Page 20 of The Spy

The people they passed along their route stared, their gazes fixed on him and Karl, then turning their heads to watch as they walked by.And yet…

Casmir frowned internally, keeping his outward expression full of bland interest as Karl pointed out a lovely mosaic of white button flowers twined around musical instruments inlaid into the floor as they walked across an atrium and into yet another hallway.There were definitely plenty of people looking at Casmir.He could feel their eyes burning into his back.And yet…

When Casmir and Karl walked into an occupied space, the person who caught most of the attention of the gawkers wasn’t Casmir.No, the nobles and courtiers, lawyers and secretaries, and even the servants were all focused on Karl instead.

Karl was certainly an interesting individual, beyond even Casmir’s infatuation.He was a former thief turned baker working for the Royal Forces who had been adopted by Char, husband of Prince Fen.Karl was practically a prince by adoption, even though Fen hadn’t been able to make it official.However, nothing about Karl’s history was new to the court and certainly shouldn’t eclipse the return of a prince from exile, particularly when that prince was the son of the greatest traitor in Tovalian history.Something was clearly going on, and Casmir had a strange feeling whatever it was wouldn’t end well for Karl.

Casmir let out a slow breath as they reached the guards stationed outside the royal wing.He said some pleasantries when Karl introduced him, but behind that outward mask, his brain was churning.Casmir might not be able to fade back into the shadows again, as his life as a spy was over, but that didn’t mean his abilities needed to go to waste.He was going to find out what was going on with Karl and use every trick in his repertoire to ensure Karl survived.

No matter what the cost.

Chapter Twelve

“WE WENT BACKeight generations,” Braxton said, lounging back in his chair on the other side of his desk.His public office was a mess of papers and books absolutely everywhere, stacked on every flat surface and all over the floor, turning the path to the visitor’s chair where Karl sat in into a dangerous maze.

“You couldn’t find anyone?”Karl asked, his heart sinking.

“It’s not that we couldn’t find anyone willing,” Braxton replied with a sneer and disappointed shake of his head.“Plenty of people were all too happy with the idea of getting their hands on the wealth from the Bay of Whist.All those tax dollars coming in at that port would let anyone live a comfortable life of excess.The previous Baron Whistfield certainly did when he was turning traitor to the crown.”

“There has to be one person you can choose as heir who wouldn’t be too bad, right?”

Braxton sighed, shaking his head again.“I’m sure somewhere in those eight generations there was one.The problem isn’t needing a blood heir like royal law dictates.The Whistfield inheritance has its own mandate on top of the royal one.It states the heir must be someone who wields red magic, to the point that a non-blood heir with the magic would inherit over a blood heir without.”

Braxton slumped in his seat and ran a hand through his hair, giving Karl a look Karl really wished he couldn’t interpret.

“No one in those eight generations had the magic, did they?”Karl asked, even though Braxton’s expression had already told him it was a redundant question.Karl didn’t bother waiting for Braxton to answer, instead stating the answer himself.“No one, that is, except me.”

Braxton nodded.“We couldn’t find anyone else of the bloodline with red magic, neither in those eight generations nor by searching for other bastard children like you.Royal law dictates if a blood heir can be located, we are mandated to declare them the heir.You are the heir to the Barony of Whistfield, and unlike four years ago, this time you can’t turn it down.”

“Damn,” Karl breathed out, joining Braxton in slumping down in his seat.“I don’t want anything to do with a noble title.”

Whistfield might only be a barony, but because of Toval’s largest port being located in the Bay of Whist, it had the money and resources to rival a duke at times.Karl had turned down the crown’s offer four years ago, when the baron at the time—Karl’s father—had committed treason and been executed.The baron’s only legitimate child and his younger brother had both died in the fighting, leaving only Karl as the bastard child with the ability to use red magic.

“Explains why I’ve been feeling murderous gazes tracking me whenever I’m walking in any of the public hallways.Bet all those younger sons or weaker nobles want nothing more than to take their fancy, bejeweled daggers and plunge what’s probably dull metal into my back.”

Braxton snorted out a laugh.“Graphic, but probably accurate.Do us all a favor and stay with Casmir when you’re wandering around the castle.He might be settling pretty well into the role of innocent prince, but he’s still deadly.If any of those dull blades head your way, he’ll have your back.”

“You realize I’m armed right now too?”Karl grumped out, trying to conceal the way his heart leapt at the idea of getting to spend time with Casmir.“Why couldn’t I have gone with Char and Fen on the Royal Forces annual training?You know, wherever they went…” Which was somewhere out in the wild, unsettled areas of Toval where they could train intensely for three to four weeks uninterrupted.The barracks in the military complex were empty.Even Emily had gone with them, leaving Karl and Shan behind.

Sous chefs were always in high demand, so Shan had settled without trouble into the castle’s kitchens with Terrance, Char’s cousin.Bakers, on the other hand… Not so much.Karl sighed.Terrance had offered to find Karl space, but Karl knew the only way Terrance could do that was to kick someone else out.Karl wasn’t about to cost someone their job just so he could fill some empty hours in his day, or so he could escape bloodthirsty courtiers.

“They went somewhere, but you know you would just be in the way there.They can’t help you train with your knives while they’re busy with their own maneuvers, and they don’t need a baker.”Braxton shrugged.“You’re needed here anyway, as the Baron Whistfield.”He reached into one of the stacks of papers and pulled out a section as thick as his fist.“Here’s an overview of your lands and responsibilities, some paperwork you have to fill out to get everything transferred into your name, including bank forms and some stuff for the lawyers, and a few other things like arranging for the jeweler to help you design your signet ring.”He passed the papers over to Karl.“I’ll need everything you have to review and sign back by tomorrow, so I can get it all to Ayer and get the ball moving on your debut in court as the new baron.”

“A debut?Why do we need that?Just slap the title on me.In a few weeks the Royal Forces will be back, and I’ll return to their kitchen to bake every day.The second a new scandal hits, I’ll be yesterday’s news and completely forgotten.All of this will blow over soon enough.”

Karl hoped the fleeting look of pity that crossed and then disappeared from Braxton’s face didn’t mean what the heavy feeling in his stomach coupled by the weight of the papers in his hands implied.

“Focus on getting through all that paperwork first,” Braxton replied.“Then we can figure out your baking.”

Karl bit his lip but nodded.He stood to leave but paused with his hand on his chair back to turn toward Braxton.

“Have you heard anything from Yaroi?”he asked.

In the weeks since Karl had been back in Etoval, he had spent the early mornings baking the day’s breads and pies for the Royal Forces, before heading to the castle to help nurse Casmir back to health.Once Casmir had left the healer’s wing two weeks ago, Karl had been able to focus a lot of his time on preparing the foodstuffs for the Royal Forces’ expedition.Now that the Royal Forces were gone and Karl was staying in Fen’s set of rooms in the royal wing, he had far too much time for his thoughts to drift and to dwell on that terrible journey out of Yari.

Braxton frowned, pursing his lips in thought before he replied, “No, and we should have.They definitely know we have two members of their royal household here in Etoval, but we haven’t received any sort of diplomatic communications.Not even their ambassador stationed here has spoken to us about it.”

“And it’s Yaroi, so if they’re not willing to be open about it—”

---