Page 48 of Songs and Spun Gold
“I have no intention of hurting her or anyone,” Axel said lightly. “I should never wish to hurt someone I care about.”
Otto didn’t look at him – not that he had for most of the journey – as he replied, “You may not intend to, but that doesn’t mean you won’t.”
Once they were inside the castle grounds, Axel waved his guard off to his other duties and headed for the castle building, his mind still circling their conversation. What did Otto know? Should he begin distancing himself? He was confident the guard would keep his evidence and conclusions to himself, but that didn’t mean Axel wanted to give him more opportunity to glean them.
Unfortunately, to avoid him now would suggest things that Axel didn’t want him to infer.
“Your Highness!” called a female servant shortly after Axel entered the castle. “The king requests your presence in his study.”
Axel raised his eyebrows in polite interest and curved his lips slightly. “Thank you. Did he say why?”
“No, Your Highness,” the servant replied with a curtsy. “Only that if we saw you, we were to send you there immediately.”
“Thank you for letting me know.” Axel flashed her a charming grin, placed his right hand on his chest, and dipped in a shallow bow before sauntering off in the direction of hisfather’s study. Behind him, he heard the giggles that such actions usually elicited.
He kept the scowl off his face as he navigated the halls, but only just. Yes, he’d been out longer than normal and returned later, but even the servants and guards had days off; why couldn’t he? Why couldn’t he—
Shoving the thoughts aside, he took a few deep breaths while smiling pleasantly at the people he passed. It was no wonder his guard was picking up on things; his control was slipping. Ever since opening night ofThe Tanner’s Secret, it had been harder to keep his true thoughts and feelings sealed away.
The dreams didn’t help, either. Now he had concerned brown eyes following him through the night. Eyes that were concerned…for him. Sometimes they were laughing instead as their owner reacted to something he’d said, but it was always genuine.Hefelt genuine in those dreams. No matter how he strained, the sound of her laughter was always just out of reach, but he had an insatiable desire to earn more of it.
As he approached the study, he heard raised voices. It was never a good sign when sound leaked out of his father’s study. He took a moment to affix a dutiful expression on his face, then knocked on the door.
The voices immediately cut off. “Come in,” the king called gruffly.
Axel opened the door and poked his head through the opening. “Just me, Father,” he smiled before stepping the rest of the way into the room. To his surprise, a quick glance revealed that the only other occupant was his mother and that her face was flushed.
Hisparentshad been having a heated argument? He couldn’t remember the last time he’d witnessed a fight between them.
“About time you showed up,” Father grumbled. “I’ve had servants on the watch for you since yesterday evening!”
“I am most sorry, Father,” Axel replied, molding his face into penitence and dropping his eyes to the floor. “I was not aware that I would be wanted, so I accepted Tobias’s invitation to visit him at his home and remained there through breakfast.”
“And you couldn’t leave word?” his father growled. He struck his desk with an open palm as he launched himself out of his chair.
“That is not important right now, Steffan,” the queen cut in. Her voice was clipped and possessed a harsh quality that Axel rarely heard. “Unless you are going to claim his presence would have made a difference when mine didn’t?”
Axel watched in astonishment as the king spun toward her. “It was not up for discussion then, nor is it now! What’s done is done. I don’t know why you’re so upset; it’s not like she’ll manage it.”
“You don’t know why I’m upset?” his mother echoed disbelievingly. “Why would I be upset when you promise our son to an unknown village girl without evendiscussingit with me? Or him?”
“Wait, what?”
“She’ll never complete the task, so it wasn’t important.” Father stomped over to a window on the other side of the room and glared out it. “And if your son would come to meetings like he is supposed to, he would have had the opportunity to register protests if he had them.”
“IfI had them?”
“Well, I suppose that’s something, but that still leavesmeout of this!” Mother jammed her fists onto her hips and followed after him. “Idon’t get to register protests? This is oursonyou’re talking about!”
Axel detested yelling; it didn’t suit his image and tended to exacerbate problems instead of letting him slip out of them. But since their argument had driven his presence from his parents’minds, he set aside his normal rules of conduct and yelled.
Not as loud as he could; his hours of practice with Lotti ensured a healthy set of lungs and the ability to project quite well. But fairly loud, nonetheless. “What is going on?”
Both of his parents turned to him. His mother’s face was shocked; his father’s was simply annoyed.
“Would someone please explain to me what has happened?” he asked in a normal voice. “Generally, I would not attempt to pry, but my feeble understanding suggests that it pertains closely to me.” He raised questioning eyebrows in his mother’s direction, judging that she would be less likely to take offense at his “impertinence.”
“It does,” she huffed. She sent another glare the king’s way before turning to face her son. “Your fatherwas upset by a rumor from one of the villages, so instead of sending for the man who made the comments, he had the man’s daughter arrested and brought here. Then, instead of anyreasonablepunishment, he informed her that her father’s loans were due immediately but that if she would spend three nights spinning things intogold, he would marry her off to you and cancel the debt as a wedding present.”
