front of Gideon. Since when did Alessa ignore Gideon?

Tori glanced back into the great room. Alessa moved on to another high-ranked noble to introduce herself. Tori had nothing against networking; it was necessary in their positions, but why was Alessa distancing herself from Gideon?

Of the love interests, Gideon would be one of Alessa’s strongest supporters, if not the strongest. It didn’t make sense for her to distance herself, even if it was for the necessity of networking with others. Did something happen between them during the summer that caused a rift? Gideon had been under strict management at the naval academy; what could’ve happened?

Now, Alessa only looked towards Gideon for support when she needed it.

She also asked about Piers’ hunting party and offered to join, and tonight, she somehow cornered Piers once more without Gideon or Fabian nearby.

Tori glanced at the handsome man next to her. She lifted her hand and placed it on top of his, rubbing the back of it gently. He looked down at her with a small crease of his brows.

“Don’t worry,” she whispered with a determined look. “I’ll protect you from her, too.”

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