"How did you sleep, Your Holiness?" I heard her ask as I reached the desk.
I turned to face her. "Does it matter?" My eyes locked onto her earring.
"Of course it does," she said.
My gaze slowly shifted from her earring to her face. I grabbed my swords and looked at her. "What do you want?"
I was annoyed. Did they expect me to open up to this maid and confess whether or not I was the murderer? Nonsense. Her smile alone—her entire existence—was irritating. Pathetic humans.
Her attention never left me. "I came to inform you that Your Holiness will be visiting the church with the commander and a few other knights."
"When do we depart?"
"This evening."
"I see. You may go now."
"I understand. Would you like your breakfast to be served in your room?"
"Yes," I replied.
With a curtsy, she left, leaving me alone in this unfamiliar room.
A few hours later
"My lady, we are ready to depart," one of the knights said.
The carriage was large—big enough to fit twenty corpses. The only use I could think for it was hauling bodies into the forest to bury them.
The commander sat directly across from me. I tried to ignore his presence and focused on the view outside the carriage window. But his charming figure and annoyingly handsome face made it impossible to completely disregard him.
"Your Holiness," the commander said, pulling my attention back to him.
I looked him up and down. "What do you want?"
"If I may ask... how old are you?"
"What a rude question." I tilted my head slightly, mocking him. "I expected you to know better. One should never ask a lady about her age."
I didn't show it in my voice or on my face, but I was enjoying this—watching him squirm, making him the slightest bit uncomfortable.
"I apologize, Your Holiness."
His voice wasn't deep or cold. It was... almost cute. Nothing like the emperor's.
"I'm fifteen," I said simply, turning back to the window.
"I see." He sounded awkward now.
"We're arriving soon," someone said from the front. I couldn't see who it was—I was still inside the carriage.
To be continued...